Tag: trade missions

Investing in San Diego: Reflections on our 2025 trade mission to France

By Nikia Clarke,

San Diego to France 2025

Wheels up after another successful trade mission—our eighth since relaunching World Trade Center San Diego as a public-private partnership focused on creating jobs at home by building opportunities abroad. In late September 2025, a cross-sector coalition of more than 30 San Diego business, academic, and civic leaders traveled to France, led by Representative Scott Peters and Mayor Todd Gloria.

The timing could not have been more critical. Markets are volatile, supply chains are shifting, and global policy is in flux. Yet, beneath this uncertainty lies opportunity: The chance to forge partnerships that create stability, unlock investment, and drive job growth. As Representative Peters reminded us during the trip, France is one of America’s oldest allies—and these strong subnational ties matter more than ever when federal commitments to science, energy transition, and global collaboration are under pressure.

Over the course of the week, the San Diego delegation made major strides:

  • Strengthening research ties: UC San Diego and San Diego State University advanced collaborations with French research institutes like CNRS in chemistry and marine biology.
  • Pitching San Diego to investors: With the U.S. Embassy and Dentons, we showcased San Diego’s growth sectors to more than 30 French companies, while Sanofi hosted a wide-ranging discussion on AI, mRNA, and U.S. expansion.
  • Driving the clean energy future: General Atomics marked its contribution to ITER, the world’s largest scientific collaboration, while leading efforts to commercialize fusion energy back in California. (Stay tuned for a deep dive into fusion in EDC’s upcoming study!)
  • Expanding city-to-city ties: The City of San Diego signed a new Sister City Agreement with Marseille, opening the door for deeper collaboration in ports, blue tech, life sciences, and tourism, while Biocom and Eurobiomed doubled down on their partnership to support life sciences companies across the Atlantic.
  • Maximizing global events: San Diego partners engaged with Paris Olympics 2024 to ensure our region captures economic benefits from LA28 and the 2026 World Cup.

These are more than symbolic wins—they are investments in San Diego’s future. Every strengthened research partnership, every pitch to global investors, every commitment from an international company represents jobs and opportunity here at home.

As Mayor Gloria so often reminds us, San Diego has both beauty and brains. Our team takes great pride in marketing San Diego to partners near and far, but nothing is more powerful than showing up and telling our story face-to-face. Our delegation did just that—showcasing our region to French partners and investors. And this last week in France is just the tip of the iceberg: The real work of a trade mission is in the months prior that set the stage, and the weeks and months after, when the impacts become clear.

A special thank you to the nearly three dozen San Diego delegates, from global employers like Qualcomm, ASML, Cubic Corporation, and General Atomics; to small businesses and venture investors including Ambix Ventures, GEN2X, and La Jolla Labs; and our research universities, trade associations, and civic leaders—all of whom make this mission possible. Convened by the founding partners of World Trade Center San Diego—the Port of San Diego, San Diego International Airport, and the City of San Diego—this coalition proves the power of showing up, together.

EXPLORE OUR TRADE MISSIONS →

Nikia Clarke
Nikia Clarke

Chief Strategy Officer, EDC; Exec. Director, WTCSD

Rep. Peters, Mayor Gloria to lead France trade mission to strengthen economic ties with EU

By Bree Burris,

WORLD TRADE CENTER SAN DIEGO CONVENES REGIONAL LEADERS TO HELP SAN DIEGO BUSINESSES EXPAND GLOBALLY, CREATE LOCAL JOBS

In order to foster vital global economic partnerships, Congressman Scott Peters, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), the international team at San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), are leading a 2025 trade delegation to France. During the September 21–September 26 trade mission, business and civic leaders will promote the region’s key industries and seek to establish and strengthen business relationships across biotechnology, clean energy, maritime technologies, and tourism.

