WEST Midlands businesses and entrepreneurs are being urged to tap into the growth opportunities around bioenergy - forecast to generate in excess of £12 billion of new business in the UK in the next decade - following the launch of a new suite of "innovation services" from an Aston University research and business engagement team.

The European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI), whose specialists have been undertaking bioenergy research for more than 35 years, has already equipped more than 70 businesses in the region with the skills and knowledge to respond to opportunities around bioenergy through its European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) backed-programme.

It is now inviting interest for its free support services from micro-sized or SME (small and medium-sized) companies to leading multinationals.

The support is not limited to businesses currently specialising in bioenergy, for example, firms which develop energy from organic matter. In the past 18 months EBRI has worked with business leaders in construction, consultancy, engineering, financial services, investment and business development, land and property management, utilities and waste management, who are eager to build up their knowledge and take advantage of the complex yet growing market.

"The development and application of bioenergy technology has been identified as an acute priority for the West Midlands as the geographical constraints limit the region's potential to generate renewable energy from alternative technologies such as wind, marine and tidal power - addressing this issue head on is fast becoming a must for businesses and entrepreneurs in the region," said Tom Anderson, business development manager at EBRI.

"We want to transfer our specialist knowledge around bioenergy to businesses in the West Midlands, assisting and collaborating with them and making sure that the organisations are, firstly, aware of the vast potential of the bioenergy market regardless of their own sector and, secondly, that they are taking advantage of the commercial opportunities.

"Ultimately our goal is to support the commercialisation of emerging bioenergy technologies to stimulate growth in the region's manufacturing, power technologies and engineering sectors, leading to the development of an internationally-competitive bioenergy supply chain in the West Midlands."

For businesses and entrepreneurs with limited knowledge of bioenergy, EBRI is running a free bioenergy master class on November 19 and 20.

The introductory course is designed to help participants understand how to exploit the commercial opportunities around bioenergy, including accessing funding, and get to grips with core bioenergy technologies that are relevant to individual businesses.

More advanced - but also free - services are available to help businesses and entrepreneurs benefit from the required technical, regulatory and economic expertise.

Specific research and development services are gasification modelling, pyrolysis testing, biofuels analysis, biofuels upgrading and engine testing.

Project appraisals, planning advice, technical support and collaborative or contract research are also available. At the heart of EBRI's testing facilities is a Pyroformer, which generates cost-effective heat and power from multiple waste sources.

Businesses interested in working with EBRI should contact Mr Anderson on 0121 204 4961 or email bioenergy@aston.ac.uk