Innovation Funds

LCIC provides support for low carbon innovation through a variety of channels:

East of England Low Carbon Venture Capital Fund

The fund operates in the East of England with the aim of enhancing the region’s aspiration of becoming a leading, world class low carbon economy and has a broad low-carbon remit. It makes equity investments in a wide range of new and established SMEs offering low carbon products or services or those undertaking infrastructure changes and moving towards carbon neutrality and is available to companies operating within the region or those choosing to relocate here.

This venture capital fund, which will run until December 2015, uses £8M from the European Regional Development Fund matched with at least £12M from private co-investment. The Fund is operated by the University of East Anglia and managed by Turquoise International. As well as reviewing potential investee applications Turquoise’s role is also to source the co-investment from Business Angels, High Net Worth Individuals and other suitable funds.

The Fund is part the government’s Solutions for Business package of publically funded business support designed to help companies start and grow.

Anyone seeking investment for a venture should visit www.lowcarbonfund.co.uk for further information and details of how to apply.

Carbon Connections Innovation Fund

Designed specifically to stimulate and support the transfer of knowledge from the university research sector into public and private sector organisations, the Carbon Connections Fund supported innovative projects involving technology or services development, proof-of-concept, prototyping and testing. Through our network of contacts in the sector, consultancy experience and knowledge of the research base, LCIC accelerated the progress to market of low carbon technologies by funding 26 projects in the areas of microgeneration, waste management, biofuels, carbon sequestration, sustainable construction, engineering, domestic heating, chemical processes, combined heat process, manufacturing and adaptation.

From March 2009, when the original life cycle completed, the Carbon Connections Innovation Fund became privately managed by LCIC and firmly retains its commitment to encourage and foster low carbon innovation with the most successful of the initially funded projects.