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Newsroom
3 days ago
- Business
- Newsroom
It's time to back Auckland's innovation moment
Opinion: I attended Mayor Wayne Brown's Innovation Forum, the day he updated his Manifesto for Auckland, and the proposal to form an Auckland Innovation Alliance. In it, he said the Government needed to focus on three areas: technology and innovation, housing and growth, and immigration and tourism. I came away encouraged that the leader of Auckland was putting innovation on the agenda, as crucial in the imagining and delivery of our city's future. I love Auckland and believe in its potential. I was born and raised in the Bombay Hills, back before we had a 'Super City', studied at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, met my husband working in the Viaduct during the America's Cup, and now live in Te Atatū. Over the past year, like many Aucklanders, my family and I have made the most of what this city offers: swimming at our beaches, bush walking in the Waitākeres, Eden Park concerts, scooter rides along the waterfront, and the playful chaos of the Dog Disco pop-up in Aotea Square. We joined 40,000 other 'geriatric millennials' in the Domain for the Synthony Festival and got behind the launch of Auckland FC. I share this not to age myself, but because I genuinely believe we live in a vibrant, creative, and world-class city. Yes, Auckland has problems. it also has enormous potential, and that potential hinges on people. The mayor's moves to put innovation and economic transformation at the heart of Auckland's agenda will go a long way towards attracting further talent. For years, different groups have published reports diagnosing our economic underperformance and pointing to untapped innovation capacity. The Committee for Auckland's State of the City reports have benchmarked us against global peers, while the Auckland Chamber Tech Council, led by Simon Bridges, has brought together business leaders who are investing time, capital, and energy to help Auckland step into its future. The proposed Auckland Innovation Alliance, a partnership between Auckland Council, the Government, business, and universities, could be the catalyst the city needs. In cities like Singapore, Dublin, and Copenhagen, similar alliances have driven bold, coordinated action. Why should everyday Aucklanders care? Because innovation isn't just about startups and tech, it's about people. A truly innovative city creates high paying, meaningful, and future-proof jobs, not just for software engineers, but for educators, health workers, tradespeople, and students. It leads to better services, smarter infrastructure, and more vibrant communities. Above all, it offers opportunity. The Time for Growth report identifies three globally competitive sectors where Auckland can lead: CreativeTech, FinTech, and HealthTech. Innovation in these areas, and further afield, is how we will keep people here and attract others. But we must do it on our own terms – we can't and don't need to mimic Silicon Valley. We can lead with a model shaped by Aotearoa's values, grounded in partnership, sustainability, and inclusion. Te Ao Māori values like kaitiakitanga (guardianship), manaakitanga (care), and whanaungatanga (connection) offer us a blueprint for innovation that puts long-term impact and intergenerational wellbeing ahead of short-term gains. The mayor's vision to make Auckland the innovation capital of the South Pacific is bold, and timely. His proposals—stronger government partnerships, targeted investment, and an Advanced Technology Institute—are the right moves. A key part of this vision is forging more intentional partnerships between universities and industry, not by expecting them to be and become the same, but by understanding their distinct roles. When they come together, we spark innovation, and build a pipeline of talent that powers the city's future. At the Mayor's Forum, a map of the city's innovation ecosystem showed just how much is already here, university incubators, research and development labs, startup hubs, and investors. Take Outset Ventures, once a garage for tinkerers, now a 5000 square metre deep tech campus backing world changing companies like Toku Eyes, Wellumio, and Zincovery. Add to that Icehouse Ventures, Bridgewest, and others who've invested in hundreds of early-stage ventures and it's clear: the foundations are strong, the momentum is real. Universities are central to this momentum, as both knowledge producers, and as anchor institutions in the civic and economic fabric of Auckland. At the University of Auckland, initiatives like UniServices, the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Product Accelerator, and MedTech iQ help turn research into real world impact. The Newmarket Innovation Precinct is fast becoming a hub for this work. AUT, through AUT Ventures and a new investment fund, is backing new emerging technologies into startups. Together, these institutions are not only developing ideas, but shaping the people who will drive them. And that's the point: innovation doesn't happen without people. It doesn't happen without belief in our talent, or commitment to supporting it. If we harness the current momentum, Auckland won't just be a great place to live. It will be a city where ideas take root, capital flows, and talent from around the world chooses to stay.
