Editor’s note: Susan Sanford is executive director of the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – The world’s leading cleantech regions arrive in the Research Triangle this week to share their expertise, collaborate, and develop business opportunities in the $4.8 trillion clean technology sector.

The 13 cluster organizations, convened by the International Cleantech Network (ICN), will be hosted by the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster (RTCC) and UNC Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment during its fifth annual Clean Tech Summit. The delegation hails from France, the Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and Sweden.

We look forward to this second visit from ICN for the potential to connect our local companies to international markets.  It’s also an anniversary celebration. The Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster was formed, in part, following an invitation from the prominent network to become its first U.S. location six years ago.

Joining this global network has proven to be a winning decision for our region. Since the cleantech leaders last met in North Carolina in 2011, the Research Triangle has grown its reputation as a major contributor to a rapidly-evolving cleantech industry. Our region boasts more than 12,000 people employed in the sector (an 88 percent increase since 2009) and an economic impact of more than $1.6 billion annually.

Our regional cleantech industry is driving innovation with more cleantech patents (per 1 million residents) than anywhere else in the country and more than $200 million in cleantech venture capital deals. RTCC, meanwhile, has grown its membership to more than 65 companies and organizations since its inception and has expanded the region’s reputation beyond smart grid leadership to include smart water, intelligent transportation, IoT, smart cities, analytics, and converging industries.

Since our founding, RTCC has had one primary purpose—to tell the story of our region as a global leader in cleantech innovation. And by forging relationships across the world and within our region, we are driving value for our members. RTI International, for example, leveraged RTCC to connect with and join the ICN-backed C40 Cities initiative, where RTI’s expertise is being used to tackle climate change and manage waste in the world’s megacities.

RTCC has also been invited to participate and represent the greater Triangle in globally-focused conferences such as Pollutec, BePositive, and Smart City Expo World Congress. Through ICN, RTCC members promote the region and their businesses internationally. The ICN Passport program, for example, provides cluster member with a desk and a place to work and strategic business connections in ICN member regions.

But cleantech companies can get a jumpstart on these international connections tonight. Join us for networking on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 5 p.m., at Jordan Lake Brewing Company. We will have lightning presentations from RTCC Entrepreneurs 3DFS and PlotWatt and plenty of cleantech and ICN members in attendance.

Those interested in attending the UNC Clean Tech Summit can reserve tickets ($275 for full passes with government, student, and partial attendance discounts) online.