ACTION (New England) and The Green Way (Dublin) Join Forces

May 14, 2013

Boston, MA and Dublin, Ireland, May 14, 2013: ACTION (Association of CleanTech Incubators of New England) and The Green Way, Dublin’s Cleantech Cluster, announce a major partnership to accelerate the commercialization and globalization of clean technologies and innovations. The main beneficiaries of this partnership will be cleantech incubators and their client companies, academic institutions and government organizations located in both clusters, who are seeking strategic business alliances and joint research projects, and who are interested in sourcing cutting-edge technologies, commercialization opportunities and related competencies not available in their own locality.

“The historic connection between the New England region and Ireland makes this partnership a natural”, said Michael Ryan, president of ACTION. “Ireland’s close proximity to New England creates a great beachhead for Irish companies and entrepreneurs while offering the same benefit to US-based companies interested in European markets.”

ACTION and The Green Way will provide local support to cleantech companies from New England and Dublin wishing to avail themselves of support services in the other region. Partnership will allow both clusters to exchange knowledge, find partners for local companies, and develop academic and municipal-level linkages. Each organization will provide a range of services such as: strategic mentoring, investment guidance, customer acquisition advice, market intelligence, funding opportunities and networking events and access to local operators and advisors to name a few.

“We’re excited about this partnership with ACTION,” said Ronan King, chairman of The Green Way, “We are creating a transatlantic cleantech ecosystem that will create market opportunities for our members. The collaboration between our entrepreneurs and academic centers of excellence will provide an enviable platform to participate in and lead economic growth in the global cleantech environment.”

Companies associated with The Green Way are eligible to receive membership benefits at more than a dozen clean technology incubators throughout New England. This will support the companies’ research, engineering and business development efforts by giving them an operations base in the North American market. Similarly, ACTION members and tenant companies can now access the resources associated with The Green Way, giving them a base in Ireland, , which currently holds the Presidency of the European Union, while creating investment opportunities in Ireland and Europe. Both groups will also benefit by collaborating with technical experts and leaders of both regions.

“Partnerships such as this are a great benefit to both Ireland and New England,” said Kevin McCarthy, vice president, Cleantech, Energy & Utilities of Enterprise Ireland, Boston, MA “We look forward to working with both organizations” Both organizations and their respective government partners have identified cleantech as an engine for economic growth. The two clusters focus on the wide array of clean technologies including renewable energy, energy distribution and efficiency, clean products and production, waste and pollution management and water management. The entrepreneurial, financial and academic resources in both areas will provide fuel to accelerate the development, commercialization and deployment of cleantech innovations. This announcement is just the beginning. ACTION and The GreenWay will develop on-going events and activities to ensure the success of both ecosystems.

About The Green Way

The Green Way is a cleantech cluster, anchored in Dublin, Ireland. It was launched in 2010 as a collaborative venture by industry, academic institutions and public/semi-state players, whose vision is to create jobs and trade opportunities by supporting existing cleantech companies in the region; fostering new job creation through business start-ups focussed on the cleantech sector and; facilitating multinational corporations capable of bringing cleantech-related jobs and investment to Dublin. The Green Way initiative consists of seven Dublin-based founding members that can jointly and uniquely combine the strengths of the academic, government and enterprise sectors to create a strong global competency in the cleantech area: Ballymun Regeneration Ltd, Dublin Airport Authority, Dublin City Council, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, Fingal County Council, and North Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Visit www.thegreenway.ie

About ACTION

The Association of Cleantech Incubators of New England (ACTION) is New England’s leading network of cleantech incubators sharing the common goals of accelerating the growth and success of early-stage companies, strengthening the regional cleantech cluster, and creating more green jobs in New England. Their network of incubators provides diverse resources and a highly- supportive hub in which entrepreneurs, business leaders, government agencies, community leaders, investors, universities, and other interested organizations can collaborate toward the successful commercialization of enterprises that will build a prosperous green economy, improve the quality of our lives and sustain the health of our environment. Visit www.actionnewengland.org