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Cascale Talks ESPR at Innovation Forum Sustainable Apparel Event in Amsterdam
Elisabeth von Reitzenstein, senior director of policy and public affairs at Cascale, recently took to the stage at Innovation Forum's Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference in Amsterdam to discuss Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and how brands can get ahead of implementation. Carsten Wentink, policy officer at the European Commission, joined her for a conversation moderated by Ian Welsh, publishing director at Innovation Forum. Von Reitzenstein noted the significant adaptations that ESPR will require, which will encourage manufacturers and brands to prioritize circularity, transparency, and innovation. She shared key requirements companies must fulfill to comply with ESPR, including proactively integrating eco-design principles, assessing their supply chains, and preparing for Digital Product Passports (DPPs). Von Reitzenstein highlighted the crucial challenges DPPs will present for businesses, particularly those not currently measuring their carbon impact across supply chains. Emphasizing the importance of gathering reliable information from the full scope of suppliers, von Reitzenstein acknowledged the difficulty in collecting comprehensive and accurate data throughout complex global supply chains. She highlighted Cascale's Higg Index tools, exclusively available on Worldly, and how they can support the collection, tracking, and analysis of supply chain data for regulatory compliance. She noted Cascale's continued efforts to support its members along their compliance journeys by providing resources, guidance, and collaborative platforms to navigate the new regulations. Presenting a global perspective, von Reitzenstein emphasized that companies must move beyond compliance to build genuine resilience. She underscored the critical role of education in understanding legislation, highlighting Cascale's 'Navigating Legislation & the Higg Index' webinar series, which explores how Cascale continues to evolve the Higg Index tools to support companies navigating the legislation landscape. She also shared Cascale's ongoing efforts to develop and share resources with its members and Higg Index users to ensure they are well informed and supported in their compliance journeys. Von Reitzenstein reiterated the vital role of industry input, emphasizing the EU's call for businesses to contribute ideas to shape effective eco-design rules and realistic implementation timelines. She reassured members that they are not alone in this journey, as Cascale continues to offer valuable resources and engagement channels for alignment. She also called on the need for collaboration, highlighting the crucial role of industry organizations like Policy Hub — a Cascale ecosystem partner — in uniting the industry's voice to shape the sector's future. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Cascale
Associated Press
04-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Avangrid Brings Together Energy Leaders to Pursue Innovation in Grid Modernization, AI, and Resiliency
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 4, 2025-- Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, hosted its eighth Innovation Forum at The Engine, a nonprofit Tough Tech incubator founded by MIT, to convene key stakeholders to showcase our progress and work towards solving the industry's biggest challenges with innovation. The event was part of the company's larger innovation week, which convened more than 150 thought leaders, startups, universities and students through presentations, workshops, a startup pitch competition and a student career fair. The event highlighted the development, scale up, and deployment of innovative technologies like battery storage, artificial intelligence, dynamic line rating and robotics, along with discussion of opportunities for the industry to better collaborate and facilitate the adoption of innovation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: (From Right to Left) Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra joins Stan Whittingham, SUNY Binghamton Professor and Nobel Laureate, Yet-Ming Chiang, MIT Professor, Co-Founder at Sublime Systems and Form Energy, and Ben Downing, Chief Growth Officer, The Engine 'Avangrid is deeply committed to developing and implementing the most innovative technologies to enhance the efficiency of our own operations, but also to help the U.S. meet its energy needs,' said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. 'The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Avangrid's Innovation Week was a demonstration of the company's dedication to innovation and community engagement to advance affordable energy for Americans.' This event is the culmination of Avangrid's innovation activities across the 8,000-person company. To demonstrate Avangrid's dedication to innovation, the company added a startup pitch competition and student career trek to the week of activities. Last year, Avangrid invested $107M in innovation projects and executed more than ten pilot technology projects with innovative companies and startups. Tyba, LineVision and Boston Dynamics are three examples of recent pilots on display at the forum. These pilots are ambitious initiatives in facilitating energy storage deployment, dynamic line rating, and substation operations. The 2025 Innovation Forum included a distinguished keynote panel to drill down on what it takes to develop and adopt innovation in the energy industry. Yet Ming-Chiang, MIT Professor and Co-Founder of more than six startups, including long duration energy storage company Form Energy and decarbonized cement company Sublime Systems, shared his perspective on scaling 'tough tech' at speed. Stan Whittingham, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his development of lithium-ion batteries in 2019 and is now a distinguished professor at SUNY Binghamton, shared his experience from decades of research and development in the industry. He serves as the Chief Innovation Officer of the New Energy New York (NENY) project, a hub for battery innovation led by Binghamton University. Rounding out