econext‘s 2025 Conference will be taking place October 9, 2025 at the Delta Hotel St. John’s. Stay tuned for more information.
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.
Join us online on Thursday November 28, 2024 at 09:00 AM NST to learn valuable tips and tricks to ace your next job interview in the clean growth sector.
Interviews play a crucial role in the job application process, providing an opportunity to demonstrate your potential beyond what’s listed on your resumé. Mastering interview skills is just as vital as your ability to perform the job itself, as it helps persuade employers that you are the ideal candidate long before you can complete your first project. In this online session, we will cover how to effectively highlight your skills and experience, respond to questions with confidence, and leave a memorable impression on potential employers, ensuring you stand out among other candidates.
Whether you’re on the hunt for a new role or simply aiming to refresh your interview techniques, this is a free opportunity you won’t want to miss. Register today before all spots are taken!
WHEN: Thursday, November 28, 2024 @ 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM NST
WHERE: Online
COST: Free!
For Immediate Release
October 30, 2024
St. John’s, NL – Today at the econext 2024 Conference, econext and Foresight Canada have announced the Clean Energy Innovation Challenge.
The Clean Energy Innovation Challenge invites innovators to propose solutions that reduce the monitoring and maintenance costs for clean energy infrastructure through the application of digital, remote, and/or autonomous technologies—while improving environmental sustainability.
“The clean energy opportunity in front of Newfoundland and Labrador is tremendous,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “From major wind-to-hydrogen projects to the growth of our domestic electricity grid, we are on the verge of significant green economic growth in our province.”
More information on the province’s emerging clean energy industry can be found here. Hanley said that improving the economics of future projects and minimizing their environmental impacts will be important for their success. New ideas and approaches will be important in helping Newfoundland and Labrador reach its clean energy potential.
Staying competitive and profitable in today’s rapidly evolving market requires continuous innovation. It’s also key to meeting net zero targets. Foresight’s Innovation Challenge program connects industries with tailored cleantech solutions that address sustainability and operational challenges. By offering a de-risked and cost-efficient process for sourcing, testing, and validating solutions, Foresight enables industry leaders to achieve their sustainability goals and drive impactful change with cutting-edge innovations.
“We are honoured to collaborate with econext on this challenge, deepening our connection with the Atlantic provinces. Clean energy infrastructure is a critical gateway to decarbonization, and by linking the right innovations, we can deliver turn-key, high-impact solutions that can be deployed swiftly—driving sustainability and economic growth across Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.”
Jeanette Jackson, CEO, Foresight Canada
A total of $50,000 in cash prizes in addition to a series of supports will be made available to competition winners to help them advance their proposed concepts. “This is a significant opportunity for innovators to get their ideas in front of industry and draw interest to their technologies.”
Industry partners supporting the challenge include ABO Energy, EverWind Fuels, North Atlantic, Pattern Energy, World Energy GH2, Newfoundland Power, and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.
The Challenge has been made possible through support from RBC and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). Details, including submissions guidelines and deadlines, will be announced soon.
econext is a not-for-profit association with a mission to accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador by: (1) stimulating research, development, and innovation; (2) preparing its workforce for a greening economy; and (3) acting as a catalyst for climate change action within its industries, businesses, and communities.
econext has been working for over 30 years on behalf of its members across many sectors to support environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
Foresight Canada helps the world do more with less, sustainably. As Canada’s largest cleantech innovation and adoption accelerator, they connect public and private sectors to the world’s best clean technologies, de-risking and simplifying the adoption of innovative solutions that improve productivity, profitability, and economic competitiveness, all while addressing today’s most urgent climate challenges.
Join us on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 1:00 PM at 235 Water St (2nd Floor) for an engaging session on how to spruce up your resumé and cover letter. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to advance your career, this in-person event will equip you with essential tips, tricks, and strategies to make your resumé materials stand out to employers.
Please note that space is limited, so be sure to secure your spot early. For any questions or additional information, feel free to contact Jenny Mallard at jenny@econext.ca. Don’t miss this chance to take your career to the next level with our Clean Careers events!
WHEN: Tuesday, September 10, 2024 @ 1:00 pm – 3:30 PM NDT
WHERE: econext Office – 235 Water Street, Suite 200 (No Picnik Space on 2nd Floor)
COST: $5 + tax & fees
The Clean Energy Initiative is a collaborative project led by econext – in partnership with College of the North Atlantic, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Trades NL – to prepare Newfoundland and Labrador’s workforce to support and succeed within the province’s emerging clean energy industry.
The Clean Energy Initiative is guided by a steering committee which includes broad representation from governments, post-secondary institutions, trades, Indigenous groups, and industry.
The project has five components which are being pursued in tandem.
econext is undertaking comprehensive research to identify the jobs and skills that will be required in Newfoundland and Labrador to support wind energy, hydrogen, and other clean fuel projects, as well as electricity grid investments. This analysis will compare the projected workforce needs over the next 10-15 years, in terms of both quantity and qualifications, with the current resources available in the region. The results from this analysis will support industry’s workforce attraction and retention strategies including upskilling and training initiatives.
Building on the findings from the workforce capacity analysis, econext is developing a comprehensive attraction and retention strategy to ensure that the workforce is available (and ready) to support clean energy developments in NL.
In collaboration with partners, econext is defining and developing targeted upskilling programs based on the workforce capacity analysis to prepare the local workforce for emerging opportunities in the clean energy sector.
