business opportunities
ENVIROBUSINESS ACTIVITIES
UK Partner Sought For US Fuel Cell System Developer
A North American developer of nanotechnology-enabled energy solutions is looking for UK partners. The company has recently developed a novel micro-tubular solid fuel cell system (MSOFC), and is currently developing a new generation fuel cell (the compnay's IP covers cell design and manufacture through to electronic and mechanical designs).
An ideal UK partner will have the capability to assist with the development of the MSOFC and a new generation fuel cell, and will be involved in the manufacturing, system and product design, fuel cell balance of plant design, heating systems, electrical power and/or heat generation sectors amongst others. A UK organisation receptive to a partnership with the company would benefit from technical and business expansion.
If you would like to find out more, contact Tomas Muniz, (click name to email) Global Partnering Consultant - UKTI Global Partnerships Programme on +44 (0) 1664 501 501.
ENVIROBUSINESS PARTNER EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Urgent! One Day CIWEM – CMS Conference On Water & Development, 19 November 2008
A conference for professionals working on sustainability and environmental management projects and policies, this one day event in London covers:
- Water Cycle Planning - Water Neutrality
- Sustainable Communities and Development
- Tools for Delivering Sustainability: CSR, Sustainability Appraisal
- Responding to the drivers of climate change, development and water issues
Bob Leadsome, Deputy Director for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at CLG, is presenting the keynote speech on sustainable communities policy. Places are £160 +VAT.
View the conference web page and book places here.
ENDS 30th Anniversary Lecture, London, 24 November 2008
Free places are available at a special lecture being given by Sir John Harman, former Chairman of the Environment Agency. Hosted by ENDS and held on Monday 24th November at the QEII Centre in London, it will follow the first day of Environmental Futures 08, the Environment Agency’s annual conference. Sir John’s thought-provoking, “off-the-leash” talk will be of interest to all environmental professionals and there will be an opportunity for questions and discussions. After the lecture there will be a networking session with drinks.
Although attendance is free of charge, places are limited and admission will be by ticket only. For your ticket, allocated on a first come-first served basis, please email Gerard O'Brien (click name to email)
Green Strategy 2008 Conference, London, 27th November 2008
The success of all your climate change strategies depends on whether you manage to engage top management, employees and your customers. That is the central theme of the Green Strategy Conference at The Royal Institution in London. This all day event will look at what are the easiest and most successful ways to stimulate internal and external engagement and win advocates in top management as well as engaging staff and customers.
Two respected thinkers will give the benefit of their very different experiences on the topic of how to maintain the profile of the green agenda at a time when other factors are beginning to fight for priority - Jan Muehlfeit, the Chairman of Microsoft Corporation Europe and John Sauven, Executive Director of Greenpeace.
Cost for the event is £595+VAT for delegates from commercial companies or £395+VAT for delegates working for non-commercial enterprises.
Details are available on the web site.
EIC’s National Industry Conference, London, 2 December 2008
The Environmental Industries Commission will hold its annual national industry conference at the Cavendish Conference Centre in London. The thrust of the conference is the latest developments in UK and EU environmental policy and focussing on business risks and opportunities. The conference organisers say this is a unique event for all those in business with responsibility for environmental issues, and will appeal to key decision makers in industry, commerce, the public sector and HEIs.
Speakers included are Rt Hon Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business; Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency; and Timo Makela, Director of Sustainable Development at the European Commission. Places are £395+VAT, or £295+VAT for charities, academic institutions and the public sector.
To download the flyer and booking form, please go here.
Visit the website for details of the programme.
The Future Of Electric Vehicles Forum, London, 11 December 2008
Automotive World has organised a one day forum at One Birdcage Walk, Westminster, for business representatives from around the globe to share ideas and consider the challenges of efficiency, production and infrastructure facing electric vehicles. Speakers include Jullian Wilford, Managing Director and Co-Founder of NICE Car Company and Barry Schrier, Founder and CEO of Liberty Electric Cards Ltd.
Through a series of presentations from leading figures, as well as more focused discussion forums, participants will have the opportunity to consider some key issues including:
- Latest/Upcoming Battery and Component Technologies
- Vehicle Safety Regulation and Battery Recyclability
- Are Hybrids and EVs Really Better For Our Environment?
- Key Areas for Development Opportunities
- Government Collaboration and Targeted Funding
Delegate places are £495+VAT with £100 concession for Local Authorities and HEIs.
For further details, please see the latest programme brochure at the website.
Environmental Knowledge Transfer Event, Oxford, 29th January 2009
The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment's Environmental Knowledge Transfer, in association with the Environmental Knowledge Transfer Network, is a free event which brings together academics and practitioners from the environmental field to discuss cutting edge research that deals with specific issues in the management of environmental problems.
The event is aimed at all environmental professionals who are dedicated to incorporating the latest developments and innovations into the day-to-day practice of environmental management and assessment, which may also provide competitive advantages and potential opportunities for practitioners and businesses in applying the most recent techniques.
Details are on the web site, here.
Participate In Clean Energy Power 2009 International Trade Fair, 29-30 January 2009
Enterprise Europe South East is giving the opportunity to companies in the field of energy efficient building and renovation to participate in the Clean Energy Power Trade Fair taking place in Stuttgart on the 29th and 30th January 2009.
