International Cleantech Network
Challenges
Help in finding the most innovative solutions in the market
Joining ICN means you are already stepping into a founded relationship where innovators, research institutions, and corporates from across the globe rely on the assurance of team spirit: we’re all in this together. Trust is a crucial conviction for membership and continues to be built through collaboration. Further, this trust in collaboration is what leads to solving the world’s most vigorous challenges. Challenges that we scout, source, and secure for our members.
Acting as facilitator between clusters, we help narrow the scope of an ever-expanding field. The number of new start-ups and SMEs has grown exponentially over the past years. This means that there is a vast array of innovative solutions out there that can make identifying the right one for answering challenges its own obstacle.
At ICN we offer an innovation scouting service which will help you identify the most relevant solution for your corporate.
Partner with ICN to:
- Access to our global ecosystem of over 16,000 SMEs and 130+ universities & research institutes
- A tailor-made process which helps filter the most relevant solution in our ecosystem for your needs
- Help in reaching out to the most relevant market(s), as this often is the most difficult part.
Through involving ICN in this innovation scouting process you will be best placed to acquire the most innovative technologies the world has to offer and realize your global goals.
The ICN Secretariat has perfected a roadmap whereby we mature leads gathered from our network and assist local authorities in identifying solutions and changing their procurement standards.
Challenge program
- Phase 1:The process begins with a scoping exercise conducted in collaboration with the local authority
- Phase 2:After scoping the challenge in terms that are relevant for SMEs, ICN engages in a communications campaign to engage the network’s vast SME network in the challenge process.
- Phase 3: At this stage, one of two methodologies is used depending on the nature of the challenge.
Narrow need: If the challenge is a relatively narrowly scoped need, the Secretariat simply organizes an application and selection process in coordination with the challenge owner.
Complex Need: If the challenge is complex, a more open-ended and collaborative process is implemented. SMEs and other stakeholders such as public officials and researchers are invited to participate in a workshop process aiming to define the challenge. Once the boundaries have been scoped, stakeholders collaborate on co-creating solutions in further workshops.
- Phase 4:Finally, each group of partners presents their solution to the challenge owner, who decides which solution to move forward with.
Get in touch with us to explore how we can help you engage cutting-edge cleantech innovators!
Members
The members of ICN are characterized by their public-private setups which involves SMEs and other stakeholders from various industries such as water, circular economy and energy. Together, ICN clusters mobilize a large breadth of cleantech ecosystems. ICN’s 21 members meet on a regular basis, have personal relationships and mutual trust and confidence, all of which are key to the organization's activities. These members represent the world’s leading cleantech regions, connecting thousands of organizations consisting of businesses, public authorities and research institutions.
