EU funding to help SMEs learn about environmental impact

Small businesses in the east of England can benefit from millions of pounds of funding giving them access to expert advice on how to lessen their carbon emissions.

The Low Carbon KEEP Programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the East of England Development Agency, gives companies with fewer than 250 staff access to leading environmental academics.

The project will guide firms in how to reduce emissions and improve competitiveness, productivity and profits through formal knowledge-transfer partnerships with universities.

Companies participating in scheme gain access to qualified graduates to spearhead low-carbon projects as well as academic experts that will help push the business forward.

Managed on behalf of the region by Anglia Ruskin University, the programme will invest €2.8 million into activities with a low carbon theme before December 2013.

Funding is available now for small and medium-sized businesses based in Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire or Norfolk.

For more information about the programme and how to apply visit the university’s website at www.anglia.ac.uk/lowcarbon.