Alongside the International trade fair for Renewable Energy & Passive House, Enterprise Europe is organising a European Meeting Point where you will have the opportunity to meet potential European partners during pre-arranged appointments over the 2 days. The Meeting Point focuses on several technology fields:
- Passive House (ready built house modules, wall and roof constructions, ecological building materials)
- Heating and cooling technologies
- New materials and technologies in the area of renovation
- Information and computer technologies used in construction and renovation
To participate at the Meeting Point there is a small charge of €50 (+ 7% VAT). This also includes the entrance to the trade fair, evening reception, refreshments and the event catalogue. For more information and to register, visit the web site or contact Valerie Ponaven (click name to email) by email. Alternatively, call 01732 878082.
Invitation To Join An Energy Mission To New Zealand, February 2009
Companies and researchers interested in a major mission the British High Commission is planning to New Zealand, covering wind, hydro, wave and tidal energy; carbon sequestration and energy efficiency for commercial and domestic use, should make themselves known to UK Trade and Investment as quickly as possible by contacting Philip Wolfe, Executive Director of the Renewable Energy Association in the UK, specifying their sectors of interest.
The mission is scheduled around the week of 2-6 February 2009. The High Commission and its colleagues in UKTI will be aiming to host several UK research and commercial organisations to meet with NZ counterparts and is planning a 'UK-NZ' workshop in Wellington, accompanied by participant visits to sites of interest. Nearer the time, those attending from the UK can advise whether they would like to make their own presentation at the workshop, and any specific NZ organisations they would like to meet with.
Some government funding in the range of £1,000 - £2,000 is available to assist UK research and early stage participants. Applicants should specify the amount sought.
DECC Offering Places At EWEC 2009, Parc Chanot, Marseille, France, 16-19 March 2009
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) which runs UK Renewables is hosting a UK pavilion at the European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC), an event that brings together wind energy professionals and technical experts annually. The comprehensive conference programme and extensive exhibition attract thousands of participants from all over Europe and beyond.
If you are interested in participating in activities and on the stand, contact Mirelle Ball or call the UK Renewables hotline: +44 (0)1664 565083.
Further information about EWEC 2009 can be found on its website.
UKTI Environmental Technologies Trade Missions In Early 2009
If you are exporting environmental technologies and equipment or would like to offer consultancy services to businesses outside of the UK, UK Trade and Investment is organising trade missions to Latvia, Saudi Arabia and India in the first quarter of 2009 via the Business to Business (BtoB) organisation. BtoB provides extensive support during the missions by helping with visas and travel arrangements, arranging advice and training during the lead up to the mission and facilitating introductions to local organisations whilst away.
The first mission is 19 to 23 January 2009 to the Baltic States covering Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. It will suit companies offering Environmental Technologies, Energy from Waste or Waste Management technologies.
If you offer Waste Management, Air Pollution Control, Water technologies or equipment or Consultancy, the mission to Saudi Arabia takes place between 30 January and 4 February 2009
Dates for the Indian mission are 1 – 6 March 2009 and aimed at operators in Waste Management, Energy from Waste, Biofuels or Landfill Operations.
Download the flyer from our site here.
Or make direct contact with BtoB's Andrew Wilson (click on name to email) on 0191 281 5777.
READING LIST
Carbon Trust Expands Interest-Free Energy Efficiency Loans Scheme To £200,000
The Carbon Trust has announced it has doubled the maximum size of its interest-free Energy Efficiency loans from £100,000 to £200,000 – as well as increasing the overall loans pot by 45% to £31 million this year. The move will enable small businesses to implement energy saving projects on a far more ambitious scale than previously possible. Carbon Trust expects the new scheme will generate 20% more carbon and energy savings this year than would have been possible under the previous limit.
The loans are unsecured, interest-free and repayable over a period of up to four years. It is expected that the larger loans will also lead to more applications from larger, more energy-intensive SMEs.
More details are available on the Carbon Trust web site.
Carbon Trust Links To £250m Qatar Fund
The Carbon Trust has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) on a new Low Carbon Innovation Partnership to set up a new £250m Qatar-UK Clean Technology Investment Fund and to investigate the creation of a Low Carbon Innovation Centre in Qatar. The Fund seeks to make venture capital investments in clean energy businesses primarily located in the UK. The Fund will begin investing with up to £150m committed from the QIA alongside the Carbon Trust’s commitment. It will look for further funding from other investors to bring the maximum amount to £250m.
The Memorandum of Understanding also includes a commitment to carry out a feasibility study to investigate the creation of a Low Carbon Innovation Centre in Qatar. It will aim to share skills and knowledge on the development, commercialisation and deployment of low carbon technology between the UK and Qatar.
More details are on the Carbon Trust web site.
New Funding Opportunities From Technology Strategy Board
TSB has announced that it is funding a number of competitions over the coming months, accompanied by briefing events. The first briefing is on Photonics 21 and Sustainable Material Products on 19th November in London. This is an optional applicant briefing, but attendance will significantly help in understanding the competition and the timescales.
The second Optional Applicant Briefing, for Intelligent Transport Systems and Services Innovation Platform on 26th November, is currently oversubscribed, but you can register on the reserve list.
More details and reservations for the events are available from TSB's web site.
In January ‘09 there will be competitions in high value manufacturing, oil and gas recovery and low carbon vehicles. From March, competitions will start in creative industries, network security, low impact buildings and fuel cells and hydrogen technologies. Details are available by going to the 'competitions section' on the website.
If you have questions about any of the competitions, contact the competitions email. (click link to email)
Building Industry Gets A Quality Standard For Recycled Gypsum
WRAP’s work on producing the PAS109 quality specification for the recycling of waste plasterboard means the building industry can now be assured that the recovered gypsum used in new plasterboard is a quality product meeting a consistent specification.
More details are available on WRAP's web site.
