Innovate to accumulate : the Government's approach to low carbon innovation, second report of session 2014-15, report, together with formal minutes relating to the report

This report scrutinises the Government's performance in supporting firms developing new products for the GBP3.4 trillion international low carbon good and environmental services sector - following up on a National Audit Office report that had been critical of the Department for Energy and Climate Change's (DECC) record in 2010.

There has not been enough progress since then and the resources allocated by the Government to support companies do not match its level of policy ambition in this area.

The Low Carbon Innovation Co-ordination Group (LCICG) Secretariat in DECC, for instance, is poorly resourced leaving the low carbon innovation sector without sufficient support necessary to bridge the so-called 'valley of death' and bring innovative new products to market.

DECC has admitted that this lack of staff resource also prevents it from engaging fully on European issues that are of direct relevance to UK innovators.

At a global level DECC and the LCICG could do more to help UK innovators benefit more from their intellectual property internationally, to help to build greater confidence for potential investors to support innovation in low carbon technologies. The Government is also not doing enough to influence the EU on product standards which can make or break the market for UK innovation exports.