As geopolitical tensions, trade policy uncertainty, and supply chain realignments reshape the global economy, it is more important than ever for San Diego companies and institutions to strengthen ties with trusted partners in Europe. France—home to leading firms in aerospace, life sciences, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing—offers natural synergies with San Diego’s innovation-driven economy. This trade mission aims to open new pathways for collaboration, investment, and market access that will help San Diego businesses remain competitive and resilient in a complex international landscape.

“With years of enduring collaboration between France and the U.S., now is the time to reinforce our regional commitments on the world stage,” said Congressman Scott Peters. “I am eager to join WTCSD on the road—now for the fifth time—to strengthen our global collaboration, drive investments in innovation and R&D, and bolster public-private partnerships across critical industries.”

San Diego and France have shared expertise in knowledge-intensive industries, including biotechnology, aerospace and defense, and clean energy. France is San Diego’s third largest foreign investor, contributing $5.6 billion since 2014. Further, the country’s research institutions have built long-lasting relationships with San Diego’s premier universities including San Diego State University and UC San Diego. France is ranked third in Europe for R&D spending, with the Paris region ranking first worldwide for FDI in R&D and corporate projects.

Companies have also capitalized on these synchronicities. On the heels of its acquisition of San Diego-based Inhibrx, France’s largest life sciences company Sanofi announced its commitment to invest at least $20 billion in the U.S. by 2030. French aerospace giant Safran also calls San Diego home, with aerospace jobs making up nearly one-fifth of the region’s innovation employment.

Boasting one of the cleanest energy grids in Europe and producing more than half of the European Union’s nuclear energy, France is also home to the ITER fusion energy project—the largest international scientific collaboration in the world. As the project aims to create fusion energy at power plant scale, San Diego-based General Atomics is one of its largest contributors, fabricating the world’s most powerful pulsed superconducting electromagnet for ITER.

“San Diego is an undeniable force in the global marketplace, and our future prosperity depends on strengthening those ties,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “From pandas returning to the Zoo to nonstop flights to Amsterdam to new tech jobs here at home, global engagement is delivering real results for San Diegans. I’m proud to continue this work alongside World Trade Center San Diego and Congressman Scott Peters, and to celebrate our new Sister City partnership with Marseille“

Over the five-day trade mission in Paris, Marseille, and Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, San Diego will look to build lasting institutional relationships and attract foreign investment in industries critical to the future.

Agenda items include:

  • The celebration of key partnerships including a new San Diego-Marseille Sister City Agreement; an MOU between life sciences trade organizations Eurobiomed and Biocom; and agreements for France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique to place leading researchers at San Diego State University and UC San Diego.
  • Opportunities to showcase San Diego’s innovation economy and major regional development projects to foreign investors.
  • Ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, tours and meetings with the organizers of the Paris Olympics for a best-practices discussion on infrastructure, tourism, and economic development.
  • Meeting and tour of ITER, where General Atomics’ recently-completed central solenoid magnet will be housed—a significant accomplishment for San Diego and clean energy innovation.
  • Formal meetings with major entities with investment interests in both countries, including Sanofi, LVMH Group, Dentons, and the Port of Marseille.

“As the rules of global commerce continue to shift rapidly, San Diego firms of all sizes need strong partnerships to navigate this moment,” said Nikia Clarke, executive director of World Trade Center San Diego and chief strategy officer at San Diego Regional EDC. “That’s why we lead trade missions as a region—with a diverse cross-sector delegation of both the region’s largest and smallest employers working together to find opportunity in uncertainty.”

Delegates will participate in upwards of 15 meetings over the course of the trade mission, sharing best practices and driving business connectivity across many verticals. The nearly three dozen San Diego delegates include representatives from ASML, Ambix Ventures, Cubic Transportation Systems, General Atomics, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and smaller businesses including French Bio Beach, GEN2X, and La Jolla Labs. Also in attendance are delegates from key agencies, academic institutions, and civic organizations such as the Port of San Diego, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, SoCal French American Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Tourism Authority, Biocom, San Diego State University, University of California Office of the President, UC San Diego, and others

The trade mission is organized by World Trade Center San Diego, the international team at EDC, with assistance and support provided by the U.S. Embassy in France, the SoCal French-American Chamber of Commerce, and Dentons Paris, and sponsorship by Qualcomm, Ambix Ventures, General Atomics, and San Diego Tourism Authority.

