Shell Springboard to award £350,000 to low-carbon enterprises

The national competition is now open for entries

Shell Springboard, a programme that funds UK businesses with solutions to reduce carbon emissions, has opened for applications.

One national winner will receive £150,000 and five regional winners will each get £40,000 of equity-free funding from Shell, as well as advice from leading academics, investors and policymakers, to help scale-up their enterprises. Winners will also get access to exclusive Shell events, exhibits and workshops designed to facilitate their business development journey.

Since launching in 2005, the programme has awarded more than £3.5 million to 92 enterprises of the low-carbon economy. Almost 80% of supported companies remain in operation five years after launching, compared to a national average of about 45%. The ideas emerging from these businesses help create a lower-carbon future and support job creation and green growth.

Shell UK country chair, Sinead Lynch, said: “The UK has tremendous potential to lead low-carbon innovation.  In fact, our research with Imperial College London shows that UK universities are some of the strongest globally in spinning out low-carbon start-ups. I am proud of the role that Shell Springboard plays in helping these start-ups to grow and in supporting the UK’s green economy. I look forward to what promises to be another inspiring year in low-carbon innovation.”

Shell Springboard has supported a wide range of low-carbon UK business, including C-Capture, Deciwatt’s Gravitylight, and bio-bean.

Applications are open until Friday October 28 2016, and the winners will be announced in Spring 2017. For more information and to apply, visit www.shellspringboard.org.