On Wednesday, November 2, at an award ceremony in Boston, the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announces that the i6 Green New England Partnership is receiving a $1.25 million federal grant as one of six national winners of the i6 Green Challenge. The i6 Green New England Partnership is led by the New England Clean Energy Foundation (NECEF) with Maine partners including the Maine Technology Institute (MTI), E2Tech, the Maine Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) and the University of Maine. I6 Green Challenge is an initiative to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in support of a green innovation economy and new jobs. The highly competitive grant solicitation plans to encourage regional, technology-led economic development through the support of innovative, groundbreaking ideas that accelerate technology commercialization, new venture formation and job creation in the green technology industry.
“New England has a remarkably rich energy innovation ecosystem,” said Peter Rothstein, President of NECEF. “Despite this foundation, currently no formal mechanism exists to link and coordinate innovation resources across all six states. This funding award allows us to create that mechanism.”
“Maine businesses are well-positioned to take advantage of the growing national demand for clean technology products and services,” noted George Gervais, Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development. “We have abundant natural assets, such as biomass waste from forest and agricultural production that Maine companies can use to generate heat and energy while lowering energy costs — and to create and retain jobs particularly in our rural areas. This economic development partnership across New England will bring funding, support and connections to Maine companies that will help them to grow.”
Betsy Biemann, President of the Maine Technology Institute, speaking at Wednesday’s ceremony on behalf of the Maine partners, noted the significance of the award to Maine’s innovation economy. “Maine is increasingly being recognized for its innovations and growth potential, both of which are critical to growing jobs in this economy. From Ocean Renewable Power Company, now recognized as an international leader in tidal power, to Cerahelix in Orono which is developing a nanofiltration membrane to meet the world’s growing need for increased access to clean, fresh drinking water, to the algae-intensive bio-fuel project at the Bigelow Laboratory. Maine’s clean tech innovators are playing, and will increasingly play, an important role in this emerging field.”
Harry Brown, Executive Director of the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine (E2Tech) emphasized the importance of this grant in connecting Maine entrepreneurs to both capital and networks.“ Maine is home to a host of clean tech entrepreneurs and innovators who all too often fall victim to the “Valley of Death” where innovations become cash-starved before reaching commercial viability. The iGreen New England Partnership aims to eliminate that gap between potential end-use customers and entrepreneurs by providing early market or end-user input to ensure that new technologies achieve meaningful proof of concept milestones and attract future customers and private capital by involving customers, innovators, policymakers and others in open dialogues to spur resource sharing, and providing early stage ventures with critical business mentoring and executive education services.”
In addition to the New England Clean Energy Foundation (NECEF) as the lead entity, the other project partners in New England include a steering committee made up of a representative from each of the New England state government supporters: The Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, the Maine Technology Institute, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund, and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Maine Technology Institute, and the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund have each committed matching funds to the proposal. The partnership includes 40+ supporters in total including in Maine E2Tech, the University of Maine, Maine Regional Redevelopment Authority and Cerahelix.
Maine companies interested in more information or becoming involved in the project should contact [email protected].
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