Fostering cleantech collaboration between Europe and British Columbia
June 08, 2020
In partnership with Foresight Cleantech Accelerator, the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Vancouver organized a successful virtual roundtable to foster collaboration in clean technology between Europe and British Columbia (BC). BC has emerged as cleantech leader in Canada and is steadily growing its global reputation as strategic partner in cleantech innovation.
Representing the Netherlands, Fred van Beuningen, Holland Circular Hotspot Board member and Director of Cleantech Delta, showcased key themes of CCUS and circular economy and pitched several ideas to support partnerships and growth in both BC and the Netherlands. This event was a first-of-its-kind and will be followed-up by virtual discussions on key themes including hydrogen & fuel cell development and CCUS.
Find the report of the event, published by Foresight here!
If you are a cleantech company interested in opportunities in BC, please get in touch with the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Vancouver at van-ez@minbuza.nl.
Key findings
- The impact of COVID-19 has put a halt to some traditional methods of trade and investment work, such as trade missions. This virtual roundtable was a first-of-its-kind. This sets a precedent for how activities can be organized in the near-term as we collectively navigate the public health crisis.
- Interest in supporting clean technology trade and investment opportunities is high given the backdrop of various ambitious targets set by respective countries, the European Green Deal and BC’s CleanBC plan.
- The European Consulates and Cluster network have only become recently aware of the broader clean technology opportunities in BC. Meetings like this one promote the visibility of the cleantech cluster in BC.
- Based on the presentations, it was clear that there are four themes of technology areas where there is high interest: hydrogen/fuel cells, alternative fuel and power management, CCUS and circular economy.
- The EU Delegation to Canada put forth the possibility of organizing a workshop in Western Canada for cleantech companies to highlight CETA and other mechanisms. They have previously completed this exercise in Montreal.
- There is huge potential for cleantech trade and investment activities between Canada and European countries.