Green tech can drive recovery says Lord Drayson

FORMER science minister and multi-millionaiore entrepreneur Lord Drayson has praised a £9.8m North West initiative to lead the way in the green-tech revolution.

He was speaking at the launch last week of the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation, a venture, backed by the European Regional Development Fund, and a joint initiative between Lancaster University, the University of Liverpool and private sector partner Inventya to develop innovative green products.

Four North West firms have already gained more than £3m worth of grants and investment after working with the centre, which is now looking to work with another 200  North West companies.

Support is available in the form of three to six month research projects with the universities or by working with innovation consultancy Inventya.

Lord Drayson said: “We have the brains, the science and the technology to lead this green tech revolution.

“We’re consuming 25% more resources than our planet can support and carbon dioxide levels are rising. We have to offer people an attractive accessible low carbon future and it’s vital that business leaders invest in the work by academics and the scientific community to find a solution to these challenges.

“The UK is ranked sixth in the world in this sector and we need to see low carbon not as a threat to recovery but as a driver of recovery.”