The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced a £1.6m clean tech incubator, which will seek to help more than 100 technology startups develop propositions to combat climate change.
Known as ‘Better Futures’, the incubator will seek to kick start the development of a clean tech cluster in London and foster the city’s prominence within the global technology sector post-Brexit.
As part of his announcement at London Tech Week’s official launch event, which took place today at digital innovation campus Here East, Khan also expressed his desire for London to become one of the leading smart cities in the world.
During his speech, Khan said: “As mayor of this great city – the best city in the world – it feels me with pride to see our tech sector thriving.
“New technologies are having an enormous impact on our way of life – reshaping our societies, our economies and our culture.
“My ambition is now to harness the new technologies that are being pioneered right here to transform London into the world’s leading smart city,” said the mayor.
He then went on to note that the potential for cutting-edge technology to tackle a host of social, economic and environmental challenges is immeasurable and as such, it should be harnessed.
“From air pollution and climate change to housing and transport, new technologies and data science will be at the heart of the long-term solutions to urban challenges,” Khan added.
The news comes after the mayor announced his first ‘very high’ air pollution alert in January. A few months later, Khan unveiled plans to introduce a daily charge for some of the city’s most polluting vehicles. As part of the proposals, more than 150,000 Londoners will have to pay to circulate within the North and South circulars from 2021.