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Funding from Research England Development Fund will enable 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ and partners to support climate science startups to commercial deployment.

The UK will receive a serious boost in its fight against climate change with the launch of EarthScale, a pioneering initiative to support IP-rich university startups and spinouts or startups with tangible links to universities, working on solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation.

Backed by £5m from the Research England Development Fund, EarthScale unites leading UK universities 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ, , the , the , the and the to provide the critical support required by deep tech climate innovators in the scale-up phase.

The funding was announced by Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of on Tuesday at an celebrating a year since the launch of the government’s review of university spinouts.

Fundraising, recruitment, navigating suppliers and regulations can delay a company in scaling up, and they’re all easier to handle with a good network. Victoria Nicholl Head of Incubation Services, 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ

“It’s hugely exciting to be given Research England funding for EarthScale,” said Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Innovation at 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ's Grantham Institute and Director of . “Climate innovation is thriving within and around UK university hubs, and this funding shows UKRI’s commitment to supercharging this kind of high-potential research.

"We will work with our collaborators to smash barriers currently preventing the scale up of technologies – which have enormous potential to reach commercial success and tackle the most urgent climate and environmental crises we face, as well as creating economic opportunities in green skills and jobs across the UK.

"In time we hope to see EarthScale expand to include Scottish and Welsh counterparts, and also to engage the UK's financial and investment community. Please do to find out more about how to get involved.”

EarthScale will provide robust support to 60 climate startups, helping them develop from initial funding to commercial deployment. Covering multiple industry verticals, these businesses will be sourced from across the UK university ecosystem with the support of a wide network of partner organisations.

To ensure EarthScale addressed the most urgent pain points in scaling climate technologies, dozens of stakeholders from the founder and investor ecosystem were consulted during its development.

Pierre Paslier, co-founder of Notpla, an Earthshot-winnning startup that develops innovative, biodegradable packaging solutions to combat plastic pollution, said: “The leap from Seed to Series A is challenging, with so much to prove, from technical feasibility to traction. It is exciting to see this incredible network forming, utilising deep expertise from across the UK to support startups as they prepare to scale, which is so important for genuinely addressing the climate crisis. The pain points EarthScale plans to address are all ones which [co-founder] Rodrigo and I encountered on our journey to our $25m Series A for Notpla.”

A national climate innovation network

EarthScale will create a regional hub at each partner university, enhancing and developing business support and technical ecosystems focused on climate startups. These hubs will build local relationships and specific expertise on potential clients, partners or collaborators, turbocharging the journey from startup to scale-up. Through EarthScale, these local hubs will form an interlinked network across the UK.

Victoria Nicholl, Head of Incubation Services at  said: “Fundraising, recruitment, navigating manufacturers, suppliers and regulations – these are all things that can delay a company in scaling up, and they’re all easier to handle with a good network. Cracking these issues will support our climate startups to grasp a huge opportunity for UK science and innovation.”

Breaking barriers to scale

The issues EarthScale addresses are widely viewed as significant challenges faced by climate startups – and especially first-time founders - as they scale up and develop from a newly formed venture to a fully-fledged business.

EarthScale will support climate startups to break down or navigate critical barriers including:

• Access to high quality technical expertise for industrial scaling;
• Support bridging the gap from prototype to commercial production;
• Investor networking, identifying funding sources and bringing in capital;
• Finding and giving access to facilities and equipment;
• Attracting and retaining a diverse, talented workforce equipped with the skills needed to drive impact in the fight against climate change;
• Advice and support on regulation and intellectual property.

Partnering for impact

EarthScale’s approach builds on years of innovation leadership developed at partner universities, such as:

• 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s and Undaunted programmes.
• Cranfield’s world class pilot scale facilities
• Derby’s Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Engineering
• Leeds’ Nexus Innovation Hub
• Exeter’s Green Futures Solutions initiative
• Nottingham’s Energy Institute

Phil Longhurst, Professor and Director of Theme for Transport and Energy, Cranfield University, said: “The partner universities will build on years of collective experience in ecosystem development to provide a laser-focus on creating the right environment for climate startups to thrive. Pooling their resources and expertise through EarthScale will create even more benefits.”

Get involved in EarthScale

EarthScale will get underway in April 2025. A number of Regional Development Managers roles will be recruited for by the university partners.

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