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Environmental Business Opportunities Event, 7th June at Technology Innovation Centre, Millenium Point

ebns worked with UCE tic, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Midlands Environmental Business Company and Engineering Employer?s Federation to organise this well-attended event.

David Draycott, Executive Director of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry and ebns Board member, gave a short keynote address on ebns? Strategic Investment Plan to Grow the Environmental Business Sector.
 
There are about 145 businesses (including social enterprise) providing environmental goods and services in the Regeneration Zone, employing 4,300 people, which gives a sound base for further growth.
 
ebns organised an exhibition of environmental business support organisations, which included:

• Groundwork West Midlands EBS         
• Envirowise
• The Carbon Trust
• Sustainable Eastside
• B-SEEN
• Environment Agency
• Urban Mines
• WRAP

With around 100 attendees, the exhibition was busy and there was plenty of informal networking. People with new business ideas were actively seeking support. It is now estimated that the environmental sector will be worth over £300 billion by 2010, and the enthusiasm of the many businesses present was evidence that the Midlands is certainly ready to contribute to this market.

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry ran a Speed Networking session which proved to be a high-energy session. It was the first time many had tried this format, and the feedback was very positive, with useful contacts having been made.



The morning session was the launch of the new Environmental Business Opportunities (eBOP) project. This will be delivered by a consortium of seven Midlands universities, led by tic. They will provide technical expertise to assist SMEs in responding to new business opportunities in four areas:

• Flood Defence ? Water Technology
• Waste Management and Recycling
• Small Scale Renewable Energy Technology
• Bio Energy Generation and Bio Fuels

There were also tours of the tic facilities, a software demonstration, some technical presentations by tic experts and access to Thinktank.
 
If you would like to find out more about ebns? plans for supporting the growth of Environmental Industries please contact Iwona Tempowski, Enterprise Development Manager at i.tempowski@birminghamchamber.org.uk