March 12, 2024

Nonprofit startup incubators and other entrepreneur support organizations can encounter challenges with funding and financials. Many incubators wish to explore whether there may be additional sources of revenue that incubators can seek consistent with their nonprofit status. This webinar will reveal how nonprofit incubators can navigate rules governing 501(c)(3) organizations, and others, in generating various types of revenue.

Join Jonathan Klavens, Frans Wethly and Samantha Rothberg from Klavens Law Group, P.C. on April 4th from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm as they discuss how nonprofit incubators can navigate rules governing 501(c)(3) organizations in generating various types of revenue. The Klaven team provides legal services to a broad array of for-profit and nonprofit social enterprises, and advises nonprofit organizations on formation, corporate governance and transactional issues.

February 20, 2024

Twins International Multihelix is a global membership association of life science clusters, science, and technology parks with a shared vision to create an international life science "supercluster", addressing and solving societal challenges to improve health and wellbeing. Its partners express a common mission to collaborate internationally to prosper regionally.

On April 16th, ACTION Innovation Network members, along with other TIM partners, will take part in TIM's first Think Tank to discuss best practices on managing incubators and accelerators. Participants will share operational knowledge, unique programmatic activities, methods for revenue generation, corporate and academic partnership management, and new business relationship development.

The following organizations will participate:

• SmiLe Incubator @ Medicon Village (Lund, SE), Ulrika Ringdahl, Deputy CEO
• Sahlgrenska Science Park (Gothenburg, SE), Annica Lignell, Head of Business Development
• AstraZeneca BioVentureHub, (Gothenberg, SE), Magnus Björsne, CEO
• Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (Worcester, MA), Jon Weaver, President & CEO
• InnoVenture Labs (Beverly, MA), Chris Ilsley, President & CEO
• Mansfield Bio-Incubator (Mansfield, MA), Alex Margulis, Chief Operating Officer
• ACTION Innovation Network (Beverly, MA), Joan Popolo, Executive Director

We look forward to a productive information exchange and forging of new relationships!

January 22, 2024

Action Innovation Network and its partners, M2D2, Accelerated Healthcare Innovations, Kestrel Technology Consultants (UK), Inertia Product Development, and circularity experts are organizing a Medtech Sustainability Forum to bring together thought leaders in medtech/healthcare and climatetech/sustainablity.

Sustainability in medical device design is increasingly important for manufacturers, decision makers and end users. Not only are sustainable medical devices better for the environment and attractive to consumers, but they can also offer cost-saving benefits, investor attractiveness, and improved brand and competitive advantage. We look to corporate leadership to commit to more sustainable design and manufacturing of medical devices, and manage environmental impact. Sustainable and circular solutions can be key to addressing these issues.

Beyond medtech's core goal of improving health outcomes, preserving a healthy environment and building socially responsible value chains are essential for human wellness. THE FORUM WILL:

• Discuss what is currently taking place globally to address sustainable solutions in medtech/healthcare and review regulatory requirements
• Identify the challenges that limit medical device manufacturers to adopt more sustainable practices
• Focus on how moving sustainability into corporate strategy opens an opportunity to create products and programs, generating revenue for industry
• Present successful case studies that can be used as a model for other organizations
• Showcase scaleup companies providing deployable solutions to help advance sustainability goals

The program agenda, venue announcement, sponsorship opportunities and registration will be posted soon. Watch our website for updates, www.actionnewengland.org.

November 20, 2023

After 12 years with our business address at the UMass Dartmouth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Fall River, MA, ACTION Innovation Network has changed its address. InnoVenture Labs has provided a space agreement for ACTION at its incubator located at 100 Cummings Center in Beverly, MA.

This decision was made based on the following considerations:

1. InnoVenture Labs (formerly North Shore InnoVentures) was one of the founding members of ACTION,
2. The incubator supports a variety of industry sectors, ie. biotech, cleantech and bluetech,
3. The incubator is a certified soft landing site, which aligns well with the international programs we organize.

We are highly supportive of entrepreneurship and venture development on the South Coast and continue to follow the progress in Fall River and New Bedford. Thank you Fall River for the many years we called CIE home!

October 23, 2023

On September 28th, ACTION Innovation Network's technology incubator directors from across the Commonwealth met with MA Executive office of Economic Development Undersecretary Sarah Stanton for a discussion on the topic, MA Tech Incubators and Innovation Centers Making a Difference in Regional Economic Development. Thank you to Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives in Worcester, MA for hosting this event.

The meeting was arranged 1) to introduce and give visibility to incubators across all regions of the state, 2) to discuss how the work of the incubators accelerates new venture development and supports new tech clusters and 3) to reaffirm the important role that incubators play in helping to grow businesses that hire from and stay in the region, and contribute to economic growth across the Commonwealth.

According to an International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) report, after five years, businesses that were nurtured in a business incubator have a survival rate of 87%. By comparison, the survival rate for non-incubated companies is 44%. ACTION member incubators report that 84-88% of their technology companies are still in business after 5 years, and 95-100% stay in Massachusetts. Companies in the incubators participating in this event have raised a collective $4.152B There are 210 currently incubating companies and 297 graduates (not all reporting).

September 26, 2023

For the 2nd year, ACTION Innovation Network was chosen as the Boston partner for the Canadian Technology Accelerator's (CTA) climatetech program, organized by the Consulate of Canada in Boston. Eight climatetech companies that are ready to explore US market entry opportunities in Boston/New England were chosen for the program. The remote/in-person Boston program will run for two months during September and October where the companies will gain additional insight into the US market. CTA began with an overview of the New England Climatetech Ecosystem, followed by a Practice Pitch session with climatetech and bluetech investors. One-on-one meetings will be scheduled with potential government, commercial or industrial partners. The program will close with the companies attending the Climatetech Summit at Greentown Boston on November 2nd. We thank the Canadian Consulate of Canada in Boston for the opportunity to work with this terrific group of companies. The program goal is to make relevant connections leading to business opportunities in the greater Boston/New England region for Axine Water, Cascadia Seaweed, Climative, Edgecom Energy, Electro Carbon, Smart Cocoon, Solaires, and VoltSafe.

June 21, 2023

ACTION, in coordination with Sherbrooke Innopole, (Sherbrooke/Quebec, Canada), presented a joint webinar on their respective Pre/Soft Landing programs for international companies interested in expanding their presence in North America. Sherbrooke Innopole is the economic development organization for the industrial and high-value-added services sectors in Sherbrooke, with a mission to accelerate the development of companies from five key sectors, namely advanced manufacturing, cleantech, life sciences, micro-nanotechnologies, and information and quantum technologies. Both organizations have active programs that introduce international companies to their regions. As one of the world’s most attractive consumer markets, many foreign companies look to expand their business operations into the US, however may not be ready to take such a large step. Sherbrooke Inonpole's programs can be a stepping stone to the larger US market.

ACTION and Sherbrooke Innopole are members of Twins International Multihelix (TIM), an organization of life science and wellness/climatetech clusters globally, whose mission is to promote cross-border business activity and growth opportunities for scaling companies.

