EEDA - East of England Development Agency

‘Cambridge at the forefront of world innovation’ - EU President Barroso

18 February 2011

“At the forefront of world innovation” is how the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, described Cambridge during an exclusive visit to the city today (Friday 18 February).

President Barroso was in Cambridge today to see how European funding is helping to strengthen the city’s reputation for world-leading innovation, particularly in environmental research and technologies. 

Since 2007, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managed in this region by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), has committed over £46 million towards major projects focused on ‘low carbon economic growth’.

One initiative to receive such funding is the University of East Anglia’s ground-breaking InCrops project, which is based in centres across the region including the National Institute for Agricultural Botany (NIAB) in Cambridge.

At NIAB, President Barroso saw how InCrops was helping entrepreneurs exploit the versatility of crops to make environmentally-friendly products and reduce natural waste. Projects showcased to the President included a machine designed to rapidly harvest hemp and a new range of materials made from natural fibres currently being used in the automotive and construction industries. 

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, said:

“Cambridge is at the forefront of world innovation. Research and development pioneered here continues to enhance the world around us and I am proud to see European funding accelerating this work. The InCrops project truly embodies the mission of the ERDF – to promote innovation and environmental sustainability, whilst supporting hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses right across Europe. It is one of the tools we have to promote economic growth.”

ERDF-funded projects – like InCrops – are expected to support over 13,000 innovative businesses across the East of England by 2015, creating or safeguarding 5,000 full-time jobs in the process.

The East of England’s share of the European Regional Development Fund is worth £95 million over a seven year period (2007-2013). There are currently 32 ERDF projects in operation across the region including the £8 million Low Carbon Venture Capital Fund and Grants for Research and Development, both managed by EEDA and available to innovative small businesses developing environmental technologies.

Professor William Pope, chair of the East of England Development Agency, said:

“Moving towards a low carbon economy is a necessity, not a choice. By managing the ERDF on behalf of the region, EEDA has invested in ground-breaking projects that not only promote environmental sustainability, but also help local companies capture the major business opportunities that an increasingly environmentally-conscious consumer demands.

“Testament to the East of England’s established reputation as the UK’s ‘ideas region’, President Barroso’s visit highlights the calibre of research and development emanating from EU-funded projects such as InCrops.”

Marie Francis OBE, chair of InCrops Ltd, said:

“Knowledge transfer leading to the commercialisation of research is often the missing link that holds back innovation. This is the gap that InCrops fills so effectively. The result is the production of new and innovative companies, products and supply chains. Companies such as EcoTechnilin, which produces bio-renewable products, many of which are used in the automotive industry displacing oil based products.”

To find out more about ERDF-funded projects in the East of England, visit www.eeda.org.uk/erdf.

• Download full press release   (DOC 195KB)

Related Programmes

• Business Champions lead SMEs to Low Carbon future
• Business Support
• Sustainable Economy
• Science, Innovation and High-level Skills

< back to press releases