For Immediate Release
February 15, 2017

ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is announcing a clean technology research matching event as part of Innovation Week – May 8 – 12, 2017. The Innovation Connector will match clean technology research across multiple sectors of the province’s economy with market opportunities and business needs.

“From an economic growth and diversification perspective, the notion of ‘innovation’ is critical,” says Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “Innovation, whether it be in the development of a new product or the implementation of a new internal process, plays an important role in improving the productivity and competitiveness of a business.”

The Innovation Connector will feature the latest in clean technology research from the province’s university and colleges, and explore the environmental and efficiency challenges private sector businesses are facing. “The objective is to match the expertise of our researchers with the needs of industry,” says Hanley. “These interactions, which do not happen naturally, can lead to innovative outcomes which can in turn create job growth and economic opportunities for our province.”

Hanley notes that the province has not historically been strong in the area of innovation. “Internationally, Canada regularly scores low on established measures of innovation, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s indicators are at the bottom of the pack when compared to its provincial counterparts.” Hanley says research matching events like the Innovation Connector help create the networks, relationships, and business cultures that are necessary to drive innovation.

“A primary focus of NEIA is to help build the capacity of its membership to engage in innovative activities,” Hanley says. He notes that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is currently developing a new ‘business innovation agenda’ to support industry in this regard. “NEIA will continue to work closely with its partners to help enable and support innovation for its members, and is looking forward to a new provincial framework.”

NEIA is welcoming expressions of interest from both academia and business to participate as presenters at the Innovation Connector.

NEIA’s Innovation Connector is taking place May 8, 2017 at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s. More information on the event can be found on its website at www.InnovationConnector.ca. The event is part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Innovation Week, a province-wide celebration focusing on furthering growth and developing new opportunities in sectors that include information technology, ocean technology, oil and gas and the green economy. More information on Innovation Week can be found on its website at http://www.innovationweek.ca/.

NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the growth and development of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.

Contact:
Kieran Hanley
Executive Director
kieran@neia.org

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