May 19, 2023

ACTION welcomes New Bedford Research & Robotics (NBRR) as its newest member! NBRR espouses "3 E's" - equitable innovation, education, and entrepreneurship space, that leverage creativity with technologies to support ethical outcomes with the application of frontier technologies while bridging economic, academic, and social sectors.

Organized over a little over 1 1/2 years ago, NBRR has been very active developing a thriving ecosystem through programs including small business incubation, industry R&D, research (both internal and university adjacent), STEM, and an artist in residency program to engage community.

March 13, 2023

We are happy to welcome Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC) as ACTION's newest member! Located in Pittsfield, in the heart of the beautiful Berkshires in western Massachusetts, the BIC is located at the Stanley Business Park, formerly the site of General Electric. The Berkshire Innovation Center serves as a catalyst to spark innovation and sustainable growth of technology-focused companies. This is done through programs that promote learning and enrich people in technology-led career paths and by providing research and innovation space for people and companies to explore new technologies, all while convening and connecting a community of like-minded people. The BIC supports local manufacturers, educational partners and fellow nonprofit organizations by providing access to state-of-the-art facilities and technologies.

February 10, 2023

It's February, which means ACTION Innovation Network's Membership Drive is underway! Do you know an organization that would benefit from membership? We invite non-profit and for-profit incubators, accelerators, co-working spaces and other entrepreneur support organizations, as well as service providers and international agencies to join our active and growing network. ACTION offers its incubator members a list of benefits, several of which include:

• Quarterly Incubator Insights calls with other incubator directors, sharing best practices and creating a forum for thought leadership where professionals can enhance their skills and network with others committed to advancing the industry along the highest professional standards.
• Access for members' startups to clinical suites and instrumentation at WPI's PracticePoint, under ACTION's Associate Partner membership
• No-cost software packages for startups, eg. Mathworks Matlab/Simulink and Altium
• New startup introductions, including participation in international Pre-Landing programs
• Shared resources among network members and access to directories for grant writers, lab instrumentation, testing facilities, and companies looking for space and services
• Global visibility for your organization through our partnerships and programs with Twins International Multihelix (global life science clusters) and SoftLand Partners
• And more...

For more information on member benefits and becoming a member, check our website. Want to hear what our members have to say? View these short video clips!

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Contact Joan Popolo, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your interest.

December 1, 2022

As the 2022 Boston partner for the the Canadian Technology Accelerator, organized by the Canadian Consulate of Canada in Boston, ACTION completed a two month, hybrid remote/in-person program in early November to support eight climatetech companies as they explore US market entry opportunities in Boston/New England. The program began with an overview of the New England Climatetech Ecosystem. Individual company interviews were held to determine their aspirations in the US and one-on-one meetings were scheduled with potential government, commercial or industrial partners. We thank the Canadian Consulate of Canada in Boston for the opportunity to work with this terrific group of companies. We hope that Moment Energy, RWI Synthetics, QEA Tech, Zen Electric Bikes, Reusables, Haze Automotive, Pulsenics, and SensoDrive Technology have gained additional insight into the US market and made valuable connections leading to business opportunities in the greater Boston/New England region.

October 24, 2022

ACTION is pleased to announce its Association Membership in PracticePoint (PP). This membership provides companies in ACTION’s member incubators with the benefits of an Associate Partner member.

PracticePoint is WPI’s membership-based MedTech development and testing facility, designed and equipped to expedite the MedTech R&D process. The goal of this alliance space is to advance healthcare technologies and launch better medical cyber-physical systems through collaboration across the spectrum of product development and implementation; it is a resource for designing, prototyping, and evaluating various medical devices along with an associated consortium of academics, industry, healthcare professionals, and users/patients. This includes a wide spectrum from rehabilitative devices to surgical robotics. The facility comprises point-of-practice clinical care scenarios, including a fully instrumented living space, state-of-the-art motion capture lab, 2-bed modular patient care suite, MRI imaging, and a fully functional operating room co-located with advanced manufacturing capabilities, including a wide array of 3D printing, CNC manufacturing, and electronics assembly equipment and test capabilities.

The facility can accommodate study projects ranging from pre-clinical trial testing and validation to human factor studies. PP’s flexible membership model addresses issues regarding manpower, bench strength, ease of facility access and engaging geographically disperse teams while ensuring testing, data collection, device modifications, creating of marketing content, and training needs can all be accomplished at one site.

A facility tour is scheduled for November 10th from 12:00-1:00 pm for interested incubators and member companies. We are thrilled to be able to offer this benefit to any company within our member incubators. For more information, contact Joan Popolo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

September 20, 2022

In August, ACTION Innovation Network convened a meeting with regional incubator directors to introduce Mark Parsons, Founder of New Bedford Research and Robotics (NBRR), and learn about architectural plans and programs for the newly forming incubator. The meeting revealed a number of interesting synergies and explored cooperative ways of lending support and working together. Later, a visit to the proposed new site was arranged, with several incubator and Board members attending.

The establishment of NBRR follows Mr. Parsons' creation of Consortium for Research & Robotics, a successful incubator located in New York's Brooklyn Navy Yard. Following that success, Mark decided to move back to his hometown on the SouthCoast and replicate the incubator model in New Bedford, with some improvements. As a maker and designer, Mark has a keen interest in creating, and is building the incubator with a focus on additive manufacturing, industrial robotics, and design to support the sectors of climate-tech, medtech, bluetech, AI/ML, VR/XR/IoT. A strong educational component will be integral to the incubator, with STEAM programs to inspire local students that may not otherwise have exposure and access to these new technologies. NBRR's mission is to provide access to frontier technologies for commercial and social impact, through education, economic empowerment and corporate engagement.

The beginning of Innovation Avenue NBRR's home will be at the location of the former Glaser Glass on Purchase Street in New Bedford. When fully operational, NBRR expects to incubate 10-12 startups at a time, and will host corporate research studios. Groundwork, a co-working space, is just steps away. A major advantage of this site is its close proximity to what will be the terminus of the new South Coast Rail line from Boston.

The long span of street-facing, full height windows of the bay doors allows the site to open to and engage with the New Bedford community, providing inspiration to community youth and innovators alike. Read more about Mark's background and his plans for NBRR here.

June 22, 2022

ACTION has reintroduced its Pre/Soft Landing programs for international technology scale-up companies that are exploring market entry opportunities in New England with two newly restructured programs.

The Pre- Landing Program is offered to cohorts of international companies that are ready to initiate an expansion in the US in Massachusetts / New England, one of the main innovation ecosystems worldwide, or wish to leverage the knowledge and resources in the area to generate new business opportunities. The program is presented in three phases:

• Phase I: Exploring US Market Entry Opportunities in New England
• Phase II: Making Key Connections and Building Collaborator Relationships, and
• Phase III: Company Soft-Landings in MA/New England Incubators.

As a new benefit for international agency members, the InterACTION Program provides an introduction to the New England technology innovation ecosystem and company connections for companies participating in delegations to Boston. The program is a shorter duration, condensed version of the 3-phase Pre/Soft Landing program and includes an overview of the New England technology innovation ecosystem and regionalization of its technology sectors, and facilitates company connections to relevant collaborators and other ecosystem partners, including incubators. International agency membership is open to economic development organizations, consulates, international trade agencies, international chambers of commerce and other international government agencies. International agency members receive a discounted program rate.

