The Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by UK universities and colleges
The University of Portsmouth was a finalist at the Green Gown Awards 2021 in recognition of its contribution to clean growth innovation.
It was a finalist in the Research with Impact category for Clean Growth UK, a university-led national business network comprised of three hubs, the University of Brighton (lead partner), Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Portsmouth.
The Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by UK universities and colleges.
Established in 2018, after Research England funding from the Connecting Capabilities Fund, Clean Growth UK supports a network of over 2,000 UK organisations to create the products, services and business models required for the transition to a net zero, sustainable economy.
It was nominated for its ability to demonstrate the strong potential for research with impact to drive clean growth and in supporting the role of SMEs as innovation drivers.
We are actively looking to expand our partnership to include other UK higher education institutions and to further support and deploy new approaches to clean growth innovation and Net Zero
Clean Growth UK pools the Knowledge Exchange (KE) expertise and capabilities of its three regional cleantech networks. Through its university hubs, it provides support focused on developing innovations and R&D projects, commercialising ideas, and securing funding for businesses and researchers on a mission to protect the planet for future generations.
Dr David Hutchinson, a reader in Environmental Innovation, and Innovation and Impact Development Manager for the Faculty of Technology at the University of Portsmouth, said: “This recognition reflects our success in understanding regional differences in business landscapes to develop a national service and membership offer with local delivery.
“We are proud to continue to successfully collaborate across the three universities to maximise impact and have delivered over 170 R&D projects to date. We are actively looking to expand our partnership to include other UK higher education institutions and to further support and deploy new approaches to clean growth innovation and Net Zero - which were highlighted as crucial elements at the recent COP26, if we are to keep 1.5 alive.”