[PETERBOROUGH] An international partnership for water and environmental technology has been formally launched in Peterborough today on the United Nations’ World Water Day. The Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster (GPIC) and the Regional Development Agency East Netherlands (Oost NV) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on trans-Atlantic research and business development opportunities and to ultimately advance the progress being made in this field.The establishment of the memorandum has been funded through the Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP) with the support of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and was facilitated by Erik Duijsens of Innovation Gateway North America. The MOU represents an agreement between the two corporations to develop a structured and multiyear collaboration between the Cluster and Oost NV which will allow them to collaborate on three levels; business-to-business, business-to-science, policies and strategies on regional developments.
“We are very pleased to see the formalization of this partnership,” Arie Plieger, Deputy Consul-General, Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. “Advancements in the areas of water quality and environmental research and the business development opportunities related will have global effects. Working with the right partners across the world is an important step in the progress of this research.”
“Today’s announcement is a prime example of the type of work that the Innovation Cluster has been designed to do,” said Bill Lockington, Chair of the GPIC. “This partnership will develop into advanced research and the commercialization of ideas which in turn creates a better standard of living. In this case, the effects may be seen on a global scale.”
“We’re excited about the possibilities that this partnership will open up to the companies in East Netherlands,” stated Karin van Willigen, Oost NV CEO. “We feel that the research being done at Trent University is a perfect fit for their needs and we are investigating the best ways to turn the research into profits.”
To date, the funding has supported a number of activities that have led to the establishment of the MOU including:• Dutch companies visiting Peterborough in the Spring of 2010 to investigate possible research and business partnerships with researchers at Trent University• Fleming College students working with two Dutch companies on market research and penetration studies• and the visit that is currently underway to forge new relationships
As the international partnership evolves, the corporations hire a joint summer intern to map specific opportunities for collaboration in both Canada and the Netherlands.
Development Agency East Netherlands is a regional business development and investment agency with years of experience in helping foreign companies setting up European activities in the eastern region of the Netherlands (the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel). Their services cover four areas: Regional Development & Innovations, Business Environment, Foreign Investment and Venture Capital.
The Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster is a not-for-profit corporation with a mission to facilitate and advance life sciences, environmental, DNA and other innovative research in the Peterborough region. The Cluster’s mandate is to facilitate an environment in which wealth can be generated, new jobs created and an improved quality of life achieved for area residents.
