Seventh Global Trade and Investment Forum

Seventh Global Trade and Investment
Forum

April 7, 2022

CIBA’s Seventh Global Forum, held on April 7, 2022, focused on The Southern Tier and the World: Recharging Sustainable Economic Growth with New Battery Technologies. Discussions addressed the future possibilities of clean energy from new battery technologies. The goal of the discussions was to discover opportunities in worldwide connections with clean energy for the economy in New York’s Southern Tier. Attendees and distinguishes speakers considered business investments overseas, international partnerships and global markets to gauge a sense of competition and explore room for expanding business.

Learn about what industry experts said during panel discussions, how the Southern Tier is becoming a national leader in green energy, and more! Read Lorin Miller’s article in the News section!

KEYNOTE ADDRESS. Distinguished Binghamton University Professor and Nobel Prize Laureate M. Stanley Whittingham tells the story of the evolution and implementation of battery technology from his start at Esso (now Exxon Mobil Corporation) in the 1970s to present day. He emphasizes that with the world moving toward renewable energy, we must keep in mind where we will store all of it. Whittingham speaks about the need for a regional supply chain and how it will build a future for safe and secure green energy. In a short Q&A moderated by Andrew Karolyi, Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Whittingham answers questions regarding sustainability, manufacturing, and community engagement. Watch Video at https://youtu.be/Bon17hFUK78

ENERGY STORAGE AS THE BRIDGE TO A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE. CIBA Senior Policy Fellow Ed Kowalewski moderates a discussion between William Acker (Executive Director of NY-BEST), Craig Connelly (Director of Research and Development at NYSERDA), and Chaitanya Sharma (CEO of iM3NY). Topics in this panel include finding an ideal technology profile for energy storage, an introduction to the Endicott Gigafactory and what they will produce, and how a regional supply chain and non-nickel non-cobalt chemistry will help set Southern Tier cell production apart from competitors. Watch Video at https://youtu.be/e-2GcuRvv30

TRANSITIONING FROM LAB SCALE TO MANUFACTURING SCALE. Carol Miller, Executive Director of the Alliance for Manufacturing and Technology, moderates a discussion between Jennifer De Souza (Vice President for Energy Solutions, Procurement and Leasing, The Raymond Corporation), Emmanuel Giannelis (Vice President for Research and Innovation, Cornell University), and Per Stromhaug (Associate Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development, Binghamton University). Panelists discuss the bridge between science and business, nurturing early technologies and methodologies in academia, and building up a commercialization ecosystem in the Southern Tier. Watch Video at https://youtu.be/Xomvbr4fkDk

THE SOUTHERN TIER AS AN EMERGING NATIONAL LEADER IN BATTERY INNOVATION AND COMMUNITY DECARBONIZATION. In a discussion led by Jeffrey Smith, Co-Founder of Tier Energy Network, panelists Shailesh Upreti (CEO of C4V and Chairman of iM3NY), Clifford Olin (Chief Business Development Officer, C4V), and Luis Aguirre-Torres (Director of Sustainability, City of Ithaca), talk about the “smart-giga” lithium-ion technology at the Gigafactory lab, Ithaca’s Green New Deal, and a blueprint for decarbonization. Watch Video at https://youtu.be/giFLxjz0vb4

THE SOUTHERN TIER SOFT LANDING PROGRAM: WELCOMING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT IN THE CLEAN TECH SECTOR. Elena Iankova, CIBA Director and Director of the Southern Tier Soft Landing Program, talks about the new program and its mission to attract international businesses to the Southern Tier. Michael Jagielski (Director of the Southern Tier Clean Energy Incubator Program at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator) discusses the Soft Landing Program’s relationship with the Incubator and how the two programs will bolster an ecosystem where international businesses can thrive locally. Michael Mahan (Director of Cleanwatts Americas) discusses the benefits for this Portuguese startup from its affiliation with the Koffman Incubator and the Soft Landing Program. Luis Aguirre-Torres (City of Ithaca) talks about investing in infrastructure and talent to support a clean energy future. David Ding (Director of Taiwan Investment and Trade Office in New York) discusses the benefits of bilateral trade cooperation between Taiwan and the United States. Watch Video at https://youtu.be/4n4hUVXNK2A