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STBAH | Successes to be showcased at end of programme virtual awards ceremony
The Sustainable Technologies Business Acceleration Hub (STBAH) is a three year programme funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and on the 31st March 2021 the programme will complete.
STBAH was the UK’s first business acceleration hub dedicated to help set up and grow a new generation of innovative small firms in the sustainable technologies sector. This pioneering hub has helped to underpin the reputation of the West of England as both a magnet for sustainable and low carbon businesses and as a centre for innovation.
During the 3-year period STBAH has worked with a vast array of entrepreneurial businesses from across the region - which include companies innovating in plastic recycling, the sustainable built environment, sustainable personal care alternatives, green data analysis - the tailored support offered engagement with one of their business consultants, attending a workshop or networking event or collaborating with the University of Bath on a research project.
To mark the end of the programme STBAH are hosting a showcase and awards event, however, this has had to be scaled down and will now be hosted virtually. All those who participated in the programme, as well as key-stakeholders will be invited to the event, where key successes will be highlighted, signposting for future business acceleration support and award winners will be announced.
Successes will include those business hub participants who have gone on to establish long lasting research partnerships with the University of Bath supporting their business growth and further innovation - which is helping to generate economic growth in the region and delivering on the Government’s Industrial Strategy - specifically the ‘clean growth’ priority for the future of UK industry.
In terms of grants and funding, since the programme launched the value of grant consortia from STBAH business participants is over £14million. The amount of funds raised from STBAH business participants stands at just under £13million. *
A full list of the innovative businesses who have completed the STBAH programme can be found on the STBAH website, here.
As part of the awards ceremony STBAH are asking for the public to vote for the nominated companies in the following categories:
Most Innovative Award
Research & Development Award
Community Award
Impact/Growth Award
Rising Star / One to Watch Award
The list of nominees, award category criteria and simple voting process can be accessed via the web form: VOTE HERE.
Voting closes on Friday 26th March 2021.
Each category winner will be gifted a plot of land and trees will be planted through Co-forest, a carbon offsetting forest near Bath & Bristol.
The winners will be announced at the STBAH end of programme event on the 31st March and following the announcement the STBAH website will be updated with the winners.
It is hoped that as the STBAH programme comes to an end that some elements will continue such as the Sustainable/Low Carbon networking events which have been established and the continuation of the research collaborations with the University of Bath.
Talking about the programme, STBAH project lead and director of the University’s Centre for Sustainable & Circular Technologies (CSCT), Prof Matthew Davidson, says, “The STBAH programme has been a huge success and this programme has enabled scientists and engineers at Bath to work with many regional SMEs, generating a wide range of grant income, investment and research opportunities. As STBAH comes to an end, researchers in the Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies at Bath look forward to new and ongoing partnerships with high growth companies, particularly to help with their scale-up strategy and further enhance our research and its impact.”
Sustainable and low carbon businesses looking for additional business support can make connections through the following channels:
West of England Sustainable Technologies Scale-up Programme (WoESTSP) through SETsquared: https://www.setsquared.co.uk/
Centre for Sustainable & Circular Technologies at the University of Bath: https://www.csct.ac.uk/
SETsquared Bath incubation hub and Virtual Accelerator Membership Programme (VAMP)
The STBAH website will be hosted for an additional year before going out of circulation.
* STBAH isn’t claiming direct credit for investment.