Learn more about France and San Diego’s connection here, and follow along during the trade mission: #SDinFR. 

SD-FR data sheet

WTCSD has previously led trade missions to Singapore, South Korea, The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Vancouver, and more.

About World Trade Center San Diego
World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) is the international team within San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC). WTCSD works to further San Diego’s global competitiveness by building an export pipeline, attracting and retaining foreign investment, and increasing San Diego’s global profile abroad. WTCSD.org

For media queries or other questions, contact:

Bree Burris
Bree Burris

Sr. Director, Communications & Community Engagement

World Trade Center San Diego’s 2024 Annual Report

By World Trade Center San Diego,

World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), the international affiliate of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the regional leader on trade and investment, cultivates a pipeline of export-ready firms, maximizes foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities, and enhances San Diego’s global identity. In WTCSD’s 2024 Annual Report, see how we helped San Diego companies participate in a globally connected economy to create quality local jobs, and make the San Diego region more prosperous, competitive, and resilient.

WTCSD’S CORE PILLARS

  • Exports: Supporting exporters creates quality jobs and builds resiliency in small businesses. WTCSD grows regional exports by facilitating sustainable connections to customers and markets for local firms.
  • Investment: Foreign investment strengthens competitive industry clusters and enables the expansion of local companies. WTCSD assists investing companies and supports international air service expansion.
  • Global Identity: A strong global reputation for innovation makes the region more competitive and connected. WTCSD communicates the impact of global trends on the regional economy and stewards relationships with the markets that matter most for growth.

Exports

Priority: As the region’s Export Specialty Small Business Development Center (SBDC), WTCSD cultivates a pipeline of export-ready firms, and supports these companies in their efforts to grow in international markets.

  • WTCSD kicked off its seventh MetroConnect cohort, awarding 15 San Diego companies in tech, life sciences, and consumer goods $175,000 in grants and equipping them with translation software and workshops to access international markets.

  • Export SBDC at WTCSD supported 120 companies via one-on-one counseling and webinars, including helping San Diego companies win $39,476 in STEP funding for export activities.

Investment

Priority: Maximize foreign investment opportunities for the region by building and institutionalizing linkages with strategic markets abroad, as well as better leveraging local companies, partners, and assets.

  • Following WTCSD’s 2022 Netherlands trade mission, San Diego International Airport and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced a new direct flight between San Diego and Amsterdam, with thrice-weekly service starting May 2025.

  • WTCSD capitalized on the influx of foreign life sciences companies visiting San Diego during the 2024 BIO Convention by hosting an Invest in San Diego breakfast, with more than 100 global attendees heard remarks from Mayor Todd Gloria, WTCSD’s Executive Director Nikia Clarke, and leaders from Neurocrine, Avidity, Eli Lilly, and Element Biosciences.

Global Identity

Priority: Enhance the San Diego region’s reputation and visibility to underpin investment retention and attraction efforts, as well as global connectivity goals.

  • Representative Scott Peters, Councilmember Raul Campillo, and WTCSD led 2024’s trade mission to Singapore. The binational delegation of business and civic leaders promoted San Diego’s key industries, established and strengthened business relationships across biotechnology, medical devices, advanced manufacturing, and urban infrastructure.

  • Following WTCSD’s 2023 trade mission to South Korea, Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong-yeon Kim visited San Diego as part of a weeklong tour of California, where he toured UC San Diego, Illumina, Biocom, and threw out the first pitch at a San Diego Padres game. WTCSD supported the Korean government’s efforts to arrange a meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom. 

