A delegation consisting of stakeholders, cluster members, and team members of the Barbados Bloom Cleantech Cluster attended the 5th GN-SEC Steering committee meeting in Vienna, Austria, where they presented the Blooom Cleantech cluster and projects by four incubation members including renewable energy solutions. The group consisting of twelve members from Export Barbados, Bloom Cleantech Cluster, The Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, the University of the West Indies and the Barbados Chamber of Commerce arrived in Vienna on September 4th, 2022.

As part of the expert meeting and training trip coordinated by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Export Barbados and Bloom, the Barbados Cleantech Cluster and several of its stakeholders attended the 5th GN-SEC steering committee meeting on September 6th, 2022 in Vienna, Austria.

During the conference, Mr. Jari Aaltonen, the Bloom cluster manager and Dr. Terrell Thompson, Export Barbados’ Life Sciences Coordinator presented on the Barbados Bloom Cluster pilot, while four of the Bloom incubator program’s entrepreneurs were able to present their business pitches on energy and circular economy island solutions to attendees from UNIDO and other renewable energy organisations at the steering committee meeting in the Vienna International Centre (VIC). The owners and founders from within the incubation programme who presented their projects at the conference included Kerri Ann Bovell (Ecomyco), Deandra Crawford (The Green Collective 246), Joshua Forte (Red Diamond Compost Inc.) and Robert Goodridge (Goodridge Power Inc.).

The trip was also designed to broaden the knowledge and capacity of entrepreneurs and Cluster stakeholders through tours to other clusters and renewable energy businesses in Graz, Vienna, Malmo, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark. The Barbados Bloom contingent had the opportunity to meet, network, and knowledge share with other cleantech companies, start-ups, and entrepreneurs while also obtaining first hand experiences of the latest European cleantech innovations of relevance to the Caribbean environment.

Dr. Thompson, Life Sciences Coordinator, Export Barbados (BIDC), noted that the cluster members were pleased with the fresh knowledge and contacts they gained during the trip, while stakeholders were reminded of the Bloom cluster’s relevance to Barbados and the Caribbean in fostering cooperation in the renewable energy sector. As a result, the cluster remains committed to the continued expansion and improvement of its operations for the benefit of the renewable energy sector.

About Bloom Cleantech Cluster: The Bloom Cleantech Cluster, is a Global Environmental Facility (GEF) funded initiative established in Barbados to promote sustainable energy and climate technology through industrial development and entrepreneurship. The Cluster is managed by Export Barbados (BIDC), with assistance from UNIDO and oversight from the Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science, and Technology (MIIST).