Mid South West Region secures funding to support businesses in transitioning to Net Zero

Funding of £300,000 has been secured by the Mid South West (MSW) region to assist local businesses in their transition towards achieving Net Zero emissions. The funding has been provided through Innovate UK’s Fast Followers programme, with the MSW region one of 21 Local Authority areas from across the UK to receive a share of £6m funding to support progress towards Net Zero.

Over the next 18 months the ‘Driving Net Zero Transformation of the Mid South West Region’ project will offer up to 90 businesses from across the region the opportunity to baseline their current emissions and develop an action plan that will support them in working towards transitioning to, and ultimately achieving net zero. The project will also seek to raise awareness of Net Zero and enable knowledge transfer to a wider range of businesses across the region.

Speaking at the funding announcement Councillor Malachy Quinn, Chair of the Mid South West Region Governance Steering Group said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded funding from Innovate UK, which will enable the MSW Partner Councils to further support and guide our local businesses as they transition to Net Zero. The region is home to over 27,000 businesses with key sectoral strengths in Agri-Food, Manufacturing and Engineering and Construction. These businesses are in energy intensive sectors so it is vital that they get the support they need in their journey towards net-zero emissions to foster a greener future by 2050.”

The project was launched at Granville Eco Park, who recently completed the first, successful injection of renewable biomethane into the Northern Ireland gas grid. David McKee, Chief Technical Officer of Bio Capital, owners of Granville Eco Park said:

“Replacing imported fossil fuels with a renewable low carbon alternative will go a significant way towards helping Northern Ireland exceed its targets set within the Energy Strategy and Climate Change Act. Diverting biodegradable waste from landfill to generate biomethane is also in line with the draft Circular Economy Strategy and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) ambition to ban biodegradable goods going to landfill by 2030.”

The Fast Followers project is part of Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme, designed to help places and businesses across the UK to accelerate the delivery of the transition to Net Zero. Innovate UK’s vision for Fast Followers is that the UK will prosper from being the fastest transitioning economy to Net Zero. Innovation is key to achieving this goal and Fast Followers represents grass roots investment in Net Zero innovation.

With a specific focus on the three target sectors of Agri-Food, Manufacturing and Engineering, micro and SME businesses from these three sectors located in the MSW Region are encouraged to get involved. Further information is available on the Mid South West Region website – https://midsouthwestregion.org/net-zero-transformation/