UNC Cleantech Summit
The 10th annual UNC Cleantech Summit
On March 21 – 22, 2024 more than 1,000 industry professionals, government officials, and students from different North Carolina universities participated in the 10th annual UNC Cleantech Summit at the UNC Friday Conference Center.
The two-day Summit event has grown to be the largest event of its kind by a university. The event featured U.S. Federal government officials, global leaders, entrepreneurs, and students who shared and celebrated the innovations reshaping energy, food, batteries, biotechnology, and more.
During the 2024 Summit, attendees enjoyed panels with more than 200 speakers and 14 keynotes including Michael Regan, EPA Administrator; Frank Holding, Chairman and CEO of First Citizens Bank; President and CEO of Avangrid, Catherine Stempien and Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Company, among others.
Participants attended 40+ breakout sessions across nine tracks that explored the global energy transition and energy trends, biotechnology, mobility, green chemistry, the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), decarbonization, circularity, and more.
The event also featured an evening reception, an in-person career fair, and a Mentor Match program where industry professionals are matched with students based on student career interests.
First-ever Cleantech Week
This year, the first Cleantech Week was held and featured three (3) separate programs that included:
- “How to Build a Strong Cleantech Ecosystem in RTP” for practitioners, researchers, and regional talent to discuss building a strong cleantech ecosystem in the Research Triangle Park. Guest speakers included Ryan Dinks, the COO of Greentown Labs and Dougan Sherwood and Carrie Allen from Cambridge Innovation Center.
- “New Directions in Energy Policy” featured Stephen Gross, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Center of European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University, and a panel discussion. The event was co-funded by the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union.
- “Transatlantic Marketplace” was an afternoon event and networking reception for professionals to discuss ways to grow the green marketplace. Attendees included European startups, American VCs, and technology scouts from utility and chemical companies.
Looking Ahead to 2025
We are thrilled to share that UNC Cleantech Week will kick off with the 11th annual UNC Cleantech Summit on Monday, March 24 – Tuesday, March 25, 2025 with additional programming on March 26th (TBD).
Interested in participating in the 2025 UNC Cleantech Summit as a sponsor or speaker? Contact Dr. Greg Gangi or Kiersten Wolf Williams for more information.
Hear what business leaders say about the UNC Cleantech Summit
Cleantech Spotlight
SunCast Media Series from the 2023 UNC Cleantech Summit
In 2023, the UNC Cleantech Summit collaborated with SunCast Media to create a series of speaker interviews from this two-day event. These videos share key insights from the CEOs of Dominion Power, APS Energy/Pinnacle West, Strata Clean Energy, the Dept of Energy, and a dozen more. These are candid conversations with industry leaders about the state of the cleantech market today, trending energy topics, and what to expect in the near future. Special thanks to our MediaZone sponsors: Eaton, CPS Energy, and Joule Case. Click the button below to watch an interview with Bob Blue, CEO of Dominion Energy followed by his keynote speech and fireside chat from the 2023 UNC Cleantech Summit. You can watch the complete UNC Cleantech Summit playlist on YouTube.
Co-hosts
This event is co-hosted by:
