economic development/business Archives - Baltimore Sister Cities

Sept 21 / Expand your Maryland business overseas

Join this event to learn about the benefits of exporting and programs to help your business!

Want to expand your business reach overseas? Attend this forum in Howard County to hear from representatives of Maryland’s Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service, Center for Global Business at the Smith School of Business, and the Maryland-DC District Export Council.

Date/time: Thursday September 21, 2023 at 9-10:30 am ET
Location: Howard County Economic Development Authority, 6751 Columbia Gateway Dr., First Floor Conference Room, Columbia, MD 21046
Admission: Advance registration required
More info and to register: Event page

What You’ll Learn:

How exporting can benefit your business
Federal and state resources to help Maryland companies advance their export sales
Information about applying for export grant funds up to $5,000 and other export financing options
Private sector led networking opportunities and mentoring
Export counseling & training opportunities
Free and low-cost match making services and trade show opportunities

Maryland’s Global Gateway for Businesses

Maryland’s Global Gateway program includes:

Soft landing programs

Foreign companies interested in the US market can soft land in Maryland at participating sites to test out the U.S. market at an affordable rate. The soft landing sites provide participating companies with access to facilities, resources, advisors, and more. Program is coordinated by Maryland Department of Commerce. More info

Maryland companies can explore a foreign market by landing at one of Maryland’s partner locations around the world, including South Korea, Japan, Netherlands, France, UK, and Ireland. Program is coordinated by Maryland Department of Commerce. In addition, financial assistance via the ExportMD grant is available to eligible companies. More info

Maryland Innovation Lab

Launched in 2023, this program matches global startup and scaleup companies from around the world with companies from Maryland who can benefit from their innovative technology. The new “couples” will work together for up to 10 weeks, with strategic support from the lab’s partners. Program is led by World Trade Center Institute Baltimore (WTCI) in partnership with Maryland Department of Commerce and L Marks, a corporate innovation specialist. More info

June 2 / Baltimore Immigration Summit

Working Towards Equity: Strength and Transformation in Immigrant Communities

When: Friday, June 2, 2023, 8am – 4pm ET
Location: Towson University, West Village Commons Towson, MD 21252
More info: Event page (Registration has reached capacity and is now closed.)

Towson University and the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) host the 10th Baltimore Immigration Summit at West Village Commons at Towson University, returning after a three-year hiatus. This is a one-day event bringing together academics, policymakers, service providers, activists, community leaders and others working with and for New Americans (immigrants and refugees) in the Baltimore region. The 2023 theme is ”Working Towards Equity: Strength and Transformation in Immigrant Communities.”

The Baltimore Immigration Summit is a one-day event that brings together academics, policymakers, service providers, activists, community leaders, and others working with and for New Americans (immigrants and refugees) in our region. Baltimore and its surrounding suburbs represent an area with a growing and diverse New American population, and local governments view New Americans as essential to the region’s ongoing resurgence. We invite you to join us in celebrating the continued work of welcoming New Americans in the Baltimore area and discovering new opportunities for collaboration!

Baltimore Sister Cities will have a table at this event. Stop by our table to meet us and find out more about what we do!

November 11, 2022 | Application Deadline for Global Gateway Program

September 2022 – November 2022

Applications Being Accepted from Overseas Companies to Maryland’s Global Gateway Program

Applications for the new Maryland Global Gateway program are now available. This program will provide incentives for the first 50 eligible companies, including:

Funding towards rent costs for six months for more than 20 business incubators and accelerators across the state
Assistance with business registration costs for foreign companies who choose to stay in Maryland
Training, mentoring, matchmaking, and networking through both state government and local incubator programs

Applications are due by November 11, 2022.

See Press Release here.

November 16, 2022 | 16th Annual CHINA Town Hall

The 16th annual CHINA Town Hall will be hosted nationwide by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) and in Baltimore by the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee. The 2022 event will feature former (2009-2011) Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. in a national conversation on how the U.S.-China relationship affects our cities, towns, and communities.

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

December 7, 2022 | 13th Annual State of the Ports

Want to hear the latest on transportation and trade in the Mid-Atlantic? Leaders of the Port of Baltimore and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will headline this event, where they will talk about challenges they are grappling with and innovative solutions they are putting in place. Joining them will be other transportation and trade experts, all who will lead sessions on a variety of issues related to the engines that power global business in the Mid-Atlantic. The annual event is hosted by the World Trade Center Institute, Ports America Chesapeake, and the Maryland Department of Transportation. This year’s event will be in person, with the option to attend virtually. The event includes a reception with international drink tastings provided by embassies.

Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Time: 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST
Location: World Trade Center Baltimore, 401 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21202
Register and learn more here.

Sep. 8-11, 2022 | Xiamen China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CFIT)

The BXSCC and our partners return to China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) this year!

Baltimore and Maryland will be represented in-person at the China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT), the largest investment and trade promotion activity in China, which takes place annually in Xiamen.

Our booth at this year’s fair is presented in partnership with the Maryland Department of Commerce and Maryland Center China, with the assistance of Baltimore Development Corp. and Visit Baltimore.

All flyers from Maryland and Baltimore will be accessible to attendees via a QR code that leads to this landing page.