For details about these programs and pricing, contact Joan Popolo, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

April 28, 2022

Earlier this year, ACTION, Mansfield Bio-Incubator and Massachusetts Innovation Network met to discuss how the New England technology innovation ecosystem might offer assistance to help resettle Ukrainian tech startup companies that have been displaced during the Russian war with Ukraine. The effort was launched by Alex Margulis, COO of Mansfield Bio-Incubator, who is Ukrainian by birth and lived in Russia for a number of years before relocating to the US. Dr. Margulis offered no-cost space and services at Mansfield Bio-Incubator for displaced Ukrainian life science startups that are able to relocate here. The idea was then extended to other regional incubators. Nineteen organizations in the regional tech incubator and entrepreneurial community have generously offered space and services at no cost for 6-12 months. Additionally, three international incubators and shared workspaces, including CIC Warsaw, and ACTION member, Progetto Manifattura in (Trentino) Italy, are offering similar support for Ukrainian entrepreneurs.

Our friends at MIT Enterprise Forum Central and Eastern Europe (MITEF CEE), based in Warsaw, Poland, have helped to communicate this offer by sending information out to their network of tech entrepreneurs. ACTION's sponsor, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy. a leading global immigration firm, is available to provide advice to international refugees and companies on immigration and visas.

March 21, 2022

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy in Boston has joined ACTION Innovation Network as a Network Partner sponsor. Fragomen is an innovative firm of more than 4,300 immigration-focused professionals and staff with over 55 offices worldwide, offering services in more than 170 countries. As established thought leaders in immigration, they contribute to conferences and seminars around the world, gather vast amounts of immigration data and leverage it for clients and author respected publications, As immigration around the world becomes increasingly complex, their professionals’ years of experience working in government agencies and in-house corporate immigration departments helps to advance world-class, compliant immigration solutions.

ACTION welcomes Fragomen as a partner and sponsor to help in advising international scale-up companies that we attract through our Pre/Soft-Landing programs that are interested in expanding business operations in the Northeast US. Their skilled attorneys have presented a webinar for ACTION, U.S. Immigration Options for Startups, and we look forward to offering additional webinars and programs to address changing regulations and needs related to immigration issues. Fragomen's expertise on immigration and visas is not only useful for international companies looking to do business in the US, but for scaling US companies exploring new markets abroad. https://www.fragomen.com/.

February 14, 2022

We'd love to have you join us! Watch one of our short videos here or here.

ACTION's new promotional videos are a great introduction to all that membership in ACTION has to offer incubators and other entrepreneur support organizations. Our current members support startups in the life sciences, cleantech/decarbonization, robotics, advanced materials, marine/maritime, aerospace, and other convergent technologies. The breadth of our incubator network offers entrepreneurs a diverse hub of knowledge, experience, and resources that is most often unavailable from a single incubator.

ACTION membership provides an opportunity for managers of incubators and innovation centers to engage in regular conferencing and roundtables to exchange ideas and connect with like-minded colleagues on topics related to running a shared workspace to support technology startups. Members exchange best practices and work thorough common challenges that managers often face. ACTION's Incubator Insights forum encourages thought leadership where professionals can enhance their skills and network with others committed to advancing the industry along the highest professional standards. Members and sponsors regularly take part in ACTION's Pre-Landing programs for international tech startups, allowing visibility and engagement with companies interested in expanding into US markets and looking for first offices within the New England innovation ecosystem. Would your organization benefit from being part of the network? Find out more at https://actionnewengland.org/prp/membership-benefits/.

January 18, 2022

Facilitating the shift towards the circular economy requires widespread adoption and diffusion of circular thinking, particularly among startups and entrepreneurs who can disrupt their respective industries. Incubators and accelerators have great potential to accelerate and advance the circular economy in North America by providing resources and support to innovative startups and help them incorporate circular economy concepts.

ACTION has initiated a no-cost, self-guided program with a collection of modules from prominent product design and circular economy experts to assist your organization in mentoring and training startups in circular thinking. Regardless of the industry sector focus of an incubator/accelerator, the collection of resources will provide a circular economy curriculum to help your network of startups and entrepreneurs learn more about the circular economy and apply these concepts to make their business more sustainable, impactful and attractive to investors. In-person/online training sessions are also available for incubators and accelerators.

Explore the modules here and contact us with interest in customized programs at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

October 18, 2021

ACTION Innovation Network will be presenting a workshop on the morning of November 22nd to explore how incubator and accelerator managers can help their companies transition from linear to circular thinking and apply these strategies toward building sustainable companies, and by doing so make them more competitive in the global economy. Whether your incubator supports cleantech, healthtech, bluetech or other types of companies, this workshop will offer tangible ways to assist your companies. This workshop is open to all incubators, accelerators, and other entrepreneur support organizations. Topics that will be covered include:

• The concept of circular economy and importance of adopting circular strategies
• Sustainability measures corporate and institutional investors look for in companies
• Circular design thinking and circular business models
• Training materials for circular thinking for incubator or accelerator programs

August 19th, 2021

ACTION Innovation Network, together with Innovation Texas and Tondo, will present a side session at the World Circular Economy Forum. The conference is hosted virtually from Canada from September 13th - 15th, with side sessions throughout the month. The event, co-organized by the Government of Canada and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra will be hosted for the first time in North America. The World Circular Economy Forum brings together forward-looking thinkers and doers, and presents the world’s leading game-changers in the circular economy. The session, Circular from the Start (Up), is planned for September 16th from 10:00 am -12:30 pm Eastern time and will introduce the Circular Economy concept and how it creates value for incubator and accelerator programs. Panelists include Humberto Olivo, Head of Innovation Texas, Partner, Valyfund Venture Capital, Shyaam Ramkumar, Tondo Circular Expert and Advisor, and Joan Popolo, Executive Director, ACTION Innovation Network, along with other invited speakers. The panel will discuss the need for innovation for a circular economy transition and how incubators and accelerators can enable circular economy innovation.

July 14th, 2021

The next edition of ACTION's Pre-Landing program, InterACTION: Circularity 2021, will be held remotely from October 21st through November 18th. It is open to international cleantech/sustainability, marine, and life science startups that are interested in exploring US market entry opportunities. Reports indicate that the circular economy financing market is taking off. Assets managed through public equity funds with the circular economy as the sole or partial investment focus have increased sixfold, from USD $0.3B to over USD $2B since 2020.

June 14th, 2021

ACTION Innovation and its member incubator, North Shore InnoVentures (NSIV), were chosen to participate in the the 8th annual SelectUSA Investment Summit. The Summit is the highest-profile event dedicated to promoting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States, playing a vital role in attracting and facilitating business investment and job creation by raising awareness about the wide range of investment opportunities in the United States and enabling necessary direct connections between investors and U.S. economic development organizations (EDOs).

