RedCAT Advocacy

Securing intergovernmental recognition and support towards a sustainable future

Advocacy is a key part of meeting the full commercialisation potential of groundbreaking innovations. The primary aim here is to support businesses in intangible ways that are neither applications for money nor securing of customers, whatever is needed to help the product fly.

A huge part of Advocacy and what we do for RedCAT companies is literally ‘advocating’ – aka showing local and national government officials, plus elected members, the importance of individual firms, their impressive technologies, and those of the whole sector, in terms of the inward investment and the job opportunities low carbon innovations can bring to Lancashire and the UK in general.

May it be by raising their case directly with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, re the importance of their sector and supply chain to the UK, or helping them to build a case with their international paymasters for global investment to land HERE – our aim is to drive the success of our RedCAT firms on a global stage.

A case in point – Government conversations

At one recent No 11 meeting, we were able to stress on a one-to-one basis with the chancellor of the day the importance to the UK of one innovator’s particular sector and supply chain. This in turn helped that Chancellor to make a successful case to the international customer about where their manufacturing plant should land – in the UK or overseas. And the UK won.

We can make the same case to incumbent Prime Ministers and MPs keen to bring new businesses to our area. In this way, we have brought ministers into businesses and businesses to Downing Street.
Our team has been able to make the same strong case at a Lancashire level with council leaders.

Another example of Advocacy has been helping innovators to build a strong case with their international paymasters to show why global green-tech investment should land HERE in the UK. We exist to drive the success of our RedCAT firms on a global stage!

RedCAT to the world – Building trusted relationships is about personal contacts…

One of our key annual Advocacy actions is the taking a trade mission of RedCAT green-tech companies to the annual international COP climate conference. This 2024 visit gave our delegates opportunities to meet prospective global customers, present their individual cases to and influence government officials, and pitch to international investors.

As a result, on our trip to COP29 we forged partnerships for RedCAT as the go-to link for low carbon investments with two Azerbaijan investment firms – and one of our delegates signed a £10 million MOU to develop a new carbon capture utilisation and storage technology.

But there have been other trips. One was taking a cohort of companies on a successful visit to the 2023 UN Procurement Summit. Just like COP29, this kind of in person contact is vital.

It is often an ad hoc conversation with a DESNZ director general, or an unexpected private meeting with an inward investment firm that bring the biggest benefits. This cannot be done online.