READ THE FULL WTCSD 2024 ANNUAL REPORT →

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From one global gateway to another: Reflections on our 2024 trade mission to Singapore

By Nikia Clarke,

San Diego to Singapore 2024

As we depart Singapore on the heels of World Trade Center San Diego’s seventh international trade mission, it is with a tremendous amount of gratitude for the broad coalition of San Diego leadership that joins us year after year all over the globe to deepen existing partnerships, explore new opportunities, and enthusiastically showcase the breadth and depth of the region’s economy.

Led this year by Congressman Scott Peters—his fourth time at the helm for WTCSD—the 2024 delegation included leadership from the Port, Airport and City of San Diego, UC San Diego and San Diego State University, large global employers like Qualcomm, Illumina, Cubic, ResMed, Austal, and Mitsubishi Electric, as well as small, high-growth innovators like Biolinq and Visaic, tourism powerhouses like the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and ecosystem partners from across the binational region like Connect, the Chamber, the Tourism Authority, Tijuana EDC, and the Prebys Foundation.

This year we headed for another innovative, binational region by the sea, which is also the world’s premier gateway to Asia: Singapore. In a moment for the global economy characterized by geopolitical uncertainty, rapidly shifting supply chains in advanced industries, and climate action and energy transition, this city state of only six million people is partnering with industry to create solutions for today’s challenges.

  • Despite being a high-cost destination with limited land and natural resources, advanced manufacturing makes up 20 percent of Singapore’s GDP—almost double San Diego’s numbers—due to world-class vertical manufacturing facilities co-designed by the government and companies including San Diego firms Illumina and ResMed.
  • Nearly 400,000 people cross into Singapore from Malaysia to work every day—almost double the volume of our busy border with Tijuana—and the border authority is piloting new, fully automated clearance technology to increase efficiency as well as partnering with Malaysia on a new rapid transit system that will open in 2026.
  • From rooftop greenery and food production, water desalination and underground cooling systems, to engineering the bayfront to naturally protect the city from future sea level rise, Singapore’s intentional regional planning efforts have created a city that is simultaneously one of the densest in the world as well as one of the smartest and one of the greenest.

Our goals for these trade missions are threefold:

    1. To facilitate transactional wins that bring jobs and investment to San Diego.
    1. To enable best practice sharing to help us address our biggest regional challenges.
    1. To share San Diego’s innovation story in a market that matters for our economic future.

Over a whirlwind three days filled with more than 15 meetings and events, our delegation hit all of these goals and then some.

Jobs and investment:

  • We held our Spotlight on San Diego event, in which 70 Singaporean investors and business leaders interested in investing in California heard from our delegates about big projects and opportunities in both San Diego and Tijuana in life sciences, strategic technology, and SDSU’s innovation district.
  • Small, high-growth San Diego companies pitched to Singapore’s institutional investment firm that funds innovation worldwide.
  • Port of San Diego called on a number of shipping companies in order to attract more liner service to San Diego.
  • MELIC Ventures—the venture arm of Mitsubishi Electric—established a proof-of-concept agreement with a maritime drone company. 

Partnerships:

  • San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Singapore’s Mandai Wildlife Group exchanged knowledge on strategic planning and critical global wildlife conservation, all financed by visitor income.
  • The Port authorities of San Diego and Singapore began discussions on an MOU focused on green and sustainable shipping corridors.
  • The City of San Diego explored housing policy and infrastructure with the Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore’s Ministry of National Development, and the developer firms that partner together to house every Singaporean.
  • UC San Diego and National University Singapore deepened a recent MOU on digital health, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship with plans to establish a soft landing exchange for entrepreneurs.

Global identity:

  • We met with Singaporean leadership from the Deputy Prime Minister, the Economic Development Board, Enterprise Singapore, A*Star and dozens of others in order to share what makes San Diego so special.
  • Companies with big Singapore operations—like Illumina, ResMed, and Qualcomm—shared their successes and reminded our hosts that they represent San Diego technology and innovation.
  • Our final reception—held at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador per WTCSD trade mission tradition—brought together 100 partners and stakeholders from across the region to cement bonds and celebrate a productive and successful week.