May 17th, 2021

ACTION Innovation Network is happy to welcome BLUE Institute Labs, a public benefit corporation with locations in New Bedford, MA and Newport, RI, as its newest member. Blue Institute Labs is an international BlueTech & Blue Economy hub for scaling startups through programming such as its BLUE Excelerator & BLUE Incubator and bringing startups together with academia, industry, and government in an ocean access, location with shared resources, labs, in a broad, robust, collaborative ecosystem. Blue Institute Labs participated as a mentor in ACTION's February/March international Pre-Landing cohort in bluetech, and provided an incubation award to the top international startup in the Pre-Landing program. The organization aligns well with the goals of ACTION, being dedicated to bringing disparate groups together (in this case to create climate, water, and ocean innovations) through collaborative efforts. As CEO of BLUE Institute Labs, Judith Underwood is a believer in the phrase "a rising tide lifts all boats" and that the most agile and sustainable innovation comes through collaboration.

April 12th, 2021

Congratulations to SeaAhead, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI), and Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) as recipients of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration's SPRINT Challenge awards. The Scaling Pandemic Resilience Through Innovation and Technology (SPRINT) Challenge builds on EDA’s efforts to work with communities to build strong regional economies, according to Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “Our grantees’ projects are laser-focused on using innovation to help America overcome the economic, health and safety challenges brought on by the pandemic.” A total of forty-four awardees were selected from a pool of 238 applicants.

March 17th, 2021

ACTION Innovation Network and Blue Institute Labs are pleased to announce the program awardee for the InterACTION Bluetech 2021 program, Max Echeverria, Founder and CEO of Eskuad, based in Concepción, Chile. Made possible through a Department of Commerce Economic Development Regional Innovation Strategies i6 grant, the InterACTION Bluetech 2021 program is offered to international bluetech startups that are ready to initiate an expansion in the US in Massachusetts/New England, one of the main innovation ecosystems worldwide, or wish to leverage the knowledge and resources in the area and generate new business opportunities. Six international companies participated in the three-week InterACTION Bluetech 2021 program in late February through early March. Windcity (Rovereto, Italy), Aquafort AI (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada), Arricife Energy Systems (Bilbao, Spain), Mabel Systems (Nova Scotia, Canada), Eskuad (Concepción, Chile), and Sedna Technologies (Nova Scotia, Canada). The program award was presented to Max Echeverria of Eskuad. Eskuad will receive one year of incubation at Blue Incubator, which will provide mentoring to establish a pilot in the US, as well as a desk and access to community activities.

February 11th, 2021

ACTION welcomes SeaAhead as its newest member! In 2019, the SeaAhead Bluetech Innovation Hub opened at CIC, 50 Milk Street in Boston, as the first ocean-focused coworking space in Boston, with the goal of connecting the venture ecosystem in Boston’s urban core with relevant industry and ocean-related research institutions throughout New England. As a 2020 EDA Industry Challenge awardee, the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium partnered with SeaAhead to create the Blue Swell Incubator Program, New England’s first dedicated, comprehensive early-stage bluetech incubator program. BlueSwell focuses on bridging the gaps between innovators, ocean experts, industries and the venture community. SeaAhead operates Greater Boston’s bluetech innovation hub, with 35+ ocean-related startup members and the Blue Angels investor program. Bluetech is becoming one of New England’s top clusters, supported by Greater Boston’s deep capabilities in both venture innovation and ocean related research. The SeaAhead ecosystem includes technologists, scientists, startups, corporations, governments and other ocean stakeholders that are coming together to create impact in areas including greener shipping and ports, aquaculture and fishery processes, offshore alternative energy, plastics and smart, resilient cities. SeaAhead will participate in ACTION's InterACTION Bluetech 2021 program in February and March for international bluetech companies interested in expanding their network in New England's bluetech ecosystem through meaningful collaborations for successful US market access. Visit SeaAhead at www.sea-ahead.com.

March 11th, 2021

Join us on Wednesday, March 31st from 10:00-11:30 am for Northeastern - ACTION Innovation Network: A Partnership for Talent and Research, a webinar presentation on the Northeastern Talent Solutions Model featuring Co-op, the Experiential Network (XN) and research partnership opportunities. This program is available to both startups and incubator organizations at no cost. The presenters from Northeastern University will describe how their programs work, highlight the benefits for startups and incubators from accessing student talent across a wide-range of skills to help with your organization’s objectives, and outline the next steps to begin utilizing the program. The two Northeastern research centers will cover their innovative work along with opportunities to partner. During the Breakout Rooms portion of the agenda, startups and incubators will have the opportunity to discuss potential talent acquisition and XN projects and make connections for further research exchanges.

ACTION has used the XN program successfully and highly recommends it for its members and their resident companies. There is no cost for this program. Interested in hearing more? Please register here to receive event login information.

January 11th, 2021

The Bluetech 2021 Pre-Landing program is offered to international bluetech startups that are ready to initiate an expansion in the US in Massachusetts / New England, one of the main innovation ecosystems worldwide, or wish to leverage the knowledge and resources in the area and generate new business opportunities. InterACTION Bluetech 2021 will be part of an online series of bluetech events to be offered over the winter/early-spring. The program is run in partnership with the Blue Innovation Symposium, the Blue Innovation Center, and UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station, with participation from SeaAhead.

This program will connect International blue technologies and products with US commercial partners, testing facilities, and capital, and introduce companies to ACTION's incubator network for potential soft landing opportunities. International startups in aquaculture, shipping, marine robotics, offshore wind energy, defense, marine biotechnology, and others are invited to apply.

November 12th, 2020

On October 27th, Soft Land Partners (SLP) hosted the first-ever, 24-hour expo for internationalizing companies, Soft Land Expo: USA Edition.

The objective of the event was to provide both international companies seeking to enter the U.S. market and U.S. companies seeking to internationalize with the knowledge, resources, and partnerships to support their expansion. This resulted in opportunities to connect and learn in every time zone, peaking at 8,500 interactions on the virtual platform.

October 13th, 2020

Strengthening and Promoting Regional Innovation Hubs Beyond Boston: A discussion with incubator managers and innovation economy builders

On October 29th, ACTION Innovation Network will host a virtual roundtable/workshop for ACTION members and invited guests to discuss key elements that are necessary to strengthen and expand regional technology innovation clusters and centers of activity beyond the vibrant hub of Boston and Cambridge. This economic development-focused discussion will address how to better strengthen and promote the greater Boston/New England region to attract both domestic and international technology startups/scaleups to areas beyond the Hub, with special attention to the tech industry sectors of life science, cleantech, blue economy, and aerospace. ACTION's Tech Ecosystem Asset Map will introduce how mapping regional assets can be used to visualize industry cluster formation in various geographies to help identify the growing innovation hubs. Several confirmed roundtable participants to date include Jon Weaver, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, Kristine Logan, Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority/TechPlace, and Sandhya Iyer, Lexington Economic Development. Participants will offer perspectives from incubator, economic development , municipal, academic, and quasi-government organizations.

