EDINBURGH CENTRE
FOR CARBON INNOVATION
Low Carbon
Innovation Project
2011 – 2015
The LCI project, specially commended by the Scottish Government as a key contributor
to the achievement of the 2020 Climate Change targets, was a cornerstone in ECCI’s
evolution. LCI identified and then aimed to bridge the gap between university know-how
and dynamic Scottish enterprises, matching expertise to new ideas, to new people, to new
markets and to new finance.
Over the four years ECCI’s team actively engaged with over 1400 Scottish enterprises, providing
intensive support to over 200, helping them develop over 200 new low carbon products and
services. This is turn created £3million of turnover and 25 new jobs.
Support included business mentorship and expert advice on how to commercialise low carbon
products and services, as well as enabling access to finance, international links and academic
support with partner universities.
ECCI’s ties to the knowledge and expertise of our academic base, coupled with a commercial
outlook and the steady growth of our ever-growing low carbon community has helped to transform
the low carbon innovation landscape.
www.edinburghcentre.org
FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
Impact1
Sales
Jobs
University
Timeline2/3
Legacy4
Progress5/6
SME support
Network support
Sector support
Future6
ECCI
High School Yards, Edinburgh, EH1 1LZ
e: [email protected]
t: +44 (0)131 650 5326
www.edinburghcentre.org
Methodology, Data Gathering & Analysis led by O’Herlihy & Co
Impact
LCI met or exceeded all the targets set by ERDF
1,400 200 51
engagements with
SMEs or networks
200
OVER
new products &
services created
{DOUBLED TARGET}
SMEs
supported
50
in-depth
projects
supported
networks
supported
Supporting Scottish
SME’s to develop low carbon
products and services
Funded by ERDF,
University of Edinburgh &
Edinburgh Napier University
Partners:
ERDF, Edinburgh Napier
University, Heriot-Watt University
Duration:
May 2011 – May 2015
Total project value = £1,567,797
SALES
£700K
invested by ERDF
resulted in net sales of nearly
£3million
achieved by the companies
supported at project close -
a 4 to 1 ROI
JOBS
25.5
UNIVERSITY IMPACT
new
jobs
created
2018 PREDICTION
=68
2018 PREDICTION
= net sales of nearly
£15million
a 20 to 1 ROI
Methodology, Data Gathering & Analysis led by O’Herlihy & Co
new
jobs
created
LCI project is the first time
3 x universities came together
39% of supports have been
linked up to one of our partners:
17% (42)
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
11% (27)
HERIOT WATT UNIVERSITY
10.6% (26)
EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY
1
Timeline
2008-2009
2013
JAN
Stakeholder meetings
ECCI’s Low Carbon Entrepreneurship event series –
4 day event
2011
Climate 2020 distinguished lecture, Harvard Business
School Joseph B. Lassiter interactive workshop, etc.
Partners RBS, The Princes Trust, C2020G, Harvard
Business School & Entrepreneurship Ventures.
FEB
APRIL
Shell Springboard Awards
Supported successful £40k Shell Springboard
application
ClimateXchange – The Scottish
Centre for Expertise on Climate
Change - established
MAY - AUG
New staff x6 (ECCI + LCI) and x4 (CXC)
MARCH
AUG
BRIDGE Project established
Moved into South College Street
Andy Kerr and
Martin Siegert
(ECCC)
original idea –
IMPACT
NOV
Low Carbon Innovation Project
(£1.3 million funded project)
DEC
ECC I Started, £600K funding
for Director, BDO & Admin for
3 years.
1.AK appointed
2.LCI Board – Edinburgh
Napier, Heriot-Watt &
University of Edinburgh
partners.
2010
2
Methodology, Data Gathering & Analysis led by O’Herlihy & Co
ECCI launched first Indian Programme in Mumbai
(w/SDI) ‘Green Finance: Opportunities and
Challenges’ two-day world class programme.
(4 year project) knowledge transfer project in
Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago
(plus other Caribbean countries).
JAN
LCI Project / Project Director for LCI appointed
ECCI’s first major Low Carbon Showcase event.
Low Carbon community starts to take shape.
FEB
Chinese National Development & Reform
Commission (NDRC) and the UK Foreign and
Commonwealth Offices visited ECCI undertaking
an intensive bespoke programme on ‘Low
Carbon Economic Policy & Implementation.
NOV
Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference
2012
2015
MAY
‘Outstanding Achievement’ Award from European Structural Fund Programme //
EIE13 long term engagement with EIE.
JAN
Deutsche Post DHL Innovation Suite 70% full 12 resident enterprises
Committee on Climate Change meeting
FEB
NEW BUILDING at High School Yards
Demonstrating that great buildings can also be sustainable buildings
[Building of the Year Award, BREEAM Outstanding Design, 6 buildings awards]
First teaching term at ECCI for Carbon Masters students.
FEB
Skills Development Scotland Training launched (5 ecobranding x2, waste and water, tourism food and drink)
MARCH
1 George David Family Masters Scholarship
Project update
• Nomination for Student’s Teaching Award to ECCI
• Low Carbon Ideas Lab – new intake of x 4 ideas
5 Deutsche Post DHL Masters Scholarships
75 Carbon Masters students
NOV
APRIL
Opening of Deutsche Post DHL Innovation Suite
Edinburgh International Science Festival debut
DEC
Interspace Project launched – one-stop shop for Edinburgh
incubation services
May - Project End
JAN
Smart Accelerator
(£1.2million funded, 18 month project) (15 projects, x3 staff)
Shaping and catalysing 16 large low carbon projects
across Scotland, worth £x million in investment [figure tbc].
