The Climate Innovation Platform (CIP) Low Carbon Energy Solutions Innovator Challenge supports businesses committed to driving energy technology innovation.
Delivered by the University of Birmingham (UoB) in partnership with Energy Systems Catapult (ESC), the CIP Low Carbon Energy Solutions Innovator Challenge has been designed for SME innovators who are developing low carbon energy solutions. The programme offers successful applicants tailored packages of support to drive the commercialisation of innovative energy products and services.
This video introduces the Climate Innovation Platform and the benefits it can offer to SMEs. (Video transcript)
Supported by HSBC UK, applications are welcomed from businesses registered in the UK, and particularly those who can take advantage of the Climate Innovation Incubator based at Tyseley Energy Park, in Birmingham.
Those selected for the CIP Low Carbon Energy Solutions Innovator Challenge will have access to several linked opportunities, including but not limited to:
- Business engagement support through University of Birmingham
- ESC’s Energy Launchpad Incubation Programme
- Incubator management and workspace at Tyseley Energy Park
- Cash grants of up to £5k on phase one (five selected businesses from each cohort will progress to phase two and gain access to grants up to the value of £20,500)
- Tailored mentoring
- Access to supply chain partner networks
- Market research and IP strategy
- Collaboration and invitation to events
- Grant writing and bid development
- Investor readiness and introductions
Register your interest for our fourth Innovator Challenge
Recruitment for cohort four of the Climate Innovation Platform Low Carbon Energy Solutions Innovator Challenge will begin in September 2023 and the programme will begin in January 2024. Fill in the enquiry form below to register your interest in applying for the programme.
Our Previous Cohorts
In February 2023 fourteen cleantech businesses celebrated their graduation from the Climate Innovation Platform’s Low Carbon Energy Solutions, Innovator Challenge (Video transcript)
Cohort One
In November 2021, CIP welcomed its first cohort of 13 SME’s focussed on driving energy technology innovation onto the programme, they graduated in April 2022.

Connected Response’s mission is to use their HeatSage retrofit technology to release the 1.5m households with electric storage and water heating from the shackles of Economy 7-type tariff night-time charging and associated fuel poverty.

Demand Logic is a Building Analytics platform which provides actionable insight to reduce carbon emissions, increase Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and improve maintenance in buildings.
Everimpact have developed an IoT software that combines satellite, ground sensors, and AI data to establish clients’ carbon footprint and are a provider of real-time measures of CO2 emissions at asset and territory level.

Faraday Battery Limited is a young SME, manufacturing battery packs at 0.1 MW to 1 MW scale for critical transport markets including electric trains, electric buses, and electric aircrafts.

The Veritherm Testing solution is a method for assessing the thermal performance of homes, offering an accessible service to measure real-world building performance, with minimal disruption.
Nomad is a technology-based service provider offering deep insights into building behaviour and gathering real time data to enable precision performance analytics and control.
PyTerra is developing a blockchain-backed platform which trades ESG tokens across multiple parties to raise low carbon project funding.

Steamology deliver scalable and modular solutions for industrial steam heat and power, embracing the hydrogen economy, eliminating emissions and replacing fossil fuels and fossil fuel engines.
Sygensys is developing patented technology to enhance the performance of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology improving grid resilience.

Data Catalyst delivers Smart Data as a Service - simply, and securely. Founded in 2020, their USP is to take the lessons of Open Banking and apply them to smarten-up shared data across sectors.
The MECHAPRES venture team are developing of a first-of-a-kind multi-energy-vector technology, endorsed by the International Energy Association as a subcategory of thermo-mechanical storage. Find out more on the Engineering website.
Voltempo creates rapid electric vehicle charging solutions for trucks, buses, cars and vans by installing a single megawatt site-wide charger, that can then charge between five and fifty vehicles simultaneously.

Kendra Labs, a subsidiary of Fintricity Ltd is a cloud native data and AI platform company providing an enterprise grade data layer for enterprises.
Cohort Two
In July 2022, CIP welcomed its second cohort, they graduated in February 2023.

Airhive is developing a modular Direct Air Capture technology that interfaces with the rapidly growing stock of air source heat pumps to remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere.
CarbonTRACK is enabling the UK’s transition to net zero by providing a simple, affordable way for owners of consumption, storage and generation energy assets to contribute to the energy eco system.

Emergent exists to accelerate the decarbonisation of homes. To do so we turn solar PV and other residential decarbonisation technologies into investible assets.
Hy-Met Limited was established to help the transition to a sustainable energy economy by tackling key measurement challenges that are barriers to adoption of clean technologies.
Incube Space enables commercial real estate owners and tenants to reduce energy waste while providing optimal indoor air quality to occupiers

Microcab is a UK based SME specialising in the design & development of Low Carbon mobility platforms, in particular the use of hydrogen and fuel cells to achieve zero emission mobility.

NOCO is a London based ClimateTech start-up that breaks down national net-zero pathways to the local energy system level.
Olsights is a clean energy advisory analytics and web app developer founded in June 2020. Our purpose is to accelerate the energy transition by providing timely clean energy insights.
Perlemax is a development company focussed on microbubbles. Currently there are two created techniques, which will impact many different processes, through improving yields, cutting power consumption or allowing new techniques to be realized.

OXTO Energy has developed a new generation of mechanical batteries. Our mission is to support the acceleration of the energy transition.
Surple removes the barriers to energy efficiency by making it easy to understand your energy consumption.

Sherwood Power reduces industrial and commercial business user cost by storing excess wind and solar electricity to release it during expensive periods to and/or generate revenue.
Quantenergy provides accurate data-led insights to fast-track cleantech investment decisions that will achieve Net Zero targets and substantial financial savings for commercial and public sector property owners.
Delivered by the Birmingham Energy Institute

In partnership with Catapult Energy Systems