For further information or if you are interested in joining this dialog, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

September 10th, 2020

Have you explored ACTION's Technology Ecosystem Asset Map? We've made a new addition to its functionality: industry clusters. Life Science (red), Cleantech (green), and Blue Economy (blue) bubbles now indicate where clusters of these assets are located throughout the New England region. Many thanks to our UMass Dartmouth friends who kindly shared their databases of Blue Economy assets. We've only just begun and are eager to add additional cluster information with the assistance of our colleagues around the region.

August 10, 2020

As we celebrate our 10th year of operation, we pause to reflect on the many milestones our small non-profit organization has reached over those years (among them 2 federal grants, 2 local grants, new member additions and benefit offerings, re-branding and expanded scope, 80+ international relationships), and thank our dedicated founders for their vision and determination in helping to realize the mission of our collaborative network of New England technology business incubators. Together, we promote the growth and success of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, share resources and best practices, and strengthen technology clusters, with a shared vision to build a prosperous economy, improve quality of life and sustain the health of our environment.

ACTION would especially like to recognize the long-time commitment of Bob O'Brien (Collaborative Innovation Works) and Michael D. Ryan, both founding members of the organization (formerly Association of Cleantech Incubators of New England) who have recently stepped away from Board activities, for sharing their vision for the organization and offering valuable insights over the years.

We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and the inspiring new faces that will come our way to assist in creating meaningful impact within the regional technology innovation community as we move forward into our next 10 years!

July 14, 2020

ACTION Innovation Network members were well represented during the International Business Innovation Association's (InBIA) 34th International Conference on Business Innovation, held virtually this year in late June.

We offer congratulations to our member, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI) on being awarded the InBIA's Entrepreneur Center of the Year 2020 in Science /Technology! In 2018, North Shore InnoVentures was awarded the InBIA Dinah Adkins Technology Incubator of the Year. We are proud of the international recognition of two of our member incubators, which continues to demonstrate the strength of our network.

June 16, 2020

Applications for ACTION Innovation Network's first online cohort for its Pre-Landing program for international startups in Healthcare are being accepted until July 15th, with the main program running in September. This edition of the Pre-Landing program will support companies in the areas of Therapeutics, Medical Devices and Digital Health. It will prepare international startups to raise funds in the US and connect with the health innovation ecosystem in Massachusetts/New England. The program will be offered in two phases. Phase I will be presented in an online format, while international travel restrictions remain tight. The online agenda includes one day of digital RESI in September, for startups to schedule one-on-one virtual meetings with investors that are looking for their technologies. Phase II offers a three day on-site visit to ACTION's life science incubators and in-person meetings with industry experts, once startups are comfortable traveling again. If you know of an international startup that may benefit from this program, please forward the detailed agenda and application. The program is made possible in part by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration through a 2018 RIS i6 grant awarded to ACTION Innovation Network.

May 12, 2020

ACTION Innovation Network has become a new partner of Massachusetts Innovation Network (MassInnoV), home of the New England Innovation Awards, to promote and support its 2020 Awards program.The Massachusetts Innovation Network is a small, nonprofit organization, formed to continue its founder, Mr. Robert J. Crowley's legacy and inspirational vision "to coach, assist, recognize, support, and publicize small- and medium-sized innovators and start-ups, and help them grow and thrive". The New England Innovation Program, approaching its 35th year, is the oldest and longest-running innovation competition in the New England region, the very first to recognize and support trail-blazers and market-disrupters like iRobot, Vistaprint, HubSpot, Genzyme, MassChallenge, and many others. ACTION will provide outreach to its network to attract applicants to the 2020 program and offer space for informational meetings at its member locations, where applicable, from May 18th through June 4th. Awards are offered in 8 industry sector competition categories. The application period is open through June 26th. Find out more about the Innovation Awards Program and submit an application here. Do you know a promising, New England-based innovative company that should be recognized? Nominate them here. For more information email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (978) 579-4990.

April 6, 2020

We are happy to announce that ACTION Innovation Network is now part of MathWorks Accelerator Partnership Program. MathWorks is excited to support the growth of early stage technology companies by offering one year of free access to its software tools to ACTION Innovation Network member companies.

January 13, 2020

ACTION Innovation Network has joined Multihelix/Twins' International Multihelix, (TIM) as a Network Member, a global collaborative of life science technology parks. Multihelix/TIM is based in Lund, Sweden, in the Medicon Village Science Park. The network of science and technology parks, focused on life science, cleantech, wellness, and technology R&D innovation come together to create a transregional/transatlantic supercluster, addressing and solving societal challenges to improve health and wellbeing. The partners’ joint mission is to collaborate internationally to prosper regionally.

December 10, 2019

ACTION Innovation Network is pleased to welcome its newest member, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI)! MBI is a private, independent economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for life science and healthcare innovation, supporting companies focused on biotechnology, medical devices, informatics, and biomanufacturing. MBI is the longest running life science incubator in Massachusetts with more than 30 life sciences companies currently in residence in 16,000 sq ft of space in Gateway Park and on Barber Avenue in Worcester, MA, part of the Biomedical Corridor. MBI has graduated another 95 alumni companies, which together employ approximately 839 people in the local life sciences cluster.

November 8, 2019

As part of ACTION Innovation Network's U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) i6 grant activities, a searchable and filterable map of New England regional technology ecosystem assets has been created for public use. In addition to assets listed under 14 subcategories, including incubators/innovation centers, university core research facilities, R&D facilities, pilot and demonstration sites and others, the map offers layers for MBTA subway and commuter lines, and median home prices in each city or town. This map is useful for both local and international companies and organizations to find the resources of interest to them. There is also a sorting function for industries, which will produce a view of industry clusters around the region.

August 23, 2019

We are excited to announce that the next Richi Childhood Cancer Foundation/Richi Entrepreneurs Boston Immersion Program will be taking place again this year, in two phases, Sept. 30th-October 4th and November 11th -November 22nd. A cohort of 10 European startup companies, 4 cleantech, 5 life science, and 1 environmental health, will be participating in the 2019 edition. ACTION will work as a partner with Richi Entrepreneurs to introduce the companies to its incubator members and organize visits to provide information on how incubators can serve as a first office as they look to build a presence in the US. Member incubator managers have been invited to present their organizations to the startups at the Incubator Overview and Showcase session on October 1st. There will be one incubation award provided to the overall best company at the end of the Boston Immersion program, to be used in the ACTION member incubator of their choice.

June 05, 2019

ACTION traveled to Sweden in May to re-ignite existing, and forge new relationships with cleantech and medtech organizations based there. Cleantech Scandinavia, based in Lund, is the leading promoter of sustainable innovation in the Nordic and Baltic markets. The organization held the 8th edition of its Nordic Cleantech Open Finals in Stockholm. At the Finals, 10 semifinalists pitched to an audience of investors, industrial partners and other organizations, and the top three companies were announced. The event was held at Munchenbryggeriet, a former German brewery which brewed beer on the site from 1857-1971. The beautifully restored building is now a popular event venue, offering a fully sustainable meeting place.

