The South East Sustainability Cluster is an innovative network led by GreentechHQ, which provides a valuable platform for organisations to engage with sustainability experts, exchange ideas, and develop solutions to create a greener future for businesses and communities in the South East.
Connecting enterprise, entrepreneurs and academics, the first event of the year was hosted at South East Technological University (SETU) on Thursday, 6 February 2025, with leading experts including Professor Helen Hughes, Lecturer and TU-RISE Academic-Industry Liaison, SETU, Mr Bobby Lambert, CEO, EcoMerit, and Dr John Breen, CTO, Neg8 Carbon.
Professor Hughes is involved with advancing the environmental remit and growing the Eco-Innovation Research Centre in SETU in terms of research outputs and research diversification with a particular emphasis on engaging with enterprises. Supported through the TU RISE Programme, SETU is expanding its engagement across the region, strengthening collaborations with businesses to develop innovative solutions to climate challenges. By connecting industry with research expertise, TU-RISE enables companies to integrate sustainability into their operations while driving regional economic growth.
Professor Hughes highlighted the power of academic/industry collaboration, commenting, “At SETU, we work closely with businesses to develop research-driven sustainability solutions. Events like this foster new partnerships that turn ideas into real-world impact, helping businesses grow while addressing climate challenges.”
Dr John Breen, CTO, Neg8 Carbon, highlighted that 2024 set a disturbing precedent, marking the warmest year on record since temperature tracking began. He proceeded to outline how the Waterford-based company’s disruptive technology facilitates the extraction of CO2 directly from the atmosphere which can in turn be safely stored underground or converted into climate-neutral carbon products.
Bobby Lambert from EcoMerit spoke about how his company supports enterprises in optimising their resource usage, including energy, carbon, waste, and water, through comprehensive technical support and robust environmental certification.
This event is part of the collaboration between GreentechHQ and SETU as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed in September 2024. The MoU focuses on advancing joint sustainability objectives through shared expertise, networks, and resources, with a commitment to addressing the challenges and opportunities of sustainable regional development and supporting the green transition.
Ed Murphy, Director of GreentechHQ reflected on a very successful event, by saying, “Each South East Cluster meetup showcases remarkable individuals and outstanding initiatives’.
For further information on upcoming meetups, visit: https://greentechhq.com/2024/02/05/south-east-green-tech-cluster/.