the keynote panel was Ben Downing, Chief Growth Officer at The Engine, whose mission is to support startup companies working on scientific and technological breakthroughs with the potential for transformative societal impact. The event also included speakers from Harvard University, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. On top of critical partnerships with research institutions and startup pilot projects, Avangrid promotes innovation through its One Avangrid Accelerator Program and annual student Hackathon. During the second day of the event, Avangrid hosted its inaugural Startup Pitch Competitions to select and fund its next pilot projects. In March, the company opened applications to startups aligned with the theme of 'optimizing the planning, development and operations of energy assets' and received more than 70 applications. After a rigorous selection process, six innovative startups were invited to present their technologies to a panel of expert judges from Avangrid, The Engine, and NREL during the Forum. Firescape was selected as the winner for its advanced wildfire risk and mitigation analytics platform designed for utility applications. The company uses remote sensing and machine learning to help utilities assess and manage wildfire threats, plan mitigation strategies, and improve incident response and recovery. The company is based on Albuquerque, New Mexico and is founded by members of Sandia National Labs. The last portion of Avangrid's Innovation Week included a Career Trek program for approximately 80 university students, who had the opportunity to hear from senior leaders within the company, learn about open roles, and grow their network. About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and Oregon, including operations in 23 states with approximately $47 billion in assets, and has two primary lines of business: networks and power. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its power generation business, Avangrid owns and operates more than 75 energy generation facilities across the United States producing 10.5 GW of power for over 3.1 million customers. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America's best corporate citizens in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year. The company was named among the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2025 for the seventh consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit . 838-292-6869 SOURCE: AVANGRID, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 04/04/2025 05:41 PM/DISC: 04/04/2025 05:42 PM
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Avangrid Brings Together Energy Leaders to Pursue Innovation in Grid Modernization, AI, and Resiliency
Avangrid hosts eighth annual Innovation Forum at The Engine, founded by MIT CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 04, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, hosted its eighth Innovation Forum at The Engine, a nonprofit Tough Tech incubator founded by MIT, to convene key stakeholders to showcase our progress and work towards solving the industry's biggest challenges with innovation. The event was part of the company's larger innovation week, which convened more than 150 thought leaders, startups, universities and students through presentations, workshops, a startup pitch competition and a student career fair. The event highlighted the development, scale up, and deployment of innovative technologies like battery storage, artificial intelligence, dynamic line rating and robotics, along with discussion of opportunities for the industry to better collaborate and facilitate the adoption of innovation. "Avangrid is deeply committed to developing and implementing the most innovative technologies to enhance the efficiency of our own operations, but also to help the U.S. meet its energy needs," said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. "The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Avangrid's Innovation Week was a demonstration of the company's dedication to innovation and community engagement to advance affordable energy for Americans." This event is the culmination of Avangrid's innovation activities across the 8,000-person company. To demonstrate Avangrid's dedication to innovation, the company added a startup pitch competition and student career trek to the week of activities. Last year, Avangrid invested $107M in innovation projects and executed more than ten pilot technology projects with innovative companies and startups. Tyba, LineVision and Boston Dynamics are three examples of recent pilots on display at the forum. These pilots are ambitious initiatives in facilitating energy storage deployment, dynamic line rating, and substation operations. The 2025 Innovation Forum included a distinguished keynote panel to drill down on what it takes to develop and adopt innovation in the energy industry. Yet Ming-Chiang, MIT Professor and Co-Founder of more than six startups, including long duration energy storage company Form Energy and decarbonized cement company Sublime Systems, shared his perspective on scaling "tough tech" at speed. Stan Whittingham, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his development of lithium-ion batteries in 2019 and is now a distinguished professor at SUNY Binghamton, shared his experience from decades of research and development in the industry. He serves as the Chief Innovation Officer of the New Energy New York (NENY) project, a hub for battery innovation led by Binghamton University. Rounding out the keynote panel was Ben Downing, Chief Growth Officer at The Engine, whose mission is to support startup companies working on scientific and technological breakthroughs with the potential for transformative societal impact. The event also included speakers from Harvard University, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. On top of critical partnerships with research institutions and startup pilot projects, Avangrid promotes innovation through its One Avangrid Accelerator Program and annual student Hackathon. During the second day of the event, Avangrid hosted its inaugural Startup Pitch Competitions to select and fund its next pilot projects. In March, the company opened