March 18, 2019

On March 18th, ACTION Innovation Network, North Shore InnoVentures, and Richi Foundation together welcomed a delegation from the Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria (USM) in Valparaiso, Chile at CIC in Cambridge, MA, representing the 3IE International Institute for Business Innovation and the Office for Technology Transfer and Licensing. USM is the highest ranked Latin American university in engineering, science and technology (by Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities). The purpose of the visit was to understand the entrepreneurial and technology innovation ecosystems in the greater Boston region, learn best practices for supporting tech startups, and to establish a working program where Chilean entrepreneurs can take advantage of offerings for international tech startups from the three organizations in Boston.

March 05, 2019

On February 13th, TechPlace, a business technology incubator located at Brunswick Landing in Brunswick, ME, hosted an open house for its recently completed Composites Manufacturing and Layup facility. Grant funding for the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) project was provided by the Maine Technology Institute and the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, as well as MRRA’s own matching funds. The facility was created as an asset for the State of Maine in support of its composites industry.

February 06, 2019

For several years, ACTION Innovation Network has been an industry partner with UMass Lowell's Core Research Facilities (CRF), providing discounted fees to startups for highly specialized equipment use on campus. The CRF is a valuable resource for technology companies, providing them with access to faculty and direct access to training and self-use of specialized instruments, in addition to research testing services.

A new state voucher program funded by the Massachusetts legislature, the Massachusetts Innovation Voucher Program (MIVP) gives small and medium-sized, MA-based businesses (<50 FTEs) access to the UMass system’s leading-edge research facilities with up to 75 percent off standard rates. More than 90 core facilities across all University of Massachusetts campuses are available for use with the voucher program, with a multitude of research instruments and services available to academic, government and industry researchers.

January 22, 2019

ACTION co-hosted the Northeastern University Experiential Programs Luncheon on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 with our affiliate member, Northeastern University, held at Northeastern University’s Kostas Research Institute (KRI) in Burlington, MA. The Luncheon followed ACTION Innovation Network's Annual Meeting. After the event, tours were offered of the Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security labs and Northeastern University’s Burlington Innovation Campus.

August 1, 2018

ACTION Innovation Network member, UMass Dartmouth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), has announced Phil Adams as its new Interim Director. Adams began his new position on July 25th, replacing Toby Stapleton. A Southcoast resident, Phil brings 30-plus years of experience in advising, managing and building innovative enterprises.

June 27, 2018

Amesbury-based Collaborative Innovation Works (CI Works) had leased 90,000 sq. ft. of additional space at IndusPAD on the Methuen-Lawrence city line. This will allow the business center/incubator to expand operations and house up to 60 additional companies. Their current 100,000 sq. ft.space at the Amesbury Mill is fully occupied by 62 companies. CI Works focuses on companies that are graduating from incubator space and ready to begin manufacturing products.

Fall River, MA, USA – May 22, 2018 - The Association of Clean Technology Incubators of New England, Inc. (ACTION) announces its rebranding with a name change and expanded scope of operations after seven years of service to cleantech incubators, to become ACTION Innovation Network.

In 2011, ACTION was chartered as an organization to support incubators and their member entrepreneurs developing innovative clean energy and environmental technologies. In addition, ACTION will now offer membership to technology business incubators that support startups in other complimentary and convergent technology sectors, including life sciences, medical devices, robotics, and ocean and marine technologies. Membership is also open to other entrepreneur support organizations and international agencies with common interests in helping early-stage companies with high-growth potential to commercialize their technologies and succeed in the global marketplace.

December 1, 2017

Richi Social Entrepreneurs (RSE) is an initiative of the Richi Childhood Cancer Foundation whose mission is to accelerate the success of life sciences, healthcare and cleantech startups from around the world by connecting them with key players and introducing them to the many assets available within the Boston innovation ecosystem. To accomplish this, RSE runs a three-week immersion bootcamp in Boston in which startups have the opportunity to embrace best practices from the Massachusetts ecosystem, connecting and interacting with potential clients, investors, strategic partners, and local top-notch industry experts who will lead them to potential business synergies. In 2018, RSE and ACTION are teaming up to present the October edition of the Boston Immersion Program, to provide and enhanced experience for the international entrepreneurs.

November 15, 2017

Watch the Interview ©2017 BevCam

It's not just happening in the Hub. The biotech industry is centered in Massachusetts, and beyond Cambridge and Boston, the North Shore supports a strong life sciences cluster that offers rich technical and business resources to help life science and cleantech startups thrive, thanks in large part to North Shore InnoVentures (NSIV), a technology business incubator located in the Cummings Center in Beverly, MA. There are over 50 life sciences businesses located at the Cummings Center alone. In a recent local access television interview, Martha Farmer, President & CEO at NSIV, and Trish Fleming, Director of Mentoring, describe technology business incubation and the value of strong community support that assist early-stage companies in becoming profitable businesses.

September 29, 2017

ACTION will present a morning-long session, with UMass Lowell's Innovation Hub and M2D2 incubators, to ten startup companies from Spain, Chile, the UK and Austria that have been chosen to participate in the Richi Social Entrepreneurs' (RSE) Boston Immersion Program, to introduce them to incubator facilities and rich regional assets available that support cleantech and healthtech innovations. During the three week Boston Immersion Program in November, RSE will provide positive impact startups with an immersion experience into Boston's (and beyond) innovation ecosystem.

August 29, 2017

For several years, ACTION has been an industry partner with UMass Lowell's Core Research Facilities (CRF), providing discounted fees to startups for highly specialized equipment use on campus. The CRF is a valuable resource for technology companies, providing them with access to faculty and direct access to training and self-use of specialized instruments, in addition to research testing services.

July 12, 2017

On a recent trip to Stockholm, Sweden, ACTION's Executive Director, Joan Popolo, had the opportunity to visit SUP46 business incubator. Magnus Rehn, a management consultant and business coach focused primarily on cleantech and sustainability at STING (Stockholm Innovation and Growth), kindly provided a tour of the incubator located in central Stockholm. STING has offices in three locations in Stockholm, one of which is SUP46, and supports both incubator and accelerator programs. SUP46 currently lists over 60 member companies.

THINGS, located at a separate Stockholm location in a four-story, 2,000 square meter building provides co-working space for 30-40 start-ups working on innovative hardware-based technologies, including IoT, wearables, medtech, 3D scanning/printing and smart grid technologies. THINGS members have access to prototyping and testing capabilities and partnerships with some of the most successful and innovative export companies in Sweden. Stockholm Makerspace is co-located in the building with THINGS.

STING’s HQ is located in one of the world’s leading IT clusters, Kista Science City, in Stockholm, located between central Stockholm and Arlanda airport. Internationally, the region is often compared to Silicon Valley, Bangalore, India and the Multimedia Supercorridor in Malaysia.

Thanks to Magnus for his hospitality!

May 15, 2017

It's not often that company exits are reported from incubators, given the relatively long timeline necessary for technology startups to build, grow, and commercialize their companies. Recently, two acquisitions and one IPO have been announced from companies that had been resident in and graduated from our ACTION members' incubators.

Director, Toby Stapleton of University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is pleased to announce that Ocean Server Technologies, a former CIE Tech Venture Company (TVC), has been acquired by L3 Technologies. Ocean Server began at the CIE and graduated in September 2016. Read More.

