December 10, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA: The China Partnership of Greater Philadelphia, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA and China’s Tianjin Economic Technological Development Area (TEDA) Eco-Center created the Sustainability Alliance to leverage respective regional assets and bring to market new cleantech products and services.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, joined by Tianjin Mayor Huang, oversaw the Sustainability Alliance’s signing ceremony during his trade mission to China last week. Mayor Nutter and a trade delegation visited China to promote Philadelphia’s cleantech institutional, entrepreneurial and business assets. The trip concluded with a Philadelphia/China Clean Energy Seminar in Beijing on December 5th.
Following the Clean Energy Seminar, the Beijing panelists participated in an international videoconference to debrief the Philadelphia audience on the implications for regional cleantech companies and the potential impact of the Sustainability Alliance. Beijing participants included Terry Cooke, Founder and Director of the China Partnership of Greater Philadelphia; Yufeng XU, Head of Energy Efficiency Division, TEDA Eco-Center; and Phoebus XU, Manager for Sustainable Urbanization, Joint U.S. (JUCCCE). Philadelphia participants included RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President & CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA; Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Director of Commerce, Philadelphia; Linda Conlin, President of the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia; and dozens of cleantech companies and personnel.
The events highlighted a number of regional Ben Franklin client companies, including AgileSwitch, BuLogics, CeeLite Technologies, Green Power Technologies, OxiCool, Power & Energy, UgMO Technologies and Viridity Energy.
“Clean energy is a top priority for both the U.S. and China, and we have a lot to gain from this partnership. Decision-making in China can happen quickly, and it happens at a very large scale that can benefit our region and our economy. But nothing happens unless you show interest, and that’s what we have done with this Sustainability Alliance,” said Terry Cooke, Founder and Director of the China Partnership of Greater Philadelphia.
“Ben Franklin is proud to be part of this international Alliance to leverage the resources in Greater Philadelphia and our Chinese Sister City of Tianjin. Working together, we will accelerate the development and launch of innovative new cleantech products and services,”
said RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President & CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA.
As background, over the past few years, the United States and China have embarked on comprehensive alternative energy research, development and commercialization strategies to meet energy needs, reduce energy requirements and lower carbon emissions. Both countries have, through the US–China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) initiative and other programs, created partnerships to drive technological advances in electric vehicles, energy storage, energy efficient buildings and other key energy areas. Partners include research universities, corporations and industry consortia, utilities and entrepreneurial support organizations. They face significant commercial hurdles for emergent technologies in commercial water and electrical grid markets. Responding to these needs, the cities of Tianjin and Philadelphia – which have had a successful Sister City relationship for over 30 years – have each developed unique regional programs and initiatives to facilitate the rapid commercial deployment of innovative new energy and water technologies.
About
China Partnership of Greater Philadelphia (CPGP), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes collaboration – primarily on public/private clean technology initiatives – between Philadelphia and the People’s Republic of China. Its objective is to accelerate job creation, attract investment, and support clean technology business flows through strategic linkages between Greater Philadelphia and China.
http://chinaphilly.org
The Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) is one of the few nationally-directed economic development zones in China. TEDA is among the largest of these zones in China (TEDA is home to 285 Fortune 500 companies) and has been recognized, for 14 years consecutive years, as China’s top zone as measured by eight performance criteria. TEDA is also the primary driver of the Tianjin Binhai New Area project, which Mayor Nutter visited on his trip. The TEDA Eco-Center is TEDA’s international cooperation and implementing organization to promote technical innovation, application and deployment of low-carbon (cleantech) products and services.
http://en.investteda.org/
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP) is a national, award winning organization for Stimulating Entrepreneurial Potential, through entrepreneurship, technology and innovation. For thirty years, Ben Franklin has grown technology companies and partnerships through Capital, Knowledge and Networks that help innovative enterprises compete in the global marketplace, generating wealth and supporting regional economic growth. Ben Franklin has invested more than $165 million to grow more than 1,750 regional enterprises, across all areas of technology. It has launched university/industry partnerships that accelerate scientific discoveries to commercialization. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.
www.sep.benfranklin.org
BFTP/SEP Contact:
Jaron J. Rhodes
(215) 972-6700, ext. 3214
jaron@sep.benfranklin.org
