post

A European funded project in which Peterborough is a key partner has met the mid point of its three year programme. Representatives from six European countries are working together to deliver the Cleantech Incubation Europe (CIE) project which is funded by the EU’s INTERREG IVC programme.

The CIE project aims to create incubator hotspots to boost Europe’s cleantech sector which globally is worth more than €2 trillion a year. This value has been growing by around 12 per cent a year since 2007 and is expected to more than double by the mid 2020’s. Incubators play a key role in this growth by stimulating and supporting start-up enterprises by providing focused support to entrepreneurs. The project is sharing best practice on this support to improve the effectiveness of existing incubators and to drive the development of new cleantech incubators in Europe.

Since the CIE project started in 2012, representatives from each of the six contributing countries have met in Helsinki, Budapest, Turin and Peterborough. Each of these working summits has focused on a different area of the clean technology industry, such as green energy and sustainable materials, and building the cleantech incubation stakeholders’ network.

The CIE working summits are an excellent opportunity for delegates to hear first hand experience from some of Europe’s most successful cleantech incubation units, paying particular attention to efficient processes and effective policies.

The project will conclude in September 2014 with the production of a handbook containing best practice examples and key learning for creating successful cleantech incubators in Europe.

Gareth Jones, Head of Business Development at Opportunity Peterborough, said: “As Peterborough is creating the UK’s Environment Capital and is home to one of the largest clusters of environmental businesses in the UK, we’re really pleased to be involved in the CIE project. We’re looking forward to collating all the best practice examples collected during the course of the project ready to launch the handbook next year.”

Sign up to receive a free e-newsletter containing project updates and event invites by visiting: www.cleantechincubation.eu