Some 50 people accompanying Gov. Sandoval on trade mission
CARSON CITY — Nearly 50 people, including many officials with Nevada‘s higher education system, are accompanying Gov. Brian Sandoval on part or all of his two-week trade mission to Europe which is now under way.
Sandoval began the first part of the mission in Ireland on Sunday to form a partnership with IBM to bring attention to Nevada‘s focus on water technology and commercialization. While in Ireland, Sandoval also led discussions about Irish business access to the U.S. market through Nevada.
Sandoval and Steve Hill, director of the Governor‘s Office of Economic Development, were joined by representatives from the Desert Research Institute (DRI), the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), and the Nevada Center of Excellence (NvCOE) in a meeting with IBM to form a partnership with the goal of scaling and commercializing water technology. IBM and the NvCOE developed a framework for enhanced collaboration focused on energy and water quality management system technology.
"As a desert state, our focus on water security has driven research institutions and agencies such as DRI and SNWA to develop industry-leading knowledge on the study of water and has led to the development of several technologies that increase our access to water," Sandoval said. "This new partnership with Ireland IBM will not only strengthen the work our state is doing regarding water, but also will help turn this emerging industry into economic opportunity for the state through technology commercialization."
While in Ireland, Sandoval hosted a round table with Enterprise Ireland, the organization primarily responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets, to discuss the possibility of Irish companies accessing parts of the U.S. market through Nevada.
As one of the largest governor-led trade missions in the state‘s history, the focus of the European trip will be to strengthen bilateral trade partnerships between Nevada and the countries of Ireland, Germany, Poland, England, and Italy.
With a goal to connect Nevada education and research institutions as well as Nevada businesses with opportunities overseas, the trade mission will specifically focus on advanced manufacturing, water technology, mining, information technology, and tourism and hospitality.
The various entities are for the most part paying the travel costs of their representatives on the trip. Sandoval is traveling with his family. Sandoval is paying the travel expenses of his three children.
Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find @seanw801 on Twitter.
