Cleantech Commons™

What Cleantech Commons™ does

Cleantech Commons™ is an 85-acre cleantech research and innovation park affiliated with Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, operated as a partnership between Trent University and the City of Peterborough. The park is designed to host a cluster of cleantech companies, startups, spinout ventures, and corporate accelerators focused on clean, green, low-carbon, sustainable, and circular economy technologies, with sector focus on water technology, biomaterials, and agri-food. Its value proposition is built on co-location with Trent University's research facilities, including the Water Quality Centre (Canada's most comprehensive mass spectrometry facility), the Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research, and the Inorganic Materials Research Laboratory, with access to 70+ faculty in environment and bio-sciences and 175+ graduate students annually.

The park's product surface includes shovel-ready land parcels (Phase 1 municipal servicing completed at end of 2023), office and laboratory space in multi-tenant buildings, the Trent Enterprise Centre (a clean technology accelerator and scale-up facility), the Cleantech Innovation Portal (a virtual marketplace connecting city-makers, innovators, and investors), and the Virtual Concierge Service (front-desk support for prospective tenants and ecosystem participants). Cleantech Commons does not develop proprietary cleantech technology; it provides the physical and virtual infrastructure that enables tenant companies to leverage Trent University research assets and a curated network of program partners including Bioenterprise Canada, GreenCentre Canada, Ontario Genomics, ProLytics Research Synergies, the Rotary Club of Peterborough/Kawartha, IISD Experimental Lakes Area, and the Fleming College Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment.

Revenue is generated primarily through commercial real estate leasing of office space, laboratory space, and land parcels, with quote-based leases negotiated individually based on tenant requirements and billed on an annual cadence. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. GTM operates through two primary distribution channels: direct leasing handled by the City of Peterborough's Director of Economic Development (Darryl Julott), and research collaborations handled by Trent University's Senior Director of Research and Innovation (Christopher Rooney), with a complementary self-serve channel via the Cleantech Innovation Portal. The park holds a UNCTAD/GASEZ SDG Model Zone designation (2023), and Trent University ranks #3 in Canada in the 2020 UI GreenMetric World University Rankings.

Name

Cleantech Commons™

Legal name

Cleantech Commons™

Website

https://cleantechcommons.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cleantech Commons™ is an 85-acre research and innovation park at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. It leases office, lab, and land to cleantech startups, growth ventures, and corporate accelerators, with access to university research facilities and accelerator services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Park / Innovation Incubation

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Lab Furniture, Facilities & Utilities (Benches, Casework, Gas/Water Systems) (HLAGAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Land-Grant Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Research park operations
• Cleantech incubation services
• Commercial lab leasing
• Innovation ecosystem development
• Accelerator facility management

Headquarters

HQ city

Peterborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Commercial Real Estate Leasing: Cleantech Commons generates revenue through leasing of office space, laboratory space, and land parcels to cleantech companies. Tenants can lease space in state-of-the-art multi-tenant buildings or lease land to erect customized facilities designed to their specifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cleantech Commons operates an 85-acre research and innovation park at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, leasing multi-tenant office and laboratory space, shovel-ready land parcels, and providing tenants with access to academic research, talent, and specialized facilities such as the Water Quality Centre and Biomaterials Research Centre. The park complements its physical tenancy with the Cleantech Innovation Portal (a virtual marketplace linking cleantech innovators, city-makers, and investors), the Trent Enterprise Centre accelerator facility, and the Virtual Concierge Service for business support and funding navigation.

Product overview

Cleantech Commons™ operates as a unified 85-acre research and innovation park at Trent University, offering a portfolio of interconnected services including physical real estate (shovel-ready sites, office and laboratory spaces, land for custom facilities), the Cleantech Innovation Portal virtual marketplace, the Trent Enterprise Centre accelerator facility, and Virtual Concierge Service for business support. The ecosystem is designed to support cleantech ventures from ideation through incubation and commercialization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cleantech Innovation Portal: A virtual marketplace that brings together city-makers, innovators and investors to accelerate the impact of innovation in communities.
• Trent Enterprise Centre
• Virtual Concierge Service (VCS)

