Innovation for a Decisive Decade
As the UK enters a decisive decade for delivering its legally binding carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act 2008, innovation will play a defining role. Meeting these commitments demands rapid, system-wide change, moving beyond incremental improvements to bold, scalable solutions delivered at pace.
Over the past decade, the innovation landscape has shifted significantly. We’ve moved from siloed research and isolated pilots to a more dynamic ecosystem where academia, industry, policymakers, and entrepreneurs must work together. The pace of change has accelerated, and so too has the need for environments where ideas can be rapidly tested, challenged, and refined.
We’ve seen a large shift in emphasis, from generating innovative ideas to connecting and scaling innovation through structured ecosystems. Climate challenges are inherently cross-cutting and the most effective solutions reflect this, emerging through co-creation across academia, industry, policymakers, and entrepreneurs.
This is where the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures plays a clear role. Innovation is the bridge between scientific knowledge and impact. It is how insights become tools, how ideas become solutions, and how ambition becomes reality. Innovation allows us to reimagine energy systems, materials, manufacturing processes, food production, mobility, and entire value chains. Innovation is also the engine for tackling climate challenges at scale
By connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, industry, and policymakers, Priestley creates the conditions for solutions to be co-created, tested, and accelerated. Here bold ideas are transformed into real-world impact through programmes like EarthScale, AIMday, Innovation Demonstrator, and Climate Launchpad positioning Priestley as a hub where climate innovation doesn’t just start, it grows.
Innovation with Action
In a world where innovation is too often roundtables and stale croissants, Priestley focuses on supporting innovation with real action. We’re always looking for partners, challenges, ideas, and people to join our mission.
Whether you’re an innovator, have a climate challenge but don’t know where to start, or face a business problem and need support to solve it, our programmes offer structured pathways to make a tangible difference.
Explore our action-oriented programmes:
EarthScale – Supports Climate Tech to scale their solutions technically and commercially. The programme builds access to a UK network of University partners to build a rich tapestry of technical expertise across the UK to scale climate tech solutions.
AIMday – Brings together researchers and external organisations to tackle real-world climate challenges in focused workshops. These one-day events enable practical problem-solving, rapid knowledge exchange, and the formation of new collaborations that might not emerge in traditional settings. AIMday helps turn complex challenges into actionable research and innovation opportunities.
Innovation Demonstrator – Helps organisations with climate challenges to run a structured programme to refine their challenge, scout international climate tech startups with deployable solutions and run a 2-day sprint to validate the challenge and structure proof of concepts, including the design of a roadmap for implementation. For corporates – this means hands on, practical help to understand the issue, find the best innovative solutions and support with practical guidance to build the commercials and operations required to test and validate solutions in real life settings. For innovators, this means support to commercialise solutions with real customers and trial them in live environments, shortening the more traditional procurement process—something Priestley has championed, because translating ideas into real-world impact is often the toughest challenge.
Climate Launchpad – Supports aspiring climate entrepreneurs to validate and scale ideas with commercial potential. Participants receive coaching, access to networks, and practical tools to move their solutions from concept to market-ready ventures. The programme strengthens the pipeline of climate innovation, helping ideas reach a wider audience and generate tangible impact.
These programmes are open to anyone ready to collaborate, contribute, or accelerate solutions. Start a conversation and take the next step toward making impact.
Real world Impact
Through these programmes, Priestley is not only supporting ideas but shaping the people and collaborations behind them. From early-stage concepts in Climate Launchpad to partnerships formed through our Corporate Innovation Demonstrator we are seeing tangible examples of how structured support and the right environment can unlock potential.
Looking Ahead: From Pilot to Scale
Innovation is never static, and neither are we. Some of our most exciting work is moving from pilot to scale as we ourselves practice innovative programmes and initiatives.
We’re looking to engage more corporates with real-world climate challenges, applying structured innovation methods to solve them and create tangible value. This means building stronger cross-sector partnerships, deepening support for innovators, and embedding learning into practical, scalable solutions.
The transition to a climate-resilient, nature-positive future is not optional. It is the defining challenge of our time. And it is also an opportunity. An opportunity to redesign our systems so that they work better for the planet, for society, and for generations to come.
Contact us for more information on any of our innovation programmes: [email protected]