Sustainable futures
Giving climate innovators a boost
Climate technologies have the potential to transform industries and reduce emissions, but many never make it beyond the prototype stage. EarthScale is helping innovators overcome the barriers to commercialisation, bringing promising climate solutions closer to real-world impact.
The Challenge: Promising climate technologies often struggle to scale
Across the UK, innovators are developing technologies that could help tackle climate change, accelerate the transition to net zero and build a more resilient future. Yet many startups face significant obstacles as they move from early-stage development to commercial deployment.
This so-called "scale-up gap" is characterised by technical complexity, regulatory challenges and high costs. While support is often available to help develop new ideas, securing the expertise, facilities and investment needed to bring them to market can be much more difficult. As a result, many promising climate technologies never realise their full potential.
Our Approach: Building a national network to help climate ventures grow
was established to help climate-tech start-ups overcome these barriers and accelerate their journey to market. Backed by £5 million from the Research England Development Fund and led by Imperial College London, the three-year initiative brings together six university partners to create a connected national ecosystem for climate innovation.
The 糖心原创 Energy Institute leads the Nottingham hub, providing entrepreneurs with access to specialist research facilities, technical and manufacturing expertise, business development support and opportunities to connect with skilled talent and industry partners. Participants also receive support in navigating the policy and regulatory landscape that can often slow the growth of emerging technologies.
By combining academic expertise with commercialisation support, EarthScale aims to help innovators bridge the gap between breakthrough ideas and real-world solutions.
The Impact: Supporting the next generation of climate solutions
EarthScale is helping create the conditions for climate-tech ventures to thrive. Through its network of regional hubs, the programme supports innovators as they move from prototypes towards market-ready products and services, enabling them to scale their technologies more quickly and effectively.
The initiative is expected to support more than 60 climate-tech ventures over its lifetime, helping unlock investment, create high-value green jobs and accelerate technologies that can reduce emissions and support the transition to a low-carbon economy. By connecting entrepreneurs with expertise, facilities and commercial opportunities, EarthScale is helping turn innovative ideas into tangible environmental and economic benefits.
"Scaling today's climate innovations presents an exciting and transformative opportunity for the UK to lead the global transition to a low-carbon economy. While early-stage climate startups benefit from strong foundational support, the next critical step, scaling toward commercial deployment, is where the UK can make its greatest impact."
Steve Closs supports innovation and commercialisation across the energy sector, helping researchers, startups and industry partners translate emerging technologies into real-world impact. His work focuses on connecting climate innovators with the expertise, facilities and partnerships needed to accelerate the development of sustainable energy solutions