As is always the case with our trade missions, the nonstop few days in the market get most of the attention. However, the bulk of the work happens in the months before—when the WTCSD team works diligently with and through so many of you to identify opportunities and priorities—and even more importantly in those that follow—when deals get inked, investments and expansions are confirmed, and partnerships deepen.

So, as we return home to San Diego—where the sun is shining and the Padres are in the playoffs—we thank our delegates again for taking the time from very busy calendars to travel with us and represent San Diego. And we also invite all of you to watch this space closely in the weeks and months ahead, because we are just getting started.

EXPLORE OUR TRADE MISSIONS →

Nikia Clarke
Nikia Clarke

Chief Strategy Officer, EDC; Exec. Director, WTCSD

Rep. Peters, WTCSD to lead Singapore trade mission to strengthen economic ties in Asia

By Bree Burris,

WORLD TRADE CENTER SAN DIEGO CONVENES REGIONAL LEADERS TO HELP BUSINESSES IN SAN DIEGO MEGA-REGION EXPAND GLOBALLY, CREATE LOCAL JOBS

In order to foster vital global economic partnerships, Congressman Scott Peters, San Diego Councilmember Raul Campillo, and World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), the international arm of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), are leading the 2024 trade delegation to Singapore. During the September 30—October 4 trade mission, business and civic leaders will promote the region’s key industries and seek to establish and strengthen business relationships across biotechnology, medical devices, advanced manufacturing, and urban infrastructure.

A generational shift in U.S. industrial strategy aimed at reducing reliance on China, coupled with federal legislation like the Chips and Science and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts, position Singapore as a natural partner in advanced industries. As national governments continue to incentivize the reshoring and nearshoring of activities, gateway regions like Singapore-Malaysia in Asia and San Diego-Tijuana in the Americas are perfectly positioned to take advantage of these global shifts.                                                    

“Singapore’s strategic position and expertise in innovation industries make it an ideal partner for our San Diego-Tijuana binational region,” said Congressman Scott Peters. “This trip with World Trade Center San Diego will help strengthen our global brand, drive investment, and bolster the resilience of our local businesses.”

Home to the world’s busiest transshipment port and border crossing, Singapore is a highly developed center for global trade and a hub for U.S. companies conducting business in Asia. Situated in one of the most strategically important locations on the planet, the city-state boasts a free and business-friendly economy with low corruption, low tax rates, a skilled workforce, and world-class infrastructure.

As the U.S. strengthens its alliances in Southeast Asia, San Diego finds in Singapore an economy with shared expertise in knowledge-intensive industries, including artificial intelligence, medical device manufacturing, and information communications technology. Singapore boasts satellite operations for some of San Diego’s premier innovators including Qualcomm, ResMed, and Illumina. Further, Singapore has poured $12.8 billion in FDI into the U.S. since 2019 in industries such as manufacturing, information communications technology, and energy. The U.S. has matched that amount, investing $12.5 billion during the same time period. Looking closer, Singapore is the #10 country investing venture capital into San Diego by deal count, just behind Denmark and India (2014—2020), primarily in the medical equipment and technology industries. Singapore also shares in San Diego’s binational identity, with Singapore-Johor seeing nearly 1.6x the number of border crossings per day compared to San Diego-Tijuana’s border (450,000 and 283,000, respectively).

“Guided by data and shifting geopolitics, each year WTCSD leads a trade mission to a strategic international metro. For 2024, Singapore was a standout choice for our delegation of public-private leaders,” said Nikia Clarke, executive director of World Trade Center San Diego and senior vice president at San Diego Regional EDC. “As gateway regions, Singapore-Malaysia in Asia and San Diego-Tijuana in the Americas will anchor the critical supply chains of the future. We’re here to deepen international ties and maximize our economic impact.”

