Midlands Green Innovation Network – a network for SMEs

A new network to help Midlands SMEs to innovate and thrive
Delivery partners
The Midlands Green Innovation Network has been launched by ERA with the support of the Midlands Engine and Federation of Small Businesses. It aims to provide small businesses with the support they need in order to maximise their potential for innovation.
Green Innovation is about using resources effectively and minimising environmental damage. It helps to improve a company's competitiveness, economic and environmental performance. Green Innovation lowers your environmental impact by reducing energy use, recycling waste, sustainability using resource, and developing greener products.
Our Green Innovation Network covers a range of topics and activities including:
The MGIN also provides invaluable networking opportunities for people who attend the events.
Book for our future events
Future Green Technologies, 20 June, Staffordshire University, 11.30am - 1.30pm
At this event at Staffordshire University in Stoke we will be looking at new green technologies being developed. Midlands Connect will explore cutting-edge developments in transport, and their vision for the Midlands' transport system, and other experts will discuss how new technologies will impact and benefit business and societies.
The event will conclude with a lunch and the opportunity for delegates to network together.
Remodelling Your Brand for Net-Zero, 6 July 11.30am - 12.30pm
Is Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility embedded into the DNA of your organisation? Creating social and environmental value through our business model, products and culture is not just a nicety or a way of ‘giving back’. It can actually be a way to drive our organisation forward, innovate new business models and products, create new categories, retain talent and attract great people to work for us. Say hello to the good economy!
In this presentation, Jonny Prest from Seed will be explaining how brands and businesses can remodel themselves to achieve Net-Zero.
Our previous events
Presentations from previous events can be downloaded below:
Innovate to thrive! - Thursday 15th December 2022, 11am to 1pm
We launched our Green Innovation Networkon 15th December at the Ingenuity Centre, University of Nottingham Innovation Park. At this event, Roger Mendonca, Chief Executive of the Midlands Engine launched their Midlands Green Innovation report. Paul Yeomans from the University of Nottingham also talked about how businesses innovate. .
This unique online webinar, delivered by innovation expert, Professor Colin Garner, explored approaches to innovative problem solving using TRIZ (the theory of inventive problem solving), objective setting and biomimicry. it was aimed at helping businesses and individuals to innovate more effectively, and, more widely.
Skills for the Green Revolution - Thursday 9th February 2023, 11am to 1pm, Derby Museum of Making
At this in person event, we heard presentations from Derby and Loughborough universities. We also explored the kind of skills that are needed by businesses for the new Green Economy. The Federation of Small Businesses and Arup then discussed the Local Skills Improvement Plan, and ran a workshop for the businesses to input into the plan.
Decarbonising your business - Thursday 30th March, 11.00am to 1.00pm Tyseley Energy Park, Birmingham
At this event, representatives from Sustainability West Midlands, together with GridDuck and the Tyseley Energy Park discussed some of the practical steps that you can take to decarbonise your business and how to develop a sustainability plan.
This event explained how to develop products sustainably to reduce the use of non-renewable resources and minimise waste. There was also the opportunity to tour the workshops and facilities at the University.