Climate Innovation Platform welcomes fourth cohort

The Climate Innovation Platform (CIP) provides SMEs with tailored packages of support to drive the commercialisation of innovative energy products and services. Delivered by the University of Birmingham in partnership with Energy Systems Catapult, the programme is supported by HSBC UK.

Businesses in the fourth cohort of the CIP programme stem from a diverse range of industry sectors, including hydrogen, data, digital, and renewable platform solutions.

Each business enrolled in the CIP programme will have access to a range of resources, including business engagement, incubation and acceleration support, startup mentoring, market research reports, funding and investor opportunities, regulatory advice, and a dedicated support team. Additionally, they will benefit from access to incubation space at Tyseley Energy Park.

Samuel Dallimore, CEO of Lux Industries, commented: “LUX is delighted to be accepted onto the Climate Innovation Programme, Providing a broad range and depth of business support services and funding, which is invaluable in our early-stage growth of the business.”

Over a recent two-day induction launch event, the SMEs received a taster of the tailored support available to them throughout the programme and had an opportunity to present their business elevator pitches to the cohort, attend private surgery sessions to discuss the needs and challenges of their individual business, hear from alumni of previous CIP cohorts and tour the incubation space and wider Tyseley Energy Park site.

Commenting on the new cohort, Debbie Smith, CIP Incubation Manager, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome thirteen new SMEs to our fourth cohort of the Climate Innovation Platform. Supporting over 80 climate-focused businesses to date, we have made a real difference to the businesses we have supported on our previous cohorts, and I am excited to see what these climate-focused innovators will achieve with the tailored support we are able to offer.

The CIP programme is growing from strength to strength. Not only does it have a larger footprint at Tyseley Energy Park due to the influx of businesses, but we have seen various successes come out of previous cohorts. For instance, Voltempo (focusing on EV HGV Chargers) received nearly £50 million in investment. More recently, Furbnow (focusing on Decarbonisation of Homes) also received high levels of investment. These successes demonstrate how businesses have benefited not only from the space we have here on-site at Tyseley Energy Park but also from the comprehensive package of support we offer as part of CIP.”

Speaking about this opportunity, Professor Martin Freer, Director of the Birmingham Energy Institute, said: “We had an overwhelming response for requests to join our latest CIP cohort and are delighted to bring thirteen high calibre climate-driven SMEs on board to support them in further developing their innovative solutions, as they research, test, and grow their innovations.

Within this cohort, we have also recruited a range of businesses who are creating innovative products and services within the decarbonisation of homes sector. There will be various opportunities for these businesses to interact with our National Centre for Decarbonisation of Heat when it launches in 2026 at Tyseley Energy Park, further supporting our ambitions in developing a Green Innovation Quarter in East Birmingham.”

Michaela Wright, Head of Corporate Sustainability, HSBC UK, said: “Since the start of the programme, we’ve been inspired by the range and calibre of ventures participating in CIP, from decarbonising homes and transport to more recently looking at interventions in the film industry. We’re excited to support this latest cohort of thirteen innovators, bringing together our combined knowledge, insight, and international network to help scale up climate solutions that could have real-world impact.”

Notes to Editors

• University of Birmingham is part of HSBC’s global Climate Solutions Partnership, which aims to unlock barriers to finance for companies and projects that tackle climate change - bringing them to scale while also delivering for people and nature. The global initiative is backed by $100m of philanthropic funding from HSBC over five years.