Over the four-day trade mission across Singapore, San Diego will look to build lasting institutional relationships and attract foreign investment in industries critical to the future.

Agenda items include:

  • The celebration of a recent partnership between UC San Diego and National University Singapore, as well the exploration of new opportunities around soft-landing space with Singapore commercial real estate developer CapitaLand
  • Opportunities to showcase San Diego-Tijuana and major regional development projects for foreign investors, including innovation developments by San Diego State University and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
  • Local, small- to mid-sized businesses Biolinq and Visaic will pitch to global investment firm Temasek
  • Meetings with Port, Airport, Border, and infrastructure partners to better connect our regions through nonstop air and liner service, as well as sharing energy transition and urban development innovations
  • Government convenings with Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Gan Kim Yong and other dignitaries
  • Formal meetings and tours of major employers in both regions, including Illumina, ResMed, as well as the Mandai Wildlife Group—a peer of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Delegates will participate in upwards of 15 meetings over the course of the trade mission, sharing best practices and driving business connectivity across many verticals. The two dozen San Diego delegates include representatives from Cubic, Mitsubishi Electric, Qualcomm, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and smaller businesses including Visaic and Biolinq. Also in attendance are delegates from key agencies, academic institutions, and civic organizations such as Port of San Diego, San Diego International Airport, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, MiraCosta College, Tijuana EDC, San Diego Tourism Authority, Connect, and others.

“As San Diego’s Economic Development Chair, I have two key goals: creating high-paying jobs and lowering costs for families in our city,” said San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo. “International trade and partnerships with businesses in Singapore and elsewhere bring advanced technology, high-skill workers, and robust tourism and investment to our local region. This strengthens our economy and delivers benefits like more affordable products that our citizens will see in their day-to-day lives.”

The trade mission is organized by World Trade Center San Diego, the international team at EDC, with assistance and support provided by the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, and sponsorship by Qualcomm, Ambix Ventures, San Diego Tourism Authority, and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

Learn more about Singapore and San Diego’s connection here, and follow along during the trade mission: #SDinSG. 

WTCSD has previously led trade missions to South Korea, The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Vancouver, and more.

For media queries or other questions, contact:

Bree Burris
Bree Burris

Sr. Director, Communications & Community Engagement

Reflections on our Korea Trade Mission

By Nikia Clarke,

From San Diego to Korea: Collaborative partnerships to strengthen global competitiveness

It has been six years since World Trade Center San Diego—which EDC operates on behalf of the Port, the Airport, and the City of San Diego—ran its very first trade mission. Since then, we have taken annual targeted, cross-sector delegations to Canada, the UK, Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands. Led by Mayors and Members of Congress, flanked by Port, Airport, and University leadership, and accompanied by senior executives from our most innovative firms, these trade missions connect San Diego companies large and small to international markets, seek foreign investment that creates new jobs in our region, and tell the San Diego story: one of life-changing innovation and collaboration.

This year’s destination: Korea. And like every other year, San Diego showed up and impressed. Led by Mayor Todd Gloria—and joined this time by SANDAG and County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas—this year’s trade delegation of more than 30 civic, academic, and corporate partners also included peer organizations like Biocom and the Tijuana and Imperial Valley EDCs, as well as companies like Qualcomm, Illumina, Dexcom, ASML, General Dynamics NASSCO, and more.

At a time when more than a trillion dollars of federal investments are aimed at modernizing American infrastructure, enabling a green energy transition, and building domestic capacity in strategic industries like semiconductors and biomanufacturing, Korea is a natural partner for the United States, as evidenced by the deepening collaboration between our two countries. Korea is second only to China in manufacturing intensity, and Korean firms produce almost 25 percent of all EV batteries and almost 60 percent of global memory chips used in phones and laptops.

Why Korea →

There is also perhaps no more complementary partner for an innovation incubator like San Diego than a country that scales innovation more efficiently than anywhere else.

