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Month: July 2023
econext ideathon | September 22-24, 2023
This event took place September 22-24, 2023. Click here to read the news release which summarizes the event and highlights the winning teams!
Registration is now open for the first econext clean growth ideathon!
Challenge – How can we reduce the peak demand for electricity in Newfoundland and Labrador?
View the econext opening ceremony slideshow here to learn about the event logistics.
View the NL Power/Take Charge slideshow here to learn more about the challenge.
View the Key Green Economy Concepts presentation here.
View the mentor’s schedule here.
What is an ideathon?
Ideathons are competitive events in which students work together in teams over a short timeframe to come up with solutions to a set challenge. Our ideathons are a space to develop innovative solutions for clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The prompt will be released at the beginning of the weekend and we will provide you with all the necessary information needed to complete the challenge.
Who can participate?
This is a multi-disciplinary event and we welcome any undergraduate student from Memorial University to participate. If you are interested in clean growth, we encourage you to join us!
When and where?
The ideathon will take place in the MUN Core Science Facility over a 48-hour period from September 22-24, 2023. Find the full event schedule below.
Most of the event will occur in the Core Science building in the whale atrium and the multi-purpose room. Students are responsible for finding their own places to work; however, there is a working area in the Core Science building. We encourage students to stay on campus while working to take part in workshops and activities and to benefit from mentors.
Why should you participate?
- We will be awarding cash prizes to the top three teams: $3,000 for 1st Place, $2,000 for 2nd Place, and $1,000 for 3rd Place! PLUS more non-tangible prizes.
- Network with people in the industry as well as your peers
- Workshop opportunities
- Learn about the clean growth industry
- Team building
- You will be provided with free meals, snacks, and swag
- Group activities
- Have some fun!
How to register?
Register using our Eventbrite.
Sign up solo or in teams of three-to-five students. We encourage students to register as teams where possible; however, we will try our best to match individual registrants to a team. There will also be an opportunity on the first evening to network to form teams. Final submission of teams will take place on the evening of Friday September 22.
Deadline to register is September 20, 2023.
Registration is completely free!
What is the schedule?
Our ideathon is a 48-hour event, beginning on Friday, September 22 at 5pm and ending on Sunday, September 24 at 5:30pm.
Our Partners
1ST PLACE PRIZE
2ND PLACE PRIZE
3RD PLACE PRIZE
OPENING CEREMONIES
MEAL SPONSOR
PARTNER
Have questions?
Reach out to Alex Rumbolt at alex@econext.ca or Chelsea Linfield at chelsea@econext.ca
Stay tuned for more information! We will be updating this page in the coming weeks as the ideathon approaches.
The econext Ideathon was made possible through partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, and with support from the Government of Canada.
econext 2023 conference | October 26, 2023
econext‘s Annual Conference is Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier green economy event, attracting leaders in business, government, academia, and the community.
Join us on October 26, 2023 in St. John’s, NL to hear about the latest developments in the province from decision makers and thought leaders relating to clean energy, green innovation, ongoing environmental challenges, and the pursuit of net zero.
Stay tuned to this website for more information on the conference as it becomes available.
Conference Agenda
Click here to download the conference agenda as a PDF.
Welcome Address
Session 1: Clean Energy – What’s Next
2023 has been a banner year for the growth of Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean energy industry, and the momentum is continuing to build. With decisions made on which proposed wind-to-hydrogen projects will have the opportunity to advance in the province, this session focuses on highlighting the next steps for industry, academia, and governments as they continue to advance and support clean energy growth.
Session 2: Achieving Net Zero by 2050
Newfoundland and Labrador has made a commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. As efforts are ramping up to decarbonize the economy and better understand our environmental impacts, we are starting to get a clearer idea about what the pursuit of net zero will mean for our province. This session will focus on some of the biggest challenges we must face and opportunities we should embrace.
Session 3: Continuing Environmental Challenges
While major ‘green’ industrial opportunities are crystallizing, Newfoundland and Labrador continues to face a number of challenges domestically that need to be addressed. From wastewater, to waste management, to climate change adaptation – we have much work to do. This session will explore and define these challenges – while highlighting interesting and innovative approaches to addressing them.
Session 4: Leading Green Economy Innovation
Newfoundland and Labrador has the opportunity before it to position itself as a leader in clean growth research, development, and innovation. This session will identify a series of green economy topics of particular relevance and importance to the province, explore why their pursuit from an R&D perspective is important, and discuss how they can best be approached.
Rapid Fire Presentations
Throughout the conference, attendees will hear from innovators, entrepreneurs, and startups on their ideas that can help solve environmental challenges and grow Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy. Interested in presenting? Respond to our Request for Expressions of Interest.
Registration
Date:
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Time:
8:15 AM – 5:00 PM
Location:
Delta St. John’s, 120 New Gower Street
Tickets:
econext Members: $199 + HST
non-Members: $249 +HST
online-only: $90 +HST
Online processing fees from Eventbrite will be added to your total.
Your ticket will include a continental breakfast and lunch.
Online-only registrants will receive a Zoom link to participate in the conference live.
Information on tickets being made available to students will be released closer to the conference date.
Partnership
Are you interested in partnering with us on our conference? Click here for details and contact Colin Heffernan at heffernan@econext.ca with your interest.
CEO Message – July 11, 2023
As we enter into the thick of Summer, it is worthwhile reflecting on the enormous activity that we have seen in Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean energy industry over the past month and a half.
There is a competitive process underway to access crown land for the purpose of wind energy development, and some of the interested players have recently made some big moves.