applications to startups aligned with the theme of "optimizing the planning, development and operations of energy assets" and received more than 70 applications. After a rigorous selection process, six innovative startups were invited to present their technologies to a panel of expert judges from Avangrid, The Engine, and NREL during the Forum. Firescape was selected as the winner for its advanced wildfire risk and mitigation analytics platform designed for utility applications. The company uses remote sensing and machine learning to help utilities assess and manage wildfire threats, plan mitigation strategies, and improve incident response and recovery. The company is based on Albuquerque, New Mexico and is founded by members of Sandia National Labs. The last portion of Avangrid's Innovation Week included a Career Trek program for approximately 80 university students, who had the opportunity to hear from senior leaders within the company, learn about open roles, and grow their network. About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and Oregon, including operations in 23 states with approximately $47 billion in assets, and has two primary lines of business: networks and power. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its power generation business, Avangrid owns and operates more than 75 energy generation facilities across the United States producing 10.5 GW of power for over 3.1 million customers. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America's best corporate citizens in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year. The company was named among the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2025 for the seventh consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Florencia 838-292-6869 Sign in to access your portfolio
Zawya
27-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Dubai Municipality hosts first Innovation Forum to celebrate creative solutions and emerging technologies
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: In alignment with UAE Innovation Month (UAE Innovates 2025), Dubai Municipality organised the first Innovation Forum, bringing together leaders from government, academia, and the private sector to celebrate groundbreaking ideas and creative solutions. The forum provided a platform to highlight pioneering projects, encourage knowledge exchange, and strengthen Dubai's position as a global leader in innovation and future foresight. The forum aligns with the objectives of UAE Innovates 2025, which aims to promote community engagement in innovation, foster creative thinking, and develop solutions that drive positive change. The event also supports the UAE's vision to be among the world's most innovative and technologically advanced nations. Fostering a culture of innovation Engineer Ahmed Al Bedawawi, Acting Director of Excellence and Knowledge Department at Dubai Municipality, highlighted the importance of recognising innovators and advancing Dubai's leadership in global innovation indicators: "Through the first Dubai Municipality Innovation Forum, we celebrate the creators, innovators, and young talents whose contributions enhance vital sectors and create lasting impact. Their intellectual and practical efforts drive innovation, creativity, and excellence, shaping the future of our society. The forum also provided an opportunity to honour our government and academic partners, as well as success stories and intellectual property holders who continue to push the boundaries of innovation." Key discussions on AI, digital transformation, and future governance The forum featured dialogue sessions covering four key themes, including the role of foresight and artificial intelligence in promoting government innovation, the importance of urban planning in the era of digital transformation, future trends in regulatory control and inspection, and the latest practices and modern technologies in enhancing governance and oversight. The discussions included contributions from sixteen speakers representing Dubai Municipality, industry experts, and academics from both the public and private sectors. In addition, Dubai Municipality's role in building a sustainable future for the emirate was also discussed, reinforcing innovation-driven governance and smart city initiatives. Recognising outstanding contributions to innovation Dubai Municipality honoured key participants from academic and private sector entities, recognising their contributions to 15 innovative exhibition projects. The forum also celebrated the winners of the Institutional Research Award, acknowledging research efforts that support scientific advancement and technological development. Additionally, the first Hackathon Competition winners were recognised for their innovative community-driven solutions that leverage artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and digital transformation. The winning projects included: (DDD Project): A solution that enhances the building permit system using artificial intelligence, reducing processing time and administrative tasks. (BLUESHIFT Project): A smart water management initiative utilising the Internet of Things (IoT) to recycle water from sewage treatment plants efficiently. (DigiDest Project): A project focused on customer behaviour transformation, encouraging the adoption of smart digital channels to improve service efficiency and reduce costs. As part of its commitment to empowering young innovators, Dubai Municipality also awarded the GeoHub Award to university students, entrepreneurs, and startups integrating geospatial technology, data science, and digital tools into their projects. This initiative reinforces Dubai's vision of becoming a leader in digital innovation, knowledge-driven economies, and sustainable technological development. Driving innovation for a knowledge-based future The UAE Innovation Month remains a pivotal national initiative, reflecting the UAE's long-term vision of designing and shaping the future through innovation. By supporting creative thinking, sustainable investment in human capital, and advanced research, Dubai Municipality continues to foster a progressive and knowledge-based society that leverages technology for sustainable development.
