Connected clusters: landscaping study

Abstract

This study presents evidence from five dynamic, city region-based climate innovation clusters. Here businesses, academics, communities and government work together to deliver low-carbon innovation. We believe this concentration of resources, expertise and initiative is our best chance of meeting the Paris climate targets while also reaping social and economic benefits that come
with the development and delivery of cleantech solutions.

Climate-KIC’s ConnectedClusters project is an alliance of five city regions – Birmingham, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, London and Valencia – committed to sharing, replicating and scaling what works in developing innovation ecosystems for delivering effective climate action.

Between now and 2020, the project will work hard to accelerate and enable transformation of the places we live into clean, prosperous and thriving cities and regions by developing new collaborative approaches to technology, procurement, investment and training.

ConnectedClusters will help inform a transition away from product and technology innovation in isolation, towards a systemic, regionally-embedded approach to climate innovation. Paris shows that for our continued prosperity, transformation on a scale never witnessed
before is imperative. Only by working together can we achieve that change.