Supported by Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee (BXSCC).

Maryland, USA Delegation September 2022

Maryland state’s Department of Commerce leads a business development mission to the Netherlands in September 2022, with visits to the European Water Technology Week in Leeuwarden and to the Rotterdam/The Hague region.

About Maryland

Maryland is a state located on the east coast of the United States next to Washington, D.C. It is home of the Chesapeake Bay, the port of Baltimore, extensive river tributaries, forests, agricultural lands, ocean-front beaches and mountains.

Maryland is a leader in innovation, implementation, and manufacturing in advanced technologies related to water, also known as “blue tech”, which is one of Maryland’s emerging industries. Maryland is very concerned with climate change issues, environmental sustainability and water quality. New focus has been placed on reaching carbon reduction targets, building alternative energy sources, rebuilding its natural ecosystem (including oysters), purifying its water and reducing urban heat islands.

Maryland is your gateway to the USA

Maryland is the ideal place to expand your business to the USA, and for you to find Maryland partners to assist in addressing the environmental challenges facing us all.

Maryland has developed innovative programs and incentives to help international companies interested in developing a presence in the U.S. market, including the Maryland Global Gateway soft landing program: https://commerce.maryland.gov/softlanding

Learn more about doing business in Maryland:
https://open.maryland.gov/information-for/international-business

Meet the Maryland companies

Maryland’s September 2022 delegation to the Netherlands includes:

Early Charm — A venture builder that converts science to business. It specializes in turning brilliant scientific discoveries into companies focused on growth. With a decade of experience, its companies have grown into manufacturers of specialty products, innovators for aquaculture farms, and builders of engineered products for use in healthcare.
Website: www.earlycharm.com

Innovatreat — Innovatreat’s miniMBR is an extremely efficient pre-engineered system excelling in decentralized nutrient removal and water reuse applications. The miniMBR utilizes externally mounted, vertically-oriented tubular ultra-filter membranes for biomass separation. Its one-of-a-kind, hydraulic pattern contributes to the highest energy efficiency of any MBR available on the market today.
Website: innovatreat.com

Tetrahedron, Inc. — Provides environmental services in the USA and internationally. Its services include drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater management. Its expertise has been in conducting water quality assessments with respect to all contaminants including organics, inorganics, disinfectant by-products, explosives, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microorganisms.
Website: tetrahedron-inc.com

Blue Sources — Provides real-time, early warning systems that detect toxic chemicals in drinking water distribution and raw water systems. Additionally, its products and services are used for monitoring wastewater effluent and EPA superfund sites discharging water. In support of water security monitoring tasks, it provides consulting, technical, and managed services.
Website: www.bluesources.com

GaiaXus — Develops water environmental monitors for citizen science, school education, and academic research. Its first system is an IoT water quality system with integrated educational content. The system measures common water quality parameters such as salinity, temperature, and turbidity and is open for collaborators to add their specialized sensors.
Website: gaiaxus.com

Ranging from off-the-shelf options to bespoke solutions, these companies provide wide ranging blue tech services including water quality testing, recycling, monitoring, education, security, management and more. Large or small, on the ground or over the web, these leaders can meet your needs.

For more information

Contact the delegation’s leader:
Andrew Kreinik, Regional Manager for Europe and Australia at Maryland Department of Commerce: andrew.kreinik@maryland.gov
(or contact Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee)

Maryland Commerce’s blog post:
https://open.maryland.gov/blog/maryland-blue-tech-sector-on-full-display-at-european-water-technology-week

About the delegation trip:
https://baltimoresistercities.org/blue2022/

Venture Cafe Rotterdam September 22 networking event:
https://venturecaferotterdam.org/sessions/break-out-learn-more-about-maryland-and-opportunities-to-land-here/

Logos of the Maryland companies in delegation: Early Charm, Tetrahedron, Innovatreat, Blue Sources, GaiaXus

2021 Year in Review: Baltimore Sister Cities

Annual Report & Plan

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Accomplishments Report for 2021 (PDF, 3mb)

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Plan for 2022 (PDF, 1.3mb)

Some of our 2021 highlights:

Photo collage of Baltimore Sister Cities 2021 activities - the activities are described in the report.

2nd photo collage of Baltimore Sister Cities 2021 activities - the activities are described in the report.

Baltimore-Xiamen chair speaks at Baltimore Mayor’s “410 Report” event

Xin (Cindy) Wang (Chair, Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee) was one of the speakers in the 2022 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month edition of Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s “410 Report.” Other speakers included HyeSook Chung (President, Baltimore Civic Fund), Cori Dioquino (Co-Executive Director & Co-Founder, Asian Pasifika Arts Collective), and Heang Tan (Deputy Commissioner, Office of Aging). Mayor Scott and these members of our local Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community celebrated the contributions and experiences of our city’s AAPI communities. With a rich history in our city, AAPI communities continue to be a thriving source of what makes Baltimore, Baltimore. The program was originally broadcasted on Thursday, May 19, 2022, on the Mayor’s Facebook page, the CharmTV Facebook page, and the Mayor’s Instagram page.

To view a recording of this program, visit the CharmTV Facebook page.