Last chance to enter edie’s 2016 Innovation Zone Competition

Entrepreneurs and SMEs that have developed green technologies, systems or business models have just a few days left to enter a new competition designed to promote and support innovation in the sustainability space.


The Innovation Competition – which will take place within the Innovation Zone at the edie Live 2016 exhibition on May 17-18 at the NEC Birmingham – is seeking emerging products, technologies and solutions in the sustainability space.

The Competition scope includes (but is not limited to) energy efficiency, process/resource efficiency, circular economy (and other new business models), onsite low-carbon or renewable energy solutions, building efficiency, low-carbon transport, energy storage and smart management.

Submitting an entry is free of charge, with the deadline set at this Friday, 18 March. It is open to entrepreneurs and SMEs with up to 250 employees and a turnover not exceeding €50m.

— Find out more and ENTER HERE —

Building on the successful launch of the Innovation Zone last year, the 2016 Competition is supported by Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and sustainable development organisation Forum for the Future, with service provider Carbon Limiting Technologies (CLT) and law firm Penningtons Manches among the lead partners.

Finalists will be selected by an expert judging panel and given a dedicated poster site on the Innovation Zone, along with the opportunity to showcase their innovation to an invited audience of investors and venture capitalists in addition to the show’s visitors from businesses and the public sector.

In an exclusive interview with edie Live about the Competition, KTN’s sustainability lead and Competition judge Ben Peace said: “It’s a showcase for some fantastic smaller companies that are creating innovations with a big impact on the sustainability sector.

“They are selected on the basis that they have strong commercial potential, but a potential that has not yet been fully realised. A showcase such as the Innovation Zone gives these companies valuable exposure and will enable them to get the kind of feedback, advice and signposting that can be critical in turning a good idea into commercial reality.”

The finalists will be notified the week of 11 April, once judges have selected their shortlist. The eventual winner of the Innovation Competition will receive a £6,000 support package of services which includes 15 hours of legal advice from Pennington Manches and 25 hours of commercialisation support services from CLT. 

Submit your Innovation Zone Competition entry here.

edie Live, formerly Sustainability Live, is the UK’s leading energy, sustainability and resource efficiency exhibition for public and private sector energy and sustainability professionals. The show provides visitors with a wide range of suppliers that offer new and innovative products and services as well as an inspirational seminar and conference programme to help make their business more sustainable.

Find out more about edie Live 2016 and prepare your visit here.

Read edie’s round-up of the best sustainable innovations set to take 2016 by storm.

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