With clean technology companies stepping up to meet the growing demand for green, low carbon solutions, the Cleantech Innovation Portal, a joint initiative between Cleantech Commons at Trent University and Urban Living Futures (ULF), continues to flourish.

“We currently have 60 innovators listed on the portal,” says Martin Yuill, executive director of Cleantech Commons. “Our goal is to continue to grow this valuable network, and I encourage Trent-based entrepreneurs, interested in bringing their ideas to market, to take advantage of this resource.”

The Cleantech Innovation Portal, which leverages ULF’s UPPlift platform, is aimed at connecting cleantech innovators with commercial developers, city and municipal authorities, infrastructure and other investors and program funders to create opportunities for growth, scaling, funding, and commercial success.

Leveraging Ontario’s strengths in clean technology innovation

“With a strong innovation ecosystem, it is no surprise that Ontario leads Canada in cleantech innovation,” says Mr. Yuill. “As a university-affiliated hub for research, industry-academic collaboration, and student entrepreneurship and experiential learning, our cleantech research park is creating a place to drive collaboration, discovery and innovation for a greener world.”

Invest Ontario recently found that the province’s clean technology sector contributes $25.4 billion to GDP and employs 134,000 people.

“Through Cleantech Commons and our Cleantech Innovation Portal initiative, we aim to build on this success by incubating, accelerating, and commercializing new world-changing innovations that will address some of the greatest challenges relating to clean energy transition,” says Mr. Yuill, adding the strong early buy-in to the Cleantech Innovation Portal shows that emerging cleantech ventures and innovators need support to accelerate commercial success and reach market-ready maturity.

“While we know that there is significant opportunity in the cleantech market globally, it is also a sector in which it is really difficult to launch and grow a new venture,” says Yuill.

Building a connected clean and green technology community

"The Innovation Portal brings us a step closer to our goal of building a connected community of clean and green technology innovation in our region and is one of the many resources our future tenants will have access to at Cleantech Commons.”

Other value-add services available to future Cleantech Commons tenants will include access to specialized facilities, business and professional services, mentorship, cleantech programming, experiential learning opportunities for students, co-working spaces for aspiring student entrepreneurs, and commercialization coaching for researchers.

Learn more about Cleantech Commons at Trent University.