AUG
RBS Innovation Gateway – 4 Scottish Finalists
OCT
1,400 Scottish enterprises, providing
intensive support to over 200 SMEs
and 50 new networks to help them
develop 200 new sustainability & low
carbon products and services.
Helping ideas and solutions thrive,
by bringing together 15,000 people
at 300 events over the last
12 months at our hub [HSY]
Low Carbon Ideas Lab – Scotland’s first
dedicated low carbon ideas incubator.
New York liaison office opens with the UoE
DEC
NERC funded Impact Coordinators based at ECCI
Global Sustainability Jam – global sustainability challenges weekend
THE FUTURE Hong Kong base…ties in China, North & South America…
2014
3
Legacy
CORE
LCI SME
SUPPORT
IDEAS
LAB
EVENTS
INNOVATION
SUITE
£ Alumnus
INTERNATIONAL
INTERSPACE
PROJECT
SKILLS &
LEARNING
£ DHL
SMART
ACCLERATOR
RBS
INNOVATION
GATEWAY
L C I identified need informed design
LCI TEAM
Andy Kerr
Executive Director
Charlotte Waugh
Business Development
Themes: Entrepreneurship,
Food & Drink
Ed Craig
Head of Enterprise &
Innovation
Dave Gunn
Business Manager
Themes: Carbon Finance, Smart
Cities & Sustainable Islands
Themes: Mobility, Urban
Farming, Ecosystems Services
Jim Hart
Business Manager
Katherine Maxwell
Business Development Officer
Themes: Built Environment, Water
Matthew Ross
Centre Administrator
Annabel Cooper
Marketing, Communications & Events
FORMER EMPLOYEES
Andrew Mitchell
Business Manager
Themes: Green ICT, Entrepreneurship
Susan Davies
Business Manager
Themes: Forestry, Finance
Pat Ferguson
Project Administrator
£ LCI FUNDING
4
Methodology, Data Gathering & Analysis led by O’Herlihy & Co
Process
SME SUPPORT
NETWORK SUPPORT
Small
Medium
50-250 staff
6%
Access to
grant
funding
Micro
10-50 staff
15%
<10 staff
79%
Engaging
investors
2%
Company size distribution according to staff
numbers for the SMEs supported in the project
12%
Attracting
business
Investment
21%
Specialist
expertise
30%
Specialist
expertise
27%
56%
Networks Support provided
SMEs size distribution
Sourcing
R&D grant
funding
15%
New
contacts,
partnerships
& customers
The type of support given to the Networks
supported within the project
New
contacts,
partnerships
& customers
36%
SME Support provided
The type of support given to the SMEs supported
within the project
ECCI
Events
2%
Referrals
7%
New
contacts,
partnerships
& customers
Approached Networking
17%
36%
29%
Targeted
48%
How the initial engagement was made
Targeted = Networks identified by ECCI as potential
prospects for assistance with Low Carbon Innovation.
External Networking = Networks identified through
general external networking activities.
ECCI events = Networks identified through events and
organised or hosted by ECCI.
ECCI
Events
9%
SMEs
approached
directly
16%
Referrals
21%
New
contacts,
partnerships
& Targeted
customers
by ECCI
36%
21%
Referral = Networks referred to ECCI by external
orgaisations.
External
networking
Approached = Networks approaching ECCI directly.
32%
How the initial engagement was made
Targeted = SMEs identified by ECCI as potential prospects
for assistance with Low Carbon Innovation.
External Networking = SMEs identified through general
external networking activities.
ECCI events = SMEs identified through events and
organised or hosted by ECCI.
Referral = SMEs referred to ECCI by external orgaisations.
Approached = SMEs approaching ECCI directly.
Methodology, Data Gathering & Analysis led by O’Herlihy & Co
5
Process
SME SUPPORT
Carbon
Management
9%
NETWORK SUPPORT
Other
15%
Energy
Generation
26%
Ecosystem
Services 6%
Energy
Efficiency
15%
Water
7%
Waste
9%
IT
9%
Transport
9%
Built Environment &
Construction
27%
Industry Sectors
Industry sector distribution for the
SMEs supported in the project
Carbon
Management
4%
Energy
Generation
13%
Other
13%
Energy
Efficiency
13%
Ecosystem
Services
14%
Transport
10%
Water
4%
Waste
9%
IT
7%
Built Environment
& Construction
13%
Network Sectors
Industry sector distribution for the
Networks supported in the project
The successful experience of the Low Carbon Innovation programme proves that building clusters
of expertise – with close collaboration between Universities, the public sector and enterprises – is
key to creating the skills and learning in Scotland to support wealth creation.
LCI’s legacy projects, including the Deutsche Post DHL Innovation Suite - a dynamic, shared working space for public,
private and third sector organisations; the Low Carbon Ideas Lab – ECCI’s business incubator; and ECCI’s second major
European funded initiative – the 18-month, £1.2 million Smart Accelerator, all continue the good work of the project. The
successful experience of the Low Carbon Innovation programme has also led ECCI to expand abroad.
It remains ever more important to build on existing strengths - strong Universities, ambitious small and medium
sized enterprises, and supportive public funding - to improve the skills, knowledge and learning of people in Scottish
enterprises. The challenges and complexities of building a low carbon future continue but the measurable success of
these initiatives points to how Scotland can take a huge step forward in building a wealthier and fairer society.
Funding a Low Carbon Future
ECCI
High School Yards, Edinburgh, EH1 1LZ
e: [email protected]
t: +44 (0)131 650 5326
www.edinburghcentre.org
6
Methodology, Data Gathering & Analysis led by O’Herlihy & Co