Aquabotix, another former TVC company, went public on the Australian Securities Exchange, selling out its initial public offering of stock in one day and raising money for the company's expansion in Fall River, MA. This makes Aquabotix the only publicly-traded company making underwater drones. Read More.

In March, Arctic Sand Technologies, a graduate of North Shore InnoVentures, announced its acquisition by Peregrine Semiconductor. Arctic Sand’s technology delivers industry-leading power conversion efficiency so that platforms for a variety of applications can be made thinner. Read More.

We congratulate these companies and our member incubators for helping to support their growth and success!

January 10, 2017

This year brings exciting developments as three ACTION members expand their operations. North Shore InnoVentures (NSIV), UMass Lowell and Innovation Hub (iHub), and Greentown Labs all have exciting news to report!

December 8, 2016

Colin Gounden, CEO of Via Science, in an announcement regarding the investment, stated, “Analytics is critical to improving the operational efficiency of energy companies today and allowing them to stay ahead of regulatory and technological disruptions. TEPCO’s investment is a validation of Via Science’s leadership in causal analytics for applications such as identifying critical infrastructure that is at high risk for power outages, years in advance. We are truly honored to be their first venture investment in machine learning and analytics.”

November 1, 2016

We are pleased to welcome UMass Lowell Innovation Hub as our newest business incubator member. For several years, ACTION has been an industry partner with UMass Lowell's Core Research Facilities, providing discounted fees to startups for highly specialized equipment use on campus. Now, Innovation Hub will be able to offer its startup companies the many benefits available through ACTION. Located in downtown Lowell's Hamilton Canal District, iHub provides access to dedicated office and desks, co-working spaces, meeting and event locations, a prototyping and fabrication lab, support services and much more. In addition, Innovation Hub's partnership with WorkBar, provides iHub members access to any of their co-working locations at no additional charge. Innovation Hub brings access to UMass Lowell's faculty and research resources, as well as collaboration with mentors and sponsors to share with other ACTION members. UMass Lowell's expertise in the areas of advanced materials, printed electronics, plastics and robotics will greatly enhance the resources available throughout the ACTION network. We look forward to working together!

Oct 23, 2015

FALL RIVER - The ATMC, an arm of UMass Dartmouth, has been renamed the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Operating since 2001, the CIE will double its tenant base: It has 18 companies in the building now, working on everything from underwater drones, electric bikes and helicopters with double rotors to a lab that tests used roof shingles or broken bottles as pavement material.

More

October 16, 2015

On Friday, October 16th, ACTION member Greentown Labs hosted a day-long event with Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) Under Secretary Eric L. Hirschhorn. The day included the Under Secretary meeting with hardware startups, presentation of a webinar on US export control regulations, and one-on-one meetings with various state agencies that offer export assistance to companies.

October 15, 2015

ACTION was pleased to host Candace Brathwaite, an educator and entrepreneur from Trinidad and Tobago, on her US visit to the Institute for Energy and Sustainability (IES) in Worcester, MA, and Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA. Ms. Brathwaite, a graduate of Babson College’s Franklin W. Olin Graduate School of Business, trains and a coaches students at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to become entrepreneurs.

September 23, 2015

Fall River, Mass (September 23, 2015)–The Association of Cleantech Incubators of New England (ACTION) has announced that the law firm of Posternak Blankstein & Lund LLP is a new Network Sponsor. ACTION’s mission is to accelerate the success of early-stage cleantech entrepreneurs supported by its membership of 12 cleantech incubators throughout New England and three international incubators located in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada.

Posternak’s Cleantech practice group helps companies in the cleantech sector reach such goals as developing or licensing transformational technology, investing in clean tech start-ups, constructing or retrofitting green buildings, registering trademarks for eco-friendly products, siting and permitting, or financing large-scale deployment projects.

September 2, 2015

Fall River, Mass (September 2, 2015) – The Association of Cleantech Incubators of New England (ACTION) has announced that American Patent Agency is a new supporting sponsor. ACTION’s mission is to accelerate the success of early-stage cleantech entrepreneurs supported by its membership of 12 cleantech incubators throughout New England and three international incubators located in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada.

September 1, 2015

ACTION and ChemCeption, the nation's only chemical technologies incubator located in South Charleston, West Virginia, have entered into a collaborative agreement with the goal of strengthening business, commercialization and technological partnerships between their incubators and startup communities.

July 28, 2015

The Institute for Energy and Sustainability is pleased to welcome its new Executive Director, Joseph Bush, PhD. As a graduate of WPI, Dr. Bush is happy to return to Worcester and is eager to lead IES in its mission to support and expand the clean technology and sustainable energy economy in central Massachusetts.

Dr. Bush brings an innovative perspective to IES. He is the former Associate Director at the Center for Sustainable Energy at City University of New York. During his tenure there, the Center underwent a massive growth phase in which he helped redefine its role and scope in terms of the services it provides to the institution’s students, faculty, and constituents. As Dr. Bush explains, “IES is undergoing a similar period of redefinition, in which we seek to provide the best possible resources for growing the green economy in Worcester.” In August 2014, he was also the entrepreneurial lead of a team participating in NSF I-Corps training, a “business boot camp” for scientists and engineers that many are attempting to replicate. Having participated in various entrepreneurial research projects, Dr. Bush comes to us with a firm understanding of the challenges innovators face as they attempt to commercialize their research.

More

July 9, 2015

“Pierce Atwood has an experienced energy and environmental practice working with clients that are pioneering new sustainable technologies,” said ACTION Interim Executive Director, Joan Popolo. “We are proud to have them on our team, and look forward to the support and guidance they will provide our member incubators and their resident entrepreneurs.”

May 18, 2015

ACTION's session presentation was well received at this year's NBIA conference, which overall attracted more than 600 incubation and entrepreneurial support professionals to Denver, CO in late April. Twenty seven percent of the attendees came from outside the US. With a growing interest both domestically and internationally in forming regional incubator networks, ACTION's model was of interest to many. The Power of Regional Networks:Advancing Product Commercialization through New England’s Incubator Network, used the example of its manufacturing initiative to demonstrate how ACTION brings together the diverse capabilities and infrastructure of its members to serve the product development and commercialization needs of entrepreneurs. Incubator managers Keith MacKenzie of UMass Dartmouth's Advanced Manufacturing Center and Kristine Schuman of TechPlace in Brunswick, ME co-presented the session with Joan Popolo, ACTION's Interim Executive Director. In addition, members Connecticut Center for Advanced Technologies (E. Hartford, CT), Greentown Labs (Somerville, MA) and Chestnut Innovation Center (Amesbury, MA) contributed slides which described their respective manufacturing program capabilities.