Products and services

• Cleantech Innovation Portal Virtual marketplace connecting city-makers, innovators, and investors to accelerate the impact of cleantech innovation in communities and provide access to commercial opportunities for cleantech companies.
• Trent Enterprise Centre Clean technology accelerator and scale-up facility at Cleantech Commons designed to enhance technology development and startup formation from research.
• Virtual Concierge Service (VCS) Service providing tenants and portal clients with access to programs, funding opportunities, mentorship, and business support, and serving as a virtual front desk connecting prospective tenants with appropriate contacts and resources.
• Shovel-Ready Land Parcels for Custom Facilities Serviced land parcels available at the 85-acre research park for immediate development, allowing tenants to erect customized facilities designed to their specifications, subject to Design and Development Guidelines.
• Multi-Tenant Office and Laboratory Space Leasable office and laboratory space within state-of-the-art multi-tenant buildings at the Cleantech Commons research park, with leases negotiated individually based on space requirements, facility type, and lease duration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of research parks report having significant impact on strengthening industry clusters (Association of University Research Parks)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• Rotary Club of Peterborough/KawarthamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2023Cleantech Commons is the founding Title Partner of the Rotary Environmental Innovators Fund (REIF), designed to advance environmental awareness, sustainability, remediation, and innovation by supporting new environmental initiatives across Peterborough and the Kawarthas.
• ProLytics Research SynergiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2023New 'knowledge partnership' designed to support startup and spinout ventures in developing, testing, and scaling novel products while addressing affordability and expertise challenges. Contributes vital employment opportunities for Trent graduates and post-doctoral research fellows. This is the first of several new knowledge partnerships the research park is putting in place with professional service providers.
• GreenCentre CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 October 2022Partnership helps accelerate the development of innovative green and sustainable solutions addressing energy, environmental, and climate challenges. Programs include Advance-ON and Mobilize programs for early-stage companies.
• Ontario GenomicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2022Partnership provides funding and tech development to early-stage genomics companies in health, food and agriculture, and cleantech sectors through the BioCreate program. Other partners include Velocity (Waterloo), McMaster Innovation Park, and Toronto Metropolitan University Science Discovery Zone.
• Green Economy PeterboroughmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2021Cleantech Commons is a founding member of this local network aimed at reducing emissions, water, and waste within organizations. Focuses on practical sustainability solutions for the Peterborough business community.
• Bioenterprise CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2021Partnership brings agritech and food accelerator services to research park clients. Provides targeted business acceleration services, specialized agritech and food expertise, national networks, and mentorship framework. Bioenterprise has also launched the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub in collaboration with OMAFRA.
• StrikeUP CanadasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to support women entrepreneurs through the StrikeUP Digital Conference, providing a forum for growth, mentorship, and financing for women entrepreneurs in the cleantech sector.
• International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleantech Commons is an IASP Canada member. One of 17 IASP members (from over 300 members across 80 countries) selected to form part of the first-ever SDG Model Zones cohort by GASEZ.
• Global Alliance of Special Economic Zones (GASEZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGASEZ is a UNCTAD program selecting Cleantech Commons as one of 50 international SDG Model Zones recognizing commitment to sustainable development. Makes the park eligible to receive U.N. technical assistance in investment for sustainable development.
• Trent UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleantech Commons is a Trent University-affiliated Research and Technology Park. The partnership provides the community with access to cutting-edge resources, facilities, academic and corporate connections, and collaborative research opportunities. Dr. Cathy Bruce, Trent's President, previously served on the Cleantech Commons Management Committee.
• City of PeterboroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleantech Commons is a partnership between Trent University and the City of Peterborough. The City manages leasing opportunities through its Director of Economic Development.
• Spark CentresupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaboration on Intellectual Property Masterclass series covering topics like 'Protecting Your Company When Collaborating and Monetizing IP', patent drafting, and IP assist and funding opportunities.
• Fleming College - Centre for Alternative Wastewater TreatmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in proximity to Cleantech Commons, the Centre is an internationally-recognized research institution with a long list of companies supported as they take innovations from discovery to commercialization. Specializes in alternative wastewater treatment technologies.
• Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic DevelopmentsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerEconomic development organization assisting companies interested in doing business in the Peterborough & Kawarthas region. Contact for media inquiries: Rhonda Keenan, President & CEO.
• Urban Living FuturessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to promote Canadian cleantech innovation through the Cleantech Innovation Portal, a virtual marketplace connecting city-makers, innovators, and investors.
• IISD Experimental Lakes AreasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on ELA Hackathon 2023, inviting students and young professionals to hack one of the longest unbroken environmental datasets in the world.
• Bereskin & Parr LLPsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBoutique IP law firm partnering on Intellectual Property Masterclass series covering patent drafting, filing strategies, and IP protection when collaborating and monetizing IP.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Research Triangle Park: One of the largest research parks in the world, anchored by Duke, UNC, and NC State. Comparable as a major multi-stakeholder research park focused on technology commercialization and innovation ecosystem development.
• Stanford Research Park: Established Stanford University-affiliated research park hosting technology companies with deep academic integration. Comparable as a benchmark university-affiliated research park with mature tenant programming and academic collaboration.
• Cummings Research Park: One of the largest research parks in the U.S., located in Huntsville, Alabama with a heavy concentration of biotech, aerospace, and advanced technology tenants. Comparable as a large-scale research park offering specialized facilities to science-based ventures.
• Innovation Quarter: Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, NC, is an established mixed-use research park with life sciences and information technology clusters. Comparable as a major research park supporting cleantech-adjacent companies in a university-adjacent urban setting.

Direct peers

• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub hosting cleantech, health, and fintech ventures with a similar university and corporate partnership model. Most directly comparable Canadian research park operating a vertical-agnostic tenant ecosystem with research collaboration support.
• Velocity: University of Waterloo-affiliated startup incubator and research park, explicitly listed as an Ontario Genomics BioCreate partner alongside Cleantech Commons. Comparable as a Canadian university-affiliated innovation hub supporting tech and science ventures.
• McMaster Innovation Park: Hamilton, Ontario research park affiliated with McMaster University, also an Ontario Genomics BioCreate partner. Comparable as a Canadian university-affiliated research park offering lab and office space to science-based ventures.
• Toronto Metropolitan University Science Discovery Zone: Toronto Metropolitan University-affiliated research and innovation zone for science-based companies, listed alongside Cleantech Commons as an Ontario Genomics BioCreate partner. Comparable as a Canadian university-affiliated research park supporting emerging ventures.

Emerging players

• District 3 Innovation Centre: Concordia University-affiliated startup incubator and innovation hub in Montreal supporting early-stage ventures including cleantech. Comparable as a Canadian university-affiliated early-stage innovation hub with a comparable partnership-driven programming model.

Regional players

• Surrey Innovation Boulevard: Canadian research and innovation corridor in Surrey, British Columbia, focused on healthtech, cleantech, and digital health ventures. Comparable as a Canadian research park with a similar cleantech and life sciences focus but serving a different regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleantechcommons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cleantech Commons™