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Higher Education Support to Small Medium Enterprises: A Local Experience in Energy Efficiency

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Sustainable Development Research at Universities in the United Kingdom

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

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Abstract

Industry accounts for 29 % of UK energy use, with 86 % derived from non-renewable sources, placing energy efficiency in this sector as a fundamental to sustainable development. Given that some 99 % of UK industrial companies are Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), who are least able to devote specific resources to energy analysis, supportive initiatives in this area have the potential for significant savings and success. This paper provides example and advice on methods of support from Higher Education (HE) to improve the sustainability of industrial SMEs. This is exampled through the experiences of a 24-month project called “SUSTAIN Lincolnshire” with a focus on SME energy efficiency. A critical analysis, starting from the existing literature, will centre on the problems of co-ordinating and encouraging a large number of SME to become pro-active in this area. This uses a project life-cycle approach, discussing the importance of clearly defined requirements, SME engagement, lessons learned and further work beyond the project. Current initiatives in Higher Education/Industry cooperation make this paper particularly timely and its critical analysis will provide HE institutions with guidance and advice when developing similar projects. The paper identifies resources and techniques whilst highlighting the difficulties in developing higher-level strategies to the hard-pressed SME communities. It shows the importance of persistence in this area for the initiating bodies and the benefits of building on outcomes in a coherent manner. This paper has does not analyse the most appropriate areas for project deployment or the format in which they should be provided. It does, however, provide insights into the exploitation of local implementations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK

    Richard Allarton

Authors
  1. Richard Allarton
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard Allarton .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

Appendices

Appendix 1

SUSTAIN Lincolnshire auditable targets

  • Assist 11 businesses through collaboration

  • Engage 18 new businesses in interactions with KB

  • Inaugural meeting of sector groups

  • Hold 5 demonstration/knowledge sharing events

  • Evidence clustering activity

  • Develop research proposals with 2 existing businesses

  • Develop research proposals with 7 new businesses

  • Assist 3 businesses with applying for R&D grants/KTPs

  • Evidence investment in technology/leverage of funds

  • Initiate 6 student projects with SME businesses

  • 6 businesses make use of Sustain equipment

  • Evidence new jobs created

  • Evidence businesses improving performance

  • Evidence GVA as a result of businesses improving performance

  • Attend Steering Group meetings

  • Report on progress to UL

  • 5 case studies as requested.

Appendix 2

Checklist for Government Initiated Industrial Support Projects

Derived from experiences in SUSTAIN Lincolnshire Project

  1. 1.

    Use experts and stakeholders to define high-level aims and concepts.

  2. 2.

    Bound problem aims and expectations.

  3. 3.

    Assess viability of project aims.

  4. 4.

    Ensure appropriate resources available.

  5. 5.

    Sell to the SMEs. Without them on-board, the project is worthless, but these are hard-pressed people with many different priorities. This should be a separate initiating phase to the project.

  6. 6.

    Communicate project aims and individual targets to stakeholders.

  7. 7.

    Engage consultant with experience/contacts in target area to rapidly build audience.

  8. 8.

    Assess viability of target audience.

  9. 9.

    Engage media expert to market and facilitate communication.

  10. 10.

    Monitor progress, not only of initially set targets, but of holistic progression to ensure developments are maximised.

  11. 11.

    Terminate project coherently with all aspects bought to a close to ensure no wasted effort on incomplete threads.

  12. 12.

    Debrief to learn lessons for future projects.

Appendix 3

  1. Description: what passes across the interface. Significance or Volume/month: How much either qualitatively or quantitatively. Seasonal: Is this a steady flow across the interface or is it at certain times of the year. Destination: is it going out as product, by-product or waste
  2. Note Inputs and outputs may be heat, water, data as well as more traditional materials
  3. Please complete and return to Richard Allarton at University of Lincoln, LN6 7TS. An electronic version is available on request for return to richallarton@lincoln.ac.uk

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Allarton, R. (2017). Higher Education Support to Small Medium Enterprises: A Local Experience in Energy Efficiency. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Sustainable Development Research at Universities in the United Kingdom. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47883-8_11

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