Spotlight good practice in Net Zero business support
This policy brief synthesises research on Net Zero business support within the UK Catapult Network and highlights effective practices for supporting businesses and accelerating system-wide sustainability transitions.
Achieving the UK's Net Zero ambitions requires stronger collaboration, sustained investment, and a coordinated approach that combines enterprise-level innovation support with system-wide transformation.
The findings emphasise the importance of combining enterprise-level support with broader system innovation initiatives, while strengthening collaboration, knowledge exchange, and strategic alignment across organisations to maximise the impact of Net Zero interventions.
Achieving Net Zero requires a step change in policy. Government should move beyond short-term, fragmented interventions and establish long-term funding frameworks that support sustained innovation, cross-Catapult collaboration, and system-wide transformation.
Meet the author
Dr Juliane Schwarz is a Research Fellow at City-REDI with over 20 years of experience in leading and delivering interdisciplinary research. Her work focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation, business support, and regional economic development. She currently investigates how business support mechanisms can accelerate the transition to Net Zero. Her research has covered university-industry collaboration, knowledge spillovers, innovation ecosystems, and university incubators, contributing to a deeper understanding of how innovation drives regional economic growth.