Visit to encourage closer ties in developing environmental solutions

Climate-KIC and the UK’s Trade & Investment (UKTI) department are travelling to Tianjin, China, to promote low carbon technology.

The six-day visit is being organised by the Tianjin SME Association and aims to encourage new UK-China business opportunities in order to develop innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions. The mission travelling to China comprises five start-ups from Innovation Birmingham’s Low Carbon Accelerator programme, together with two other SMEs in the climate change sector identified by UKTI West Midlands.

Speaking about the trip, Katharine Fuller, Innovation Birmingham’s senior project manager for EU Projects, said: “The invite to visit and strategise with climate change practitioners in the Chinese city of Tianjin will give the low carbon entrepreneurs excellent experience, as well as opportunities to develop commercial relationships. There is a significant level of trade that already takes place between the West Midlands and China, and the contacts made during this trade visit may lead to new export and import deals being struck.”

Companies traveling to China include a bio-glue manufacturer, a firm specialising in resource and built environment efficiency, and clean energy and environmental mitigation providers. UKTI promotes UK business interests internationally and the country as an opportunity for inward investment.