We became members of PRASEG, the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group.

Presentations were made at other people’s events in Acton Trussel, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Sheffield.

We would like to ask you to circulate a link to a short survey, which should only take a few minutes. Please feel free to share as much input as you like in the question boxes or contact us directly with additional views.

Please follow this link to complete the survey: http://businessandunfccc.questionpro.com

We have also provided a link to our webcast side event which took place on Saturday December 12th in Copenhagen. We welcome your feedback: http://www.se2009.eu/en/1.26300
 
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Antonia Gawel (WBCSD) at:  Antonia Gawel, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Telephone: +41 (0)22 839 31 10 Email: gawel@wbcsd.org

Despite that, the ¾ day workshop hosted by Sustainability West Midlands at Millennium Point, and also part sponsored by them in conjunction with BIS, generated many thoughts and ideas. This was the second in an on-going exploration of the appropriateness of business models to today’s needs with lessons hopefully learnt from the credit crunch. Like the first event staged in early 09 in London, this too saw delegates using laptops to make their points during the workshop. The system encourages responses and seems to unleash mini avalanches of ideas. A full report can be seen by clicking here

People:Space:Movement (PSM) is now allocating space to exhibitors in the Jaguar Hall of the Ricoh Arena Coventry for the BCSD-UK event on March 22nd, sponsored by Advantage West Midlands, Cenex and Coventry City Council.
 

PSM sets out to show what a low carbon, sustainable world might look like. The integrated seminar and exhibition covers the themes space design; IT; vehicles, propellants, and business and jobs opportunities.

Exhibition space is free. So is attending. For more information and to book space or register as a delegate, see the PSM section on the BCSD-UK web site – www.bcsd-uk.co.uk

The West Midlands has been chosen as part of a partnership to deliver a ground-breaking multi-million pound initiative on climate change called Climate Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC).  The bid was selected at the meeting of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) held on 16th December.
 
The Climate KIC bid will have a total investment of €750 million for the first four years with EIT providing up to €120 million. The European-wide initiative, Climate KIC, is composed of five of Europe’s top universities including Imperial College and ETH Zurich and ten major companies including CISCO, Shell, Thales and Bayer, plus six regions. 

Advantage West Midlands played a critical role in securing the Climate KIC funding by bringing together and coordinating five regions from across Europe - Hessen, Emilia Romagna, Central Hungary, Valencia, and Lower Silesia. Similarly, Advantage West Midlands is leading regional partners to deliver various elements of the Climate KIC.  Partners currently include regional universities, Ove Arup, Qinetiq, Birmingham City Council, National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) and other partners. Over the course of the Climate KIC programme participation from the region will continue to grow.

The European Union established the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) to develop a new way of delivering economic growth through addressing major global and social challenges.  The EIT aims to deliver world-leading innovation through the creation of Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).  The West Midlands region is part of a consortium of six major European regions working with five of Europe’s top universities including Imperial College and ETH Zurich and ten major companies including CISCO, Shell, Thales and Bayer in a ground-breaking initiative on climate change called Climate KIC.
 
Over the past year, the regional consortium called the Regional Innovation Implementation Community (RIC) has been developed with Hessen, Emilia Romagna, Central Hungary, Valencia, West Midlands and Lower Silesia. Each region brings together its key regional development players –universities, research and technology organisations, industry and regional and local authorities.

At the core of the Climate-KIC will be four research and innovation programmes on the themes of climate science; low carbon cities; bio-renewable processes; and integrated water management. Climate KIC will use the range of projects being developed by the regions e.g. on electric urban mobility as its test-bed and pilot new innovations in developing the low carbon economy.  At the same time Climate KIC will run high-flyers academic programme, and a practitioners’ programme run by RIC to develop the next generation of highly skilled specialists in the low-carbon economy.  This will be known as ‘Pioneers into Practice’ and will combine three one month placements in different venues and intensive innovation workshops.  This programme will have €5m per year.

This KIC is Europe’s trail-blazer on climate change. It offers a unique combination of academia, industry and geography, a mix of universities, companies and places to encourage broad-based innovation. For the regions it will, offer high level training opportunities, new skills, generate new businesses and spin-outs, help develop markets for existing low carbon companies and, make the West Midlands a key player in low-carbon innovation.

David Middleton
CEO
BCSD-UK

EBC Ltd
Unit F3 The Arch
48-52 Floodgate Street
Birmingham  B5 5SL

Email: davidm@ebc-info.co.uk
Tel: 0121-693-8334
Fax: 0121-693-8448