C-Tech Innovation & Lancaster University are the delivery partners for the Northwest Eco-Innovation Programme, a three year business support programme jointly funded (€4.3 million) by the North West Development Agency (NWDA) and the European Development Fund (ERDF).

The Northwest Eco-Innovation Programme is contained within the Improving your Resource Efficiency product as part of Solutions for Business, the Government's package of publicly funded business support designed to help companies start and grow.

"How Far has the sustainability agenda come and is it being derailed by the recession?" this was just one of the questions posed to a panel of experts in this month’s Business Insider Green Report. David Brayne, our very own Eco-Innovation project manager was amongst the panel members discussing this and other issues.  Click here to read the full Green Report.

What is the Objective of the Programme?

The North West eco-innovation programme will assist organisations to harness their creativity to generate improvements in products, processes or systems which have a positive impact on company growth, turnover, and the environment.

The programme will work with SMEs in the North West of England on a one-to-one basis to identify and implement opportunities for innovation within each company. Participation in the project will also allow companies to draw upon a suite of additional services delivered by Lancaster University’s business support programmes including:

• Lancaster Environment Centre’s Graduate Consultancy Scheme; Applied Research and Development initiatives and Incubation Services.
• The Lancaster Product Development Unit’s Sustainable Design, Rapid Manufacture and Virtual Prototyping Services The level of this support will vary depending on the needs of the particular business, but may range from one or two days consultancy, up to 6 months placement of a graduate consultant within the business.

What happens if I want to participate in the programme?

Businesses that participate in the programme will be assigned their own Adviser who will conduct an initial eco-innovation review. This will help identify areas of current strengths and opportunity for the business, from generic environmental business improvements to specialist assistance for specific products and processes. A bespoke business proposal will be developed in collaboration with the business, which will include specific output targets that the business wishes to achieve.

The Adviser will work with the business to assist with the implementation of the proposal. The type and level of support is discussed with the client and some typical examples are given below, however, any activity that fits with the overall aim of the programme will be eligible for support.

• How to identify and select new products and processes;
• Evaluation and validation of new products and processes;
• Design, development and testing methodologies;
• Planning and management

The second stage of support to the business will focus on embedding the innovation process within the company and, where necessary, working through a specific process identified by the business as being of highest importance. This can include, for example:

• Setting up new research and development programmes or new collaborations;
• Development of a new design or manufacturing process;
• Identification and setting up new ventures and incubation of new companies.

For information on how eco-innovation can help your organisation, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .