The virtual infrastructure for support in business development, acceleration and commercialisation programs will offer tailored support to start-ups and SMEs, fill knowledge gaps in the business domain, and provide tools and mentorship to grow, stabilise and thrive; ultimately strengthening the communities of innovative entrepreneurs within the carbon farming ecosystems. Private investment will be mobilised by connecting investors with innovators and by providing funding recommendations for the upscaling of the placed-based carbon farming solutions. The skills developed during the business development support programs will raise the R&I excellence.
CEH will connect start-ups and SMEs with innovative, marketable ideas in carbon farming, with investors. Strategic connections will also be forged with mentors and new business opportunities will be explored during the business development support programs. Pre-planning of the joint pilot research projects (KO3) will rely on collaborations between academia and industry to develop carbon farming solutions. The subsequent funding recommendations will facilitate the upscaling and uptake of EH’s technologies (including potential external funding for the demonstrators), and open up future business opportunities for their manufacturing, installation, maintenance etc. Entrepreneurial skills will be honed through targeted industry support training services (start-ups and SMEs) including acceleration and virtual infrastructure for support in business development. The commercialisation program will include networking events and introduce investors and innovators to jumpstart private investment in new technologies.