Owing in large part to the oil and gas industry built up over the last 50 years, Aberdeen and north-east Scotland has gained a global reputation for being pioneering, identifying and delivering innovative solutions for the sector that are the envy of the world over.
It is perhaps less recognised but the secret to this success has been underpinned by an entrepreneurial supply chain, largely small and medium businesses that are the lifeblood of our economy.
This is the critical mass we must protect and incentivise if we are to meet and exceed ETZ Ltd’s ambition to reposition this region as a globally recognised energy cluster focused on delivering net zero.
The Energy Incubator and Scale Up Hub, the first of its kind in Scotland and supported by capital funding from the Scottish Government’s Energy Transition Fund, is the very embodiment of this ambition.
We need to give a leg-up to our start-ups, nurture their ideas and place them in an ecosystem that will provide them with the hands-on guidance and support they need to develop their proposition.
© Supplied by ETZ LtdThat’s precisely what the Hub will do and is why securing support from our delivery partners at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and the Net Zero Technology Centre is so critically important.
With the added support from BP and Scottish Enterprise, our funding partners, we are creating a one-stop shop for small companies to access mentors, industry experts and specialised equipment where they can refine concepts, create prototypes and initiate small-scale manufacturing.
This unique 3,000 metre square facility in Aberdeen will provide companies with access to bespoke industrial, desk and collaboration space.
The facilities will combine the required support, resources, and networks to advance innovation and help form the new lower-carbon energy landscape.
Collaboration and knowledge sharing is key to growing a new or established business and the incubator will provide facilities and support to form a dynamic industrial community to exchange ideas, share best practice and form partnerships with supply chain peers, industry developers, operators, institutions, colleges, and universities.
© Supplied by ETZThis network will encourage innovation, accelerate development, and drive the adoption of new energy industry solutions.
Once a company reaches scale, that is when the wider Energy Transition Zone vision kicks in.
We want to create an environment whereby growing businesses feel integral to the wider energy cluster that is being created and we will do everything we can to support their growth in the region to retain that hard-won reputation as a true global centre of excellence for new and green energies.
We have a fundamental aim of delivering a more capable clean energy market and a stronger, more resilient supply chain that creates sustainable jobs and economic growth for the north-east of Scotland.
The Incubator and Scale Up Hub are just one part of an ever-evolving and complex energy transition puzzle but it will be a crucial asset in our attempts to solve it.
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