RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Just over a month ago, Deb Wojcik chose to leave Duke University to head up the Research Triangle CleanTech Cluster, and she did so knowing that climate change becomes an ever increasing issue of concern globally. Wojcik says industry can help wage the battle to over time reduce the threat. And she wants to help RTCC wage the battle.

“My career has long been about understanding stakeholders’ needs and creating impactful connections among both known stakeholders and new partners to address complex challenges, particularly in the environmental sector. Creating these connections—among our industry, government, and academic partners—is a critical part of RTCC’s strategic work going forward as we work to accelerate innovation and deployment,” she says. “There is a great opportunity to expand our RTCC network and create even more impact through and for our members and collaborators.”

Before joining the RTCC,  Wojcik was the managing director of graduate programs and services for the Pratt School of Engineering and the Nicolas School of the Environment at Duke University. Her background in environmental work and study is extensive, as noted in hre biography:

“Wojcik was Managing Director of Graduate Programs & Services for the Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, and the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, where she focused on building innovative programs, industry engagement, and career development. She held previous positions with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the North Carolina Estuarine Research Reserve, University of Florida, and Stanford University. Wojcik earned a PhD from the University of Florida focused on adaptive management, environmental education and communication, and community-based natural resource management, with doctoral work in the Okavango Delta region of Botswana. She holds a master’s degree from Duke University in environmental management and science education.”

In an exclusive Q&A with WRAL TechWire, Wojcik talks about climate change and the impact more climate sensitive cleantech can make a difference.

  •  What are the trends that you’ve seen emerge in the last decade in the clean tech sector, particularly in the Triangle?

When RTCC formed nearly a decade ago, the organization’s primary focus mirrored that of the cleantech industry in the Triangle. We placed a strong emphasis on smart grids and clean energy, water, and transportation, based on momentum in the sector and research conducted by RTCC Board Member RTI International. These areas are still core to the sector, especially as companies and government entities set ambitious decarbonization and resource use reduction goals that will require the deployment of existing and developing technologies.

Deb Wojcik is the new executive director of the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster (RTCC). Image provided by RTCC.

In addition to those early focal areas, companies in the Triangle are taking on a much broader set of sustainability challenges and more closely linking sustainability goals to strategy. The cleantech sector is benefitting from greater investments in research and innovation, resulting in more overall involvement in the sector. The result is greater diversification within the sector with more companies and products—ranging from advanced leak detection technologies to the electrification of transportation to technologies that can enhance both citizen engagement and sustainability.

As interest and corporate investment in the cleantech sector has expanded, so too has the network of non-profit organizations working in this space, providing exciting opportunities for RTCC to foster new collaborations and partnerships and support continued growth of the sector in our region. This is an exciting time to be working in cleantech in the Triangle.

  • Forgive the blunt nature of the framing of this question: why should people care about clean tech and about the work of the RTCC at this point in time?

The impacts and risks of climate change—increased intensity of hurricanes, drought, wildfires, sea level rise—have become increasingly evident and important to consider here in North Carolina. The most recent United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, released on August 9, makes it clear that we must act—quickly and definitively—to curtail emissions, accelerate the clean energy transition, and take a wide range of sustainability-focused actions to prevent the worst possible climate consequences.

Cleantech is one of the most high-impact ways to address these challenges, as cleantech innovations and investments can help us better understand, mitigate for, and prevent these negative impacts and deliver innovative solutions to our biggest climate challenges. RTCC’s model of bringing together industry, government, and academic collaborators to advance innovation and deployment is a powerful way to effectively coordinate and accelerate progress at larger scales. As more and more tech companies call the Triangle home, we will continue to seek opportunities to create impact through this multi-sectoral approach to collaboration.

  • How will your work as executive director advance this work?

My work will focus on identifying opportunities to build the cleantech sector. A key role is to connect the dots among those who have technologies that can improve energy efficiency, increase sustainability, or reduce carbon emissions with those who can accelerate deployment and innovation. RTCC is doing some critical strategic work to determine where these opportunities exist and how we can make the most of them. I’m eager to expand RTCC’s impact, share the many success stories that make the Triangle and North Carolina a leader of innovation in the cleantech sector, and continue to build our reputation to bring further economic and technology development to the Triangle and state.

  • What specifically in your background has prepared you to lead the organization at this stage in both your career and in the organization’s history? What’s the opportunity in front of the RTCC and how are you envisioning your work moving forward?

My career has long been about understanding stakeholders’ needs and creating impactful connections among both known stakeholders and new partners to address complex challenges, particularly in the environmental sector. Creating these connections—among our industry, government, and academic partners—is a critical part of RTCC’s strategic work going forward as we work to accelerate innovation and deployment. There is a great opportunity to expand our RTCC network and create even more impact through and for our members and collaborators.

Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster hires Duke U. exec as new director

Since first arriving in North Carolina nearly three decades ago, I have worked with nonprofits, universities, and government agencies to address environmental issues through outreach, education, and policy. I spent some time away as I pursued my PhD and post-doctoral work, which helped expand my lens around climate challenges and opportunities. At Stanford University, I came to understand how partnerships among industry and university partners worked to advance innovation in Silicon Valley.

When I came back to the Triangle about six years ago, I began a second stint working at Duke University, this time with a focus on career and professional development to ensure we can connect innovative, mission-based companies and organizations with the talent they need to do the great work that needs to be done.

I’m excited to bring these experiences together to advance RTCC’s model for strategic collaborations in the Triangle, where I am deeply invested not only in my role as executive director but as a community member.

  • What’s the state of funding for clean tech innovations?  What about policy – local, state, or federal – implications for the industry?

There is a great deal happening on the policy landscape, especially with the bipartisan infrastructure bill at the federal level. We’re excited about the new opportunities for cleantech innovations and deployments that this could facilitate for the Triangle and our state, as the legislation has a strong emphasis on building climate resiliency in general, improving public transportation, greatly expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, preparing for extreme weather events, and delivering clean and reliable drinking water. We’ll be watching to see how North Carolina structures the program and funding opportunities that come from this bill, as well as additional federal legislation like the Senate budget reconciliation process and North Carolina-based clean energy and sustainability-focused legislation.

Also very impactful are the commitments that many local municipalities have made, which parallel the many corporate commitments to decarbonization. Reducing carbon dependence is going to be a major driver for deployment and innovation in the coming few years, and RTCC is committed to bringing the stakeholders together maximize their ability to reach their goals through strategic collaborations and partnerships.

  • Has partnership or membership in RTCC increased in 2020, decreased, or stayed the same?  How would you anticipate this changing in 2021, 2022, and beyond, and why?

Our overall membership numbers have generally held steady in 2020 and through the pandemic, which reflects the value of the cleantech network in our region. With everything happening in the cleantech space right now, we’re hopeful that we can engage more and a establish a more diversified group of collaborators in the next few years to expand our membership. We’ll be working to better understand the needs and opportunities among potential new members and see how we can work together to build the cleantech sector and its impact here in the region.