The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched a £16m low carbon initiative fund to encourage and support innovative energy saving ideas.
The fund is targeted at SMEs, inventors and entrepreneurs who can all bid for a proportion of the money. The purpose behind it is to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technology so that carbon emissions from UK businesses are reduced.
Newcastle University are working hard with regional SMEs to place talented students and graduates through two funded placements schemes.
The Careers Service have an excellent record of supporting regional SMEs via these programmes as in the last 3 years over 400 organisations have benefitted from the schemes. While supporting students and graduates to gain the skills that employers are looking for, the University is working with the SMEs to support growth and recruitment in a difficult economic period.
The University of Sunderland has secured ERDF funding to place 150 graduates into 150 organisations throughout the North East, and low-carbon companies are set to benefit.
The University’s Graduate Internship Scheme is open to small-to-medium sized private sector organisations (those employing less than 250 people and turnover not exceeding Euro 50 million) throughout the North East of England.