Centre helps businesses secure over £150k of funding support
Funding has helped businesses in Shropshire make changes to become more sustainable.
Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Centre for Research into Environmental Science and Technology (CREST), offers fully funded support to SMEs which want to reduce their environmental impact or innovate and develop new products or services.
Longmynd Travel, based outside Shrewsbury, provides coach travel for business and private clients. As a response to net zero, staff wanted to understand the alternative fuel marketplace for coaches, which is distinct to that for buses.
Initially, CREST academic experts completed research into alternative fuels and their suitability to be used either alongside or as a replacement for a standard diesel combustion engine.
Due to the costs associated with switching over to alternative fuels, the CREST team wanted to find the firm some financial assistance. Birmingham Clean Air Zone had grants available that could be used by SMEs to help upgrade/retrofit existing vehicles or purchase/lease new vehicles. Business development manager Vicki Ayton supported Longmynd Travel with the March 2022 application that saw the company awarded £45,000.
One of CREST’s business networks, the Shrewsbury Geospatial Group (SGG), developed by Pascale Bodevin, business development officer, focuses on advancing the uptake of geospatial technologies by organisations and individuals.
A crucial part of achieving this objective is to support access to funding that facilitates projects, enabling collaboration between academia and industry. CREST supported Sylvan Resources in accessing about £8,500 via the PARSEC accelerator. This funding is to support organisations with the development of Earth Observation (EO) based products to solve food, energy or environmental issues.
Katharine Bevan, project manager at CREST, said: “It has been incredibly satisfying to work with these businesses to help them make real changes that improve their sustainability. We are always keen to hear from eligible businesses to see how we can help sustainability projects to succeed.”
