The UK’s innovation accelerator for transport,
Clean Futures is led by Connected Places Catapult in partnership with the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation, Coventry University, and CU Services Limited. So far, 39 SMEs have been supported through a six-month, challenge-led accelerator, each receiving up to £50K to trial solutions.
The accelerator has focused on challenges related to very light rail, automotive manufacturing, and their associated supply chains. Participating SMEs benefit from bespoke technical and commercial support, along with networking and showcasing events that connect them with industry and financial partners.
The programme has attracted high-growth SMEs from within and beyond existing supply chains, helping them develop clean transport technologies and demonstrate value to Tier 1 vendors and OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers).
Connected Places Catapult is working with industry and academic partners to deliver two programmes, DIATOMIC and Clean Futures, as part of the wider West Midlands Innovation Accelerator. The region has strong potential to create jobs and boost economic growth through innovation.
As set out in the West Midlands Plan for Growth, it is a centre for advanced manufacturing and a key player in the ‘Green Industrial Revolution’. DIATOMIC and Clean Futures build on this foundation by supporting local innovators and strengthening the region’s ability to drive commercial growth and attract investment.
The DIATOMIC and Clean Futures programmes harness the West Midlands’ strengths in advanced manufacturing and the Green Industrial Revolution by encouraging strategic partnerships between industry, academia, and local government. This approach accelerates innovation, drives economic growth, and enhances the region’s capability to attract investment and create jobs, delivering value to businesses, universities, and local communities.
For any enquiries about the Clean Futures programme, please contact
Harriet Muscroft, Consultant, Enterprise Support (Built Environment).
About the West Midlands Innovation Accelerator
Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, the pilot Innovation Accelerators programme invested £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects between 2022-25 to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation ecosystems – Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and West Midlands. The programme was boosted by an additional £30m of public funding for 2025/26 spread equally across the regions. Innovation Accelerators is piloting a new model of R&D decision making that empowers local partnerships to harness innovation to drive regional economic growth, attract private investment, and develop future technologies.