Based on the results from the workforce capacity analysis, econext is working with post-secondary education partners to explore enhancements or additions to program curriculum to ensure that NL’s workforce is equipped to meet future demands.
Leveraging insights from these initiatives, econext will lead an education and awareness campaign to encourage the workforce to participate in Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean energy industry.
Embrace the Future of Clean Growth! econext is thrilled to announce it’s third ideathon, paving the way for innovative solutions that will drive sustainable progress in Newfoundland and Labrador. This time, we are bringing the ideathon back to the MUN St. John’s Campus! The weekend-long event, open to all MUN students, will be taking place in-person September 20-22, 2024.
Check out our photo album from this event.
Challenge: Utilizing Newfoundland and Labrador’s organic waste to create clean energy opportunities.
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 specific challenge, relating to clean growth, will be released at the beginning of the weekend where we will provide you with all the necessary information needed to participate.
Teams will consist of 3-5 students.
Click here for the opening ceremonies slideshow.
Click here for the prompt presentation.
Click here for the judging rubric.
Learn more about our previous ideathons here: September 2023 | March 2024
This is a multi-disciplinary event and we welcome any student from Memorial University to participate. If you are interested in clean growth, we encourage you to join us! Please note that this event takes place at St. John’s campus, and transportation and accommodations will NOT be provided.
The ideathon will take place at the Core Science Facility at Memorial University’s St. John’s Campus over a 48-hour period from September 20-22, 2024. Locations and times are available in the schedule below.
We encourage students to stay on campus while working to take part in workshops and activities and to benefit from mentors.
Registration is individual, but you will be required to work on teams of 3-5 students. Submission of teams will take place on the evening of Friday September 20. If you have already established a team, you will be required to submit your teams then. If you haven’t already established a team, there will be opportunity throughout the evening to network to form teams. We will assist in matching individuals to teams as needed.
Registration has now closed. Click here to view the registration page.
Our ideathon is a weekend-long event, beginning on Friday, September 20 at 5pm and ending on Sunday, September 22 at 5pm.
(Schedule is subject to potential changes)
View the mentor’s schedule here.
Click here for a highlight of our judges.
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.
This event is now full. Please contact jenny@econext.ca to be added to the waitlist.
Are you a job-seeker who is ready to take your personal brand to the next level?
You’re invited to econext’s Clean Careers: Power-up Your Personal Brand event! Join us on Thu Aug 15 2024 at 9:00 AM at 235 Water St. (Second Floor) for a morning filled with valuable insights on creating and enhancing a personal brand. This session will include many interactive exercises that will help you learn how to stand out in a competitive job market.
WHEN: Thursday August 15, 2024 @ 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM NDT
WHERE: econext Office – 235 Water Street, Suite 200 (No Picnik Space on 2nd Floor)
COST: Free!
econext, in collaboration with the Sheep Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador (SPANL), facilitated a workshop February 9, 2024, in Clarenville. In addition to the SPANL board and econext staff members, representatives from Heritage NL, NL Craft Council, NL Federation of Co-Operatives, Go Western Tourism, and the Department of Fisheries Forestry and Agriculture attended. The workshops focused on the barriers to utilizing wool in the province, which otherwise was being landfilled or burnt, and explored opportunities. Three opportunities have arisen from this workshop which continue to be pursued:
econext feels that the lessons learned from this pilot initiative have the potential to be applied in other aspects of agriculture in NL.
Newfoundland and Labrador has a small population spread across vast areas of land. Its communities and industries are often found in rural and sometimes even remote areas. These circumstances make the provision of waste management services challenging. Processes and technologies that are proven elsewhere often are uneconomic in the NL context due to smaller scales of activity and volumes of waste.
Organics represent roughly a third of the province’s waste. While much of this material is sent to landfills, in many cases that organic waste has value. This project ran from 2022-24 and focused on exploring new uses for industrial organic waste streams, with objectives to: improve environmental outcomes via reduced landfilling; increase productivity for businesses by reducing their wastes; and create new business opportunities in NL where new value from waste can be achieved.
The project aimed to accelerate value from waste innovation in NL through strategic research, firm-level interventions, and sector-level initiatives.
Efforts to develop effective waste-to-value initiatives and enterprises for organics in NL have struggled to gain traction or become sustainable. Given the growing interest among multiple groups in pursuing these opportunities, econext partnered with The Harris Centre to engage in a cross-sectoral dialogue on the opportunities, challenges, strategies and policy implications for advancing the development of organic “waste-to-value” approaches and enterprises in the province. The forum was held on April 22, 2022 and informed in part by the research identified above. Other event partners included the NL Forestry Industry Association (NLFIA), the NL Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA), the NL Federation of Agriculture (NLFA), the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI), and the Association of Seafood Producers.
Informed by the strategic research and forum, through the life of the project econext worked directly with over 24 SMEs and organizations in NL to help them identify value from waste opportunities, refine ideas and concepts, and develop project proposals to attract partners and funding. Some of the projects which econext helped to shape have advanced from concept to implementation, resulting in real waste management challenges being solved through local innovation.
Research was undertaken to identify industrial organic waste research, development, and innovation opportunities in forestry, aquaculture, fisheries, and agriculture on an Atlantic Canadian basis.
Through the life of the project, econext experimented with different approaches to support and stimulate value from waste initiatives in NL. These included:
Forthcoming.
