On Tuesday 25 February 2025, eight innovative SMEs showcased their unique solutions for decarbonisation in the transport sector at BCIMO’s dedicated facility, the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre. They were welcomed by an exclusive group of industry partners and potential investors during a busy day of networking, exhibitions and a panel session. The day culminated with live demonstrations taking place outside, with each SME on the programme providing a unique interactive presentation of their innovation.
The two-year Clean Futures Accelerator programme, which launched in July 2023, was led by Connected Places Catapult (CPC) and delivered by BCIMO in partnership with Coventry University. It was designed to address key industry challenges by accelerating the route to market for SMEs via a package of funding, technical expertise and commercial insight. Essentially, it equipped regional SMEs with the skills and know-how to showcase their innovations to industry partners and potential investors, accelerating their journey toward commercialisation.
The Demonstration Day event, which celebrated the completion of Cohort 2 of the programme, was opened in the Auditorium by BCIMO’s Head of SME Development, Naomi Arblaster.
This was followed by a welcome to all delegates from BCIMO’s CEO, Neil Fulton and a presentation by CPC’s Executive Director of SME Development and Academic Engagement, Alex Weedon.
Each SME then took to the stage for their innovation ‘pitches’. This was an inspiring moment for the Clean Futures Accelerator team, to see the conclusion of many months of hard work supporting the SMEs in developing their innovations. During their pitch, each SME outlined the reasons their solution should be chosen; how they contribute to rail and broader transport sector decarbonisation, plus their longer-term business goals and aspirations for a more sustainable future.
Following the pitches, the agenda turned to discussions within the broader industry, as BCIMO’s Strategic Business Partnerships Manager, Martin Little, led an innovation panel consisting of experts from across both the rail sector and innovation landscape, posing a number of key questions.
During the panel, the audience heard from investor’s perspective, as Andy Green, Investment Director at Frontier Development Capital, addressed some of the financial challenges facing investors new to the rail sector. Chris Kearns, Operation Director at K2C Rail provided insight into the technical and commercial challenges from a contractor’s point of view, while Ben Kattenhorn, CEO of Advanced Hydrogen Technologies, shared his experiences as an SME participant in the previous cohort of the Clean Futures Accelerator.
TVS Supply Chain Solutions’ Head of Business Development, Andy Lawrence, offered a further supply chain perspective, whilst Harriet Muscroft, Accelerator Programme Manager of Connected Places Catapult, concluded the panel with an entrepreneurial perspective.
The panel discussed topics such as navigating the complexities SMEs face when entering new markets and reflected on learnings from the previous Accelerator’s cohort, including ways to increase the ‘Technology Readiness Level’ (TRL) of SMEs to help them reach the marketplace.
After a fascinating discussion, the panel led a call to action for the rail sector to work together to make innovation possible.
After a break for lunch, visitors were given the opportunity to meet with individual SMEs at their stands in the Exhibition Hall, facilitating numerous animated conversations between those present.
The highlight of the day for most visitors, however, was the opportunity for guided tours of each SME’s demonstration, where visitors had a chance to see the hard-earned results of the work innovators have undertaken on the programme.
Feedback from both visitors and demonstrators was extremely positive, as the opportunity to see the decarbonisation benefits of each unique innovation in real life generated both interest and inspiration.
At conclusion of the demonstrations, visitors returned to the Auditorium for the close of the event, with Naomi, alongside Accelerator Programme Manager, Agathe Parois, presenting each of the SMEs with an honorary plaque, followed by celebratory photographs.
Final words were a reflection on the programme’s success and thanks to attendees and those who participated in making the Clean Futures Accelerator possible, thus facilitating the development of a range of exciting new innovations that will drive a greener, cleaner future for the transport sector.
Reflecting on the day, Clean Futures Accelerator Programme Manager Harriet Muscroft, said: “The Clean Futures Programme, and CPC’s work more broadly, is all about convening innovators, industry, and investors to drive real progress in transport innovation. As the innovator panel highlighted—particularly through Ben Kattenhorn’s experience—simply putting industry in the room isn’t enough; we need clear mechanisms to connect SMEs with the right partners and pathways to commercialisation. What we’ve done with BCIMO is a great example of this in action—convening industry as early as possible to articulate their needs while ensuring SMEs have the clarity and support to deliver. This collaborative approach is crucial, especially in rail, where innovation must align with investment and procurement to truly scale.”
Andy Green, Investor Director at Frontier Development Capital, said: “It was great to see such a strong turnout at the Clean Futures Cohort event. As an investor, it’s always encouraging to see SMEs actively pitching and demonstrating their innovative plans while seeking the right support and finance. I emphasise the importance of clear communication with funders and ensure businesses confidently articulate their business plans and financials. Representing both FDC’s MEIF II and Advanced Manufacturing funds within Mercia Asset Management, I appreciate events like these that help bridge the gap between SMEs and investment opportunities.”
Ben Kattenhorn, CEO of Advanced Hydrogen Technologies – also an innovator in Cohort 1 – added: “I was very honoured to be invited back to the BCIMO as part of the discussion panel for the Cohort Two demonstration day. To return a year after our demonstration day as cohort 1 brought back lots of very good memories. I very much enjoyed the questions and the conversations that followed. It was nice to be able to pass on my experience to the members of Cohort Two and I hope they have as much success from the experience of the cleaner futures catapult as we did at AHT.”
Cohort 2 innovator and CEO of Treeva, Anjali Devadasan, reflecting on the day and also the programme, said: “The Clean Futures programme has been an invaluable opportunity to demonstrate Treeva in the rail sector and make a positive impact. On the Demonstration Day, it was brilliant to speak with the rail and transport community and showcase our Treeva turbine in action, where we had an overwhelmingly positive response to bring reliable and renewable energy to the railways. It’s inspiring to see the West Midlands driving the transition to greener transport forward, and we’re delighted to be contributing to this journey. A huge thank you to the teams at BCIMO and CPC, and everyone involved, for such an impactful day and excellent programme.”
Finally, Naomi Arblaster, Head of SME Development at BCIMO and project lead for Clean Futures, said: “Clean Futures is an outstanding programme which has far exceeded even the ambitious targets we set for ourselves. The dedicated work of our SMEs and the team at BCIMO, alongside the valuable support of our industry and investor partners, has realised our collective ambition to bring a broad range of exciting, innovative solutions to the address the challenges and opportunities within rail helping it, in turn, to reach its own targets for a sustainable future.
Today, we are proud to showcase this work and to celebrate the achievements of our second cohort so far, but we also look forward to seeing the incredible work still to come, as we have watching our first cohort go beyond their Clean Futures journey. The impact of the programme, both of our SMEs and for the rail industry, alongside our own advocacy for clean tech innovation across an increasingly interconnected transport landscape, is only the beginning.”
For more information on the programme, please visit the Clean Futures page on the BCIMO website.
For more information on BCIMO in general, please visit the BCIMO website or click Contact Us to make an enquiry / sign up to our mailing list.