C4D Launch Regional Sustainable Design-led Innovation Programme

An innovative new initiative from C4D at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, is set to help small businesses in the East of England develop innovative low carbon products and services to reduce their carbon footprint across their life-cycle.

The Sustainable Design-Led Innovation (SDI) project has been developed using a contribution of £815,510 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is managed by East of England Development Agency (EEDA), and aims to interact with 1,000 small businesses over three years.

The programme will incorporate on-line and off-line delivery methods such as participatory knowledge transfer programmes, guided workshops and open innovation support network activities. It is also anticipated that development activities will include benchmarking, auditing, CEO sustainable innovation leadership programmes as well as networking opportunities.