Programme overview 

Launched in January 2018, Tevi has quickly become one of CIoS most recognised and high impact enterprise support programmes. A Priority 6 ERDF–funded partnership programme, Tevi uses circular economy and environmental growth strategies to help businesses improve the resilience of their processes, increase productivity, and play their part in growing Cornwall’s unique natural environment. 

Tevi has directly supported 255 businesses and is on track to surpass its output targets. While this progress evidences Tevi’s success, there are many additional facets of the programme that extend its impact and demonstrate its broad appeal and relevance to CIoS.  

Tevi contribution to LIS opportunities at a glance 

Tevi, through its many workstreams, is helping to raise awareness of, and drive progress across, each of the 5 Distinctive Opportunities identified in the Local Industrial Strategy (LIS) for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (CIoS). The table below provides a snapshot of this alignment, while the case studies overleaf provide more detail.  

Tevi Workpackages

LIS Distinctive Opportunities 
Clean energy  Geo-resources  Data and space  Agri-food  Visitor economy 
Business assists 

10 

 3  14  73 

40 
Challenge networks 

1 

 1  0  2 

2 
Workshops and events 

12 

 15  11  21 

17 
Grant fund 

3 

 4  8  12 

16 
Environmental growth solutions 

130 Sensors & Lagas
(environmental intelligence hub) 
Circular economy solutions 

Circular Jobs Monitor & Circular Assessment Tool  

 

Tevi contribution to LIS opportunities in detail 

Clean energy resources 

To support Bennemann to establish commercial production of biomethane energy products from anaerobic digestion, Tevi granted £10k to fund a feasibility study . The study provides the business case for market entry uptake and is expected to drive growth through new product offerings. 

ZLC Energy, with Tevi’s support, is assessing the feasibility of using wasted power generation from wind & solar farms to power the production of hydrogen &/ or biomethane for use in transport or as heating fuel for off grid homes.  

Contributing to clean energy adoption, Tevi has established a Challenge Network to help inform, accelerate and optimise the installation of EV charging systems across the county, to prepare it for the estimated 36 million EVs that may be on the road by 2040. 

Geo resources  

Cornwall sits on a bedrock of granite home to lithium rich hot springs. Cornish Lithium aims to create a high-tech and environmental responsible mining industry using these metal deposits. To aid further low-impact exploration Tevi funded the purchase of a 3D geographic drone. 

Carrick Consulting are exploring the viability of using waste mine water to heat homes, simultaneously tackling fuel poverty and carbon emissions. To support this exploratory project, Tevi provided a £6k grant to enable further research to define mine water geothermal potential in Cornwall 

Home to Camborne School of Mines, as well as businesses such as Minviro and Cornish Lithium, Cornwall is  putting the SW on the map for geo resource exploration. To support this progress, and ensure future geo resource extraction is managed sustainably, Tevi convened a Challenge Network on this topic. This community has met 5 times, bringing 258 stakeholders together to share expertise and collaborate.  

Data and space 

Environmental intelligence is critical to understanding the natural world and planning informed strategies. To contribute to this Tevi is working to install 130 data sensors (25 resource monitoring sensors,35 wildlife cameras, and 80 low power communication gateways) across the County to gather and present data. 

Lagas (lagas.co.uk) is a new environmental intelligence hub launched by Tevi to give policy makers, businesses and residents access to maps, live streams and resources that support the Cornwall’s Environmental Growth Strategy. This unique asset aims to become a repository for natural capital information and management in the region. 

To support Cornwall’s space ambitions, Tevi has welcomed Spaceport Cornwall as a speaker to our events, working closely with its engagement team to help communicate the positive contribution that space can offer to understanding our natural environment, through satellite and GPS, for example.  

Agri-food 

Trelonk, a landowning business looking to boost resilience through diversification, was awarded £6k for a seed press to produce nutrient-dense oil for nutracuetical and cosmetic use. By recapturing nutrients the seed press provided the missing link between the primary production of oilseed and the retailing of end products, creating a new – closed loop –  product range.  

Tackling Cornwall’s food poverty issues by transforming farm gate surplus, Tevi has supported The HIVE as it scaled to produce 15,000 meals/wk.  To support its registered charity application Tevi modelled The HIVE’s positive carbon footprint contribution, and mapped food poverty to inform its expansion into new communities.  

Agriculture accounts for ~25% of GHGs, with 15% of this coming from losses in the supply chain and 9% from food being thrown away. Intensive agriculture practices are also recognised as the most significant contributor to biodiversity loss. The food value chain is leaky and ripe for redesigning, which is why Tevi has formed a Challenge Network on this topic, bringing together 443 collaborators over 10 sessions to share knowledge and inspire change.  

Visitor economy   

Porthcurno Telegraph Museum received £10k grant to create significant areas of wildflower meadow in their grounds, which are clearly visible to visitors (in excess of 400 000/yr) and will help raise awareness of the importance of rewilding areas. The project also contributed to the museum’s success in a national award. 

The iconic and low impact Kudhvas (‘hideout’ in Cornish) make a stay at Kudhva, a restored quarry in north Cornwall, a truly unique experience that nurtures visitor’s connection with nature. To expand their offer and make the Kudhvas accessible to more people, Tevi granted £9.6k to enable the prototype for a tent version of the Kudhva, made from reclaimed and sustainable materials.  

To help ensure Cornwall’s seas and land continue to be inviting for visitors, Tevi has run 17 events and workshops to demonstrate to  businesses the importance of protecting and growing a flourishing and accessible natural environment, while building on it as their USP.