Funding expansion

A low-energy installation business in

has achieved a seven-figure turnover after receiving £121,000 in funding from the East Midlands Development Agency (

).

Based in Keyworth, 4energy provides environmentally friendly cooling devices for use on equipment in telecommunication networks and data centres. The Grant for Research and Development (GRD) has helped the company develop a system with no moving parts to cool back-up batteries.

The company expects to grow fourfold in 2009 and hopes to add to its existing 32 employees over the next 18 months. Following completion of the project, 4energy claims that it has secured contracts with multinational mobile phone operators, transport networks and power companies.

Pat Tindale, managing director of 4energy, said: ‘Trying to look at how we can cool electronic equipment in new ways is what we are about. The GRD grant we received from emda enabled us to up the pace of our development and expand into new markets when we were a young, vulnerable business.’

Trials for the new system are currently underway in Egypt, India and South Africa. John O’Reilly, emda’s business support director, said: ‘Research and development is vital to a company’s long-term success. GRD makes it more affordable for many businesses in the East Midlands, allowing them to cost-effectively develop innovative products and stay ahead of the competition. I am delighted that through this scheme we are able to support businesses in the region to become and continue to be market leaders.’