Innovation UK > News > Healthcare News > Carbon Trust boost to investment

The Carbon Trust has launched a service designed to stimulate investment in early-stage clean-tech companies, taking them from high-risk start-ups to attractive investment propositions. It will include funding for research and development, along with networking possibilities.

To be known as the Carbon Trust Entrepreneurs Fast Track scheme, the initiative has drawn on the comments of 400 early-stage clean-tech companies from across the UK. Many of them have said that they need support on ?proof of concept? and prototype building, to help them move towards commercialising their technologies.

They are also keen to understand how to protect their work through patenting and how to get access to venture capital finance.

Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said: ?The UK has great entrepreneurial talent and many promising low-carbon ideas. But early-stage companies struggle to make the transition from concept to commercialisation owing to the high-risk nature of such ventures, and the associated difficulty in attracting financing and managerial talent. The Entrepreneurs Fast Track scheme aims to de-risk these ventures by advancing technology development and building a solid commercial foundation for growth.?

A number of emerging clean-tech firms have already benefited from Carbon Trust support, including Bath-based G-volution, which has developed a lower-cost, lower-emission dual-fuel system for the commercial transport sector.

Entrepreneurs, start-up or spin-out companies with an innovative low-carbon idea or technology should visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/fast-track  to find out more about the application process.

David Nicholson