On June 1st, World Energy GH2 announced that it had successfully closed the acquisition of the Port of Stephenville. Managing Director and CEO Sean Leet said that “the Port of Stephenville is the cornerstone of our project and will position the Bay St. George area as a green energy hub.” This announcement was just days after the company announced a large investment from SK ecoplant into their Project Nujio’qonik which aims to produce green hydrogen in 2025.
On June 5th, the Port of Argentia, Pattern Energy, & Argentia Capital announced that they have reached an agreement on a planned renewable energy to green fuels project at the port. The port’s CEO Scott Penney said that “Pattern Energy is taking a Lease Option on some 6,000 acres of industrial and forest lands owned by the Port. Should it exercise its Option and proceed with the Project, it will construct a 300-megawatt wind energy facility designed to power the production of Green Ammonia for export to global markets.”
These are just two of the bids received by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador from 19 companies on March 23. Exciting weeks and months are ahead for the clean energy industry as we learn which projects will have the opportunity to advance. And the world is watching. Proof of global interest on what is happening here in this province was evident again with a recent agreement signed between the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands to cooperate on green hydrogen opportunities.
Update: The first phase of the competition was announced as complete shortly after this piece was published, with the process now expected to be finished by August.
While much of the focus has been on land, not to be forgotten is the wealth of wind resources available for development in Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore. Amendments were moved forward in Canada’s House of Commons to put important enabling conditions in place to allow for investment into offshore wind in the province.
And flying under the radar were important changes introduced to the province’s Electricity Power Control Act (EPCA) which will allow for utilities and the regulator to consider the environment as a factor in their decision-making. This will mean that decisions are not made solely based on cost and reliability – important because the most environmentally sound solutions are not always the cheapest ones. Our grid is inching close to being 100% clean, and we need to protect and capitalize on this great advantage.
Oh yes, and the Department of Industry, Energy, and Technology announced the launch of its $100 million Green Transition Fund. Learn about it in our webinar next week.
This list barely scratches the surface of the activity underway, and this is only within the past couple of months! econext has been busy working on workforce development, R&D and innovation, and economic development initiatives related to clean energy in the province, and we’ll have a lot more to say about that in the coming months.
… and clean energy is just one of our key priority areas. Luckily our team is growing to meet the demands and help NL seize its green economy opportunities, and if you follow us on LinkedIn you’ll get to know them all in the days ahead.
Suffice it to say that there’s lots to chat about, and we hope you’ll join us at our Summer Social next week to do just that!
Sincerely,
// Kieran Hanley
CEO
RFP – Strategic Analysis: econext’s Caribbean International Business Development Interventions
econext, in partnership with ACOA and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, has been coordinating a Caribbean Market Development Program since 2014. As we approach the tenth year of supporting firms and organizations in their pursuit of business in the Caribbean region, econext is seeking consulting services to conduct a thorough program review.
The deadline for proposals is 4:00pm on July 20, 2023. Download the request for proposals (RFP) via the button below.
Webinar – Introduction to ESG Strategies and Tactics
econext is pleased to announce an informative webinar session introducing the fundamental concepts and strategies of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) for Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Newfoundland and Labrador.
This session, instructed by Dr. Tom Cooper, serves as a gateway to understanding the importance of ESG, exploring key tactics, and highlighting the potential benefits – and pitfalls – associated with them for your business. Through practical examples you will gain valuable insights and inspiration to help you embark on your ESG journey.
Date: July 19, 2023
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 NDT
Location: Online
Cost: FREE!
For more information on this event, please contact our Director of Workforce Development, Ogaga Johnson, via e-mail at ogaga@econext.ca.
Webinar: NL Green Transition Fund
On June 21, 2023 the Green Transition Fund was announced.
Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 from 11am-12pm as we welcome representatives from the Department of Industry, Energy, and Technology who will present on the particulars of the fund and answer questions from econext members.
Date: July 12, 2023
Time: 11h00 – 12h00 NST
Location: Online
Green Transition Fund program information and guidelines can be found here.
econext hosts research connector event to foster clean energy innovation in Newfoundland and Labrador
For Immediate Release
July 4, 2023
This June econext, in partnership with Memorial University’s Research Innovation Office (RIO), held an event that explored opportunities to connect industry needs with research expertise.
“One of econext‘s primary objectives is to stimulate clean growth innovation in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “One of the ways that we do this is by working with our members to understand their challenges and opportunities, and then engaging with local research institutions to see if we can find a match.”
The event featured a number of econext members presenting on their challenge or opportunity to an audience of pre-identified researchers at Memorial University. Researchers then presented on their areas of expertise and interest. “The next step is for us to do what we can to match-make and encourage collaborative research projects between industry and academia.”
Last week’s event had a thematic focus on ‘batteries’ – for storage, EV charging and even recycling. “Electrification and energy storage are concepts that are both key to our province’s net zero objectives and clean energy growth,” said Hanley. “This is an area where econext will be very active in acting as a catalyst for innovation in the province.”
“The team at RIO works to bring industry partners and Memorial researchers together to help solve real challenges in today’s world,” said Dr. Paula Mendonça, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Memorial University. “Through our ongoing partnership with econext, we are able to enhance awareness about the world-class expertise and facilities available at Memorial. We look forward to future conversations and support clean energy solutions in the region.”
econext is an association of businesses that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and works on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
RIO helps identify resources and facilitate connections to move ideas towards opportunities via industry connection, funding, IP support and programming. More information can be found at mun.ca/RIO.
