Turning Organic Waste into Clean Energy: UltraClean Grant Case Study
Grantify helped UltraClean secure £436,000 through Innovate UK’s Smart Grant. Discover how UltraClean is creating scalable energy solutions for a greener future.
UltraClean’s system is set to reduce carbon emissions by more than 90% compared to incineration. The company was awarded £436,000 in funding through Innovate UK’s Smart Grant scheme, supporting further development of its system and bringing UltraClean one step closer to its mission of creating a cleaner, more sustainable planet.
Company
UltraClean
Industry
Energy
Service
Innovate UK Smart Grant
Quick Summary
£436,000
Secured in non-dilutive funding
Challenge
Existing solutions to turning organic waste into clean energy involve burning, polluting, and compromising on food security.
- Growing mountain of organic waste going unused
- Mixed-source organic waste is difficult to convert into clean energy
- Existing solutions are slow to deploy and scale
Solution
UltraClean is developing scalable, cutting-edge technology to harness renewable energy sources and optimise waste conversion.
- Produces no toxic digestate
- Avoids land spreading
- Prevents plastic contamination in the food chain
Impact
With the help of the Smart Grant, UltraClean is able to transition from lab-scale validation to real-world engineering design.
- Accelerate prototyping and get closer to deploying its first live commercial unit
- Deepen collaborations with scientists and engineers
- Strengthen investor confidence
- Breakthrough clean energy innovation
UltraClean is a green energy innovation company that is tackling one of the most urgent challenges of our time: how to turn the growing mountain of organic waste into clean, scalable energy — without burning, polluting, or compromising food security.
UltraClean’s technology uses a proprietary system to convert difficult, mixed-source organic waste into high-yield bioethanol and other forms of clean energy. Unlike many existing solutions, it does not rely on monocrops or emit pollutants. Its modular system is fast to deploy, commercially viable, and scalable from local to global levels.
UltraClean’s wider mission is to help create a cleaner, more sustainable planet and contribute to the jigsaw of solutions needed to solve global warming.
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UltraClean is pioneering scalable, cutting-edge technology to harness renewable energy and optimise waste conversion, but securing funding was crucial to advancing this mission.
Before working with Grantify, UltraClean faced several hurdles in applying for the Innovate UK Smart Grant. The application process was highly competitive, requiring a clear, well-structured proposal that effectively demonstrated both the innovation and impact of UltraClean’s system.
With tight timelines and limited internal resources, the team struggled to balance the demands of preparing a winning application while continuing development work. The complexity of the grant process, from structuring technical details to aligning with funding criteria, made it clear that expert guidance was needed to maximise their chances of success.
Grantify: Simplifying the Grant Application Process
Tailored Application Strategy
Identified the best grant opportunities for the project
Developed a structured technical innovation story
Built a compelling business case
Expert support
Provided a dedicated grant specialist
Offered technical writing assistance
Guided detailed budget preparation
Tailored Application Strategy
Established a clear application timeline
Conducted regular progress reviews
Performed quality assurance checks
“Before working with Grantify, we were facing several challenges — tight timelines, limited internal bandwidth, and the sheer complexity of crafting a winning grant application that did justice to the scale of our innovation.
“We chose Grantify because we needed a specialist partner who could cut through the bureaucracy and help us translate our ambitious vision into the language and structure required by the grant process. Grantify brought clarity, structure, and expert support when we needed it most.”
Grantify provided UltraClean with the expertise and structured approach needed to navigate the application process efficiently. The Grantify platform and support team helped transform UltraClean’s vision into a compelling, well-articulated grant submission. By streamlining the process and offering step-by-step guidance, Grantify enabled UltraClean’s team to stay focused on their core mission while significantly improving the quality of the application.
UltraClean was awarded £436,000 through the Innovate UK Smart Grant scheme, securing vital funding to advance development. Beyond the financial support, winning the grant provided critical third-party validation, increased credibility, attracted investor interest, and raised UltraClean’s profile in the sustainable technology sector.
- Its system reduces carbon emissions by more than 90% compared to incineration.
- Deploys modular units 3 to 4 times faster than typical green infrastructure projects.
- Produces significantly higher yields of bioethanol than traditional waste-to-energy systems.
“Our experience with Grantify was excellent. Grantify’s platform and support team guided us step-by-step through an otherwise daunting process. What stood out most was the combination of structured, user-friendly guidance and real expert insight. Grantify didn’t just help us submit a form — it helped us tell our story in a way that resonated with the evaluators. That made a huge difference.”
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