Clean Energy
Six part Q&A with Martin Garratt, Chief Executive, Cambridge Cleantech
1. How does Cambridge Cleantech work to promote environmental sustainability within the Arc?
Cambridge Cleantech is the UK’s longest standing membership network supporting the growth of the low carbon sector. We work with partners across the arc to strengthen the growth of businesses focusing on sustainability. We count more than 250 innovator members and 60-plus corporates among our members.
For over 10 years, Cambridge Cleantech has been demonstrating the importance of cleantech solutions in the future of sustainable development and brokering opportunities between innovators, corporates, investors and the public sector. By connecting local government bodies, investors and corporates to innovative companies with cost-effective solutions for waste management, domestic heating, clean energy and clean transport, we are ensuring a triple win of creating clean growth jobs and export opportunities in the local economy; delivering better living standards for residents; and addressing the climate crisis.
In 2019, Cambridge Cleantech helped establish Oxfordshire Greentech, its sister network with similar ambitions for the sector. Through these two organisations we encourage low carbon innovation across the arc and create a fertile environment for universities, corporates and founders to support and learn from each other.
Leading universities across the arc including Cambridge University, Cranfield University, and Oxford Brookes University & Oxford University are part of both business networks and we have been able to build successful collaborations between members.
2. How does co-location with the University of Cambridge help Cambridge Cleantech to achieve its aims?
Several members of Cambridge Cleantech have spun out of academic research and incubation at Cambridge University including Camnexus, Aurelius Technologies, DZP Technologies, Reforestum and BlueTap.
We work with Maxwell Centre and Cambridge Zero to encourage industry – academia partnerships and have co-run networking events with both organisations. We support students from the Judge Business School Energy Special Interest Group SIG to meet and engage with cleantech entrepreneurs through introductions and mentoring.
In 2019, we helped Judge Business School students win 2nd place at the Wharton MIINT challenge by introducing them to a shortlist of suitable cleantech companies. Oxwash, the company they selected to represent, won 2nd place and 25k in investment in the global competition.
3. What benefits are there in an organisation that combines private, public and academic stakeholders?
Cambridge Cleantech has played a pivotal role in supporting collaboration across industry, academia and local government over the last 10 years, creating a pool of expertise, knowledge and peer-to-peer collaboration in the low carbon sector.
Shadow Environment Minister Daniel Zeichner spoke at the Cleantech Futures conference in October 2021 and has been a long-time supporter of our work.
We helped four mid-sized cities in Europe develop pilots with smart city innovators to solve challenges in mobility, housing and air quality, as part of the Interreg 2 Seas Smart City Innovation Programme. As part of the EU-funded STEPS Energy Storage Programme, we are working to set up energy storage pilots at Allia Future Business Centre in Cambridge and Harwell Innovation Campus.
4. What are some recent success stories for Cambridge Cleantech?
Cambridge Cleantech works with a range of partners across the public sector, academic, corporate and entrepreneurs and with the support of our cluster partners across north west Europe we have introduced over a 100 corporates to innovative SMEs, including the likes of ARM, Anglian Water, Saint-Gobain and Johnson Matthey.
Since its founding in 2011, Cambridge Cleantech has helped ground-breaking start-ups and entrepreneurs raise more than £135 million in backing, seen £26 million invested in climate friendly technology through collaborations with corporates, and saved 216,000 tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere a year.
5. What do you see as the future of clean tech and sustainability in the Arc?
With the impetus on funding cleantech innovations and the UK government’s push for clean growth, we expect that in the coming years there will be substantial investment into the cleantech and sustainability sector. Cleantech businesses have the solutions we need to solve some of the most pressing global challenges and to reduce the impact of climate change.
6. What changes would you like to see to make the Arc a more sustainable and innovative place?
Companies across the Arc should lead by examples in implementing a sustainability policy. Any new transport and building infrastructure should be developed in compliance with the highest environmental standards. If local authorities and stakeholders can send a strong message that the Arc is a sustainable and innovation-friendly region, this will attract other companies and investment into the region.
Cambridge and Oxford are home to two world-leading universities with some of the most exciting cleantech innovations of the last few decades emerging from the region. We are proud to work with these companies and help them scale and create a bigger impact.
Get in touch