November 11, 2014

Old Manufacturing, New Manufacturing and the Power of the River

An energetic group of innovative companies, manufacturers, businesspeople, local government and Chamber of Commerce employees gathered at the newly established business ecosystem, Chestnut Innovation Center (CIC), in Amesbury, MA in late October. They came for a panel discussion, CAD It Up! Working with a Design Engineer for Product Manufacturability, hosted by ACTION, the Association of Cleantech Incubators of New England, and the first in a series of manufacturing educational programs for entrepreneurs on topics related to the product commercialization process. The panelists were James Bleck of Bleck Design in Chelmsford, MA, James DiBurro of Round Rock Consulting in Bradford, MA and Daniel Rocconi of Bixby International, Inc. in Newburyport, MA. Bixby International was founded more than 135 years ago in Haverhill, MA as a footwear manufacturer, and a contributor to the region’s footwear manufacturing history. The Merrimack Valley is as rich in manufacturing resources today as it was in the past, ready to assist growing companies with overcoming the challenges of product realization.

June 12, 2014

CleanTech Grows in Amesbury

Amesbury Mayor Ken Gray and Newburyport CleanTech Center President Bob O’Brien today announced that the NCTC is locating its new Innovation Center in the former ARC Technologies building on Chestnut Street in Amesbury.

“Amesbury seemed like a perfect fit when we were looking for places to expand,” O’Brien said. “The City is making a commitment to attracting new businesses and job growth. At the same time, it has embraced ‘green community’ status and is making environmental awareness a community priority. That combination makes Amesbury the right place for us to locate our new facility.

Read the Press Release (PDF)

June 11, 2014

Greentown Labs hosted a DEMO Day in October 2013, where entrepreneurs had the opportunity to present in front of investors and politicians. (Photo credit Greentown Labs)

Kerry Flynn, Forbes.com

In 2007, Sam White hoped to assist rural Indian farmers by providing affordable cold storage, so he founded Promethean Power Systems. Four years later, he unexpectedly bridged another gap, more close to home. What began simply as a quest to cut real estate costs became the creation of Greentown Labs, an incubator dedicated to cleantech startups.

From repeated evictions in the up-and-coming innovation hubs of the greater Boston area, White, with the help of three cofounders, established a resource-providing community that has since grown to occupy a 33,000-square-foot facility and serve 46 companies.

Read the Article at Forbes.com (HTML)

June 12, 2014

Keynote speaker Dries Buytaert, founder of Drupal speaks during the Alpha Loft's (formerly abiHub) Party at Arms Park in Manchester on Thursday. (Thomas Roy/Union Leader)

MANCHESTER — The recently rebranded abiHUB is undergoing an expansion that comes with yet another new moniker for the entrepreneurship center and business incubator.

At the annual Party at Arms fundraiser Thursday night in Arms Park, Mark Kaplan, the chief executive officer of abiHUB, and board chair Kyle York announced the organization has purchased the assets of Portsmouth co-working space Alpha Loft, hiring its founder and owner Joshua Cyr.

The joint organization will be called Alpha Loft.

Unlike abiHUB, Kaplan said, the name will be easier to pronounce. It will also better convey the organization’s purpose.

“Alpha represents strength and starting, as the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Loft isn’t only a place,” Cyr said. “It makes us think of our New Hampshire startups really taking off.”

Read the Article at unionleader.com (HTML)

June 12, 2014

The heart of American cleantech is on the U.S. East Coast. There ACTION was born, a network of business incubators that includes a production hub in Trentino, Italy.

January 29, 2014

Kyle York of Dyn, right, Marc Sedam of UNH, left, and CEO Mark Kaplan gather at the merger between the abi Innovation Hub and the New Hampshire Innovation Commercialization Center. (DAVID LANE/UNION LEADER)

MANCHESTER — Two nonprofit groups are joining forces to expand entrepreneurship in the Granite State, aiming to unite regional efforts to build companies that can grow to become major employers in New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Innovation Commercialization Center, better known as the NH-ICC, with locations in Portsmouth and Durham; and the abi Innovation Hub, based in Manchester, announced their merger on Wednesday at the abi's headquarters on Elm Street.

The new entity — to be known as the abi HUB — will promote "innovation, commercialization and acceleration," the group said.

Read the Article at unionleader.com (HTML)

January 06, 2014

On December 19 2013, the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine (E2Tech) hosted a forum event at Brunswick Landing called, "Accelerating an Innovative & Renewable Future". The panel was moderated by Gary Higginbottom of the Hydrogen Energy Center (left). Green Energy Maine was there and brings you this report.

Read the Article at greenenergymaine.com (HTML)

November 20, 2013

The NCTC is looking for a part-time Executive Director to work with the Board of Directors in further developing and implementing a comprehensive and sustainable plan to achieve the Center’s annual and long-range objectives. We are looking for an experienced professional who enjoys the dynamics of an innovative and dynamic organization and its associated industry. We are seeking an entrepreneurial, talented, ambitious and natural leader who is committed to collaboration, innovation, action and success.

Read the Position Description (PDF)

Oct 30th, 2013

Office space geared toward the needs of startups has grown steadily in recent years in communities around Greater Boston — with the notable exception of areas south of the city.

But that's changing now, with the opening this month of the Quincy Center for Innovation.

Read Article

Oct 22, 2013

BRUNSWICK, Maine — A building at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station will become a business incubator and technology accelerator for advanced manufacturing companies, thanks to a $2 million grant from the federal government announced Tuesday.

The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, along with Coastal Counties Workforce Inc., will receive a $2 million Make it in America Challenge grant to create TechPlace, the advanced manufacturing incubator, and to provide workforce training to support the businesses that will occupy it. MRRA is one of only 10 organizations throughout the country to receive such a grant.

July 17, 2013

Newburyport Daily News

NEWBURYPORT — Technology professionals from Dublin, Ireland, yesterday toured start-up companies in the CleanTech Center, and plans were made to develop economic partnerships.

Representatives of the overseas group, known as Green Way, met with the Association of Cleantech Incubators (ACTION) of New England. The local clean-tech center is a member of ACTION.

June 18, 2013

Montréal, QC, and Fall River, MA - June 18, 2013: Écotech Québec and ACTION (Association of Cleantech Incubators of New England) announced today a formal collaboration to encourage business and research partnerships between the cleantech sectors of the New England region (United States), and Québec (Canada).

Cleantech developers, cleantech end-users and research institutions affiliated with both organizations will benefit from an expanded network to facilitate development and commercialization of cleantech.

Read the Press Release (PDF)

June 4, 2013

Application Period extended to June 17th

After more than 3 years from concept to growth, development, and providing tangible benefits to our Members and their emerging companies, in collaboration with our Partners, our Association is poised to make another investment in the Cleantech economy.

ACTION is seeking a flexible and action‐oriented team player to lead our collective day‐to‐day efforts in close cooperation with our Programs Director. The selected candidate will effectively multi‐task across various internal and external activities, and programs in support of ACTION’s mission, taking a strong and visible leadership role, with volunteer, intern and active member support… 

Action Executive Director Position (PDF)

May 21, 2013

Read Linda Plano’s blog post about the ACTION pitch coaching workshop presented by Plano & Simple on April 29th held at ACTION member incubator, Greentown Labs, in Boston.

May 15, 2013

siliconrepublic.com

Dublin’s clean-tech cluster the Green Way is forging a new partnership with ACTION, a network of clean-tech incubators in the New England region of the US. The aim of the alliance is to speed up the commercialisation of clean technologies and to help companies in both regions tap into expertise.