£3m plan to boost green business growth

The Green Growth Platform will act as a catalyst for growth and innovation, and will provide a range of services to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Services will include one-to-one business coaching, innovation and research-and-development support, product and service development, tailored training, intern and graduate recruitment, funding support and networking events.

The Platform, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, will be officially launched next month at the Arora Hotel in Gatwick. 

The University of Brighton has for many years worked in partnership with businesses to combine academic expertise and research with business applications.

Green Growth Platform team

Michael Yeoman, Managing Director of energy company South Downs Solar, was able to bring a new energy-saving device called Power Diverter to the market through his work with the university. Power Diverter uses any excess electricity generated by a domestic photovoltaic solar panel system to heat water via an immersion heater, maximising a building's use of the power it generates. Michael Yeoman said: "I worked with the university to prove the concept for my new product, and create a prototype, so that I knew it would work before fully developing it."

Michael will be joining the Green Growth Platform. He said: "This is an astute decision to help the environmentally-focused business sectors in Sussex as there is massive growth potential here."

Environmental sector businesses operating in Sussex are being invited to the Gatwick launch between 3 and 6pm on 18 June. There will be key note speakers including Keith Manger from the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and there will presentations of case studies and networking opportunities.

Find out more

For more information on the scheme or the launch event, email Robb Cunningham, Project and Communications Manager for the Green Growth Platform at greengrowthplatform@brighton.ac.uk or visit www.greengrowthplatform.co.uk.