The trade mission opened with a Sunday visit to the residence of the Governor of Gyeonggi-do, Korea’s largest and most dynamic province. Governor Kim and his cabinet hosted us for a roundtable discussion focused on revitalizing the MOU between the state of California and Gyeonggi. We delivered a letter from Governor Newsom and invited a return delegation to visit California in 2024 to continue the conversation on economic cooperation.

This set the stage for a whirlwind four days packed from morning to night with more than 15 briefings, meetings, and events:

  • With the help of Dentons and the U.S. Embassy, we convened representatives from more than 30 of the largest Korean companies for an Invest San Diego Luncheon. We provided an economic overview of investment opportunities throughout the binational mega-region, followed by quick pitches on manufacturing, energy, innovation, and real estate projects from Tijuana, Imperial Valley, and San Diego.
  • We visited the rapidly growing Korean offices of Illumina and Qualcomm, and announced a new partnership between San Diego’s Dexcom and Korean tech giant Kakao.
  • We toured and met with leadership of Samsung Biologics, which in just a few years has grown into the world’s largest contract manufacturer of biologics and is considering the location of a large investment in the United States.
  • We celebrated partnerships between UCSD and SDSU—both developing new state of the art innovation districts—and Seoul National and Yonsei Universities, two of South Korea’s finest.
  • We spent a day in the City of Incheon—a city of millions that has been master planned and developed on land reclaimed from the ocean over the last two decades and is now the innovation hub of the greater Seoul area. Incheon is also home to the international airport, completed in just eight years, as well as the Port, completed in four.

See the FULL agenda

Finally, we closed the trip with a VIP meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg to discuss the evolving political and economic environment in the region, followed by a reception at the Ambassador’s residence in the former legation district of Seoul. As is the tradition on these trade missions, this reception gave us an opportunity to reconnect with the hundreds of partners we met during the week, cement new friendships (and perhaps most importantly, make sure everyone knows which team to root for when the Padres play the Dodgers in the MLB opener in Seoul next March).

We returned home this week to a region in which the entire urban core is being reimagined—with massive mixed-use projects under construction from the border to the bay; to a country attempting to rebuild its infrastructure and establish new industries to take us into a cleaner, smarter future; and in a post-pandemic world where supply chains and geopolitical alliances are shifting rapidly.

One thing is clear: Our binational region has always been a remarkable place, but at this moment—with San Diego’s innovation ecosystem, Imperial Valley’s clean energy leadership, and Tijuana’s advanced manufacturing prowess—we can compete like never before. Add the right international partnerships like those we are building in Korea and elsewhere, and we have all the necessary pieces to anchor the supply chains of the future: collaboratively, efficiently, and sustainably.

Thank you to our sponsors Qualcomm, Dentons, and Townshend Venture Advisors, as well our partner the U.S. Embassy in South Korea for support on this trade mission.

Best,

Nikia Clarke
Nikia Clarke

Chief Strategy Officer, EDC; Exec. Director, WTCSD

 

   

Learn about WTCSD’s trade missions

 

Mayor Todd Gloria to lead South Korea trade mission to strengthen economic ties in Asia

By Bree Burris,

WORLD TRADE CENTER SAN DIEGO CONVENES REGIONAL LEADERS TO HELP BUSINESSES IN SAN DIEGO MEGA-REGION EXPAND GLOBALLY, CREATE LOCAL JOBS

In order to foster vital global economic partnerships, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, SANDAG and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas, and World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), an affiliate of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), are leading a trade delegation to South Korea. During the October 27—November 2 trade mission, business and civic leaders will promote the region’s key industries and seek to establish and strengthen business relationships across biotechnology, semiconductors, clean energy, and infrastructure.

Monumental federal legislation (IIJA, IRA, and CHIPS and Science Act), combined with a generational shift in U.S. industrial strategy aimed at reducing American reliance on China, have positioned South Korea as a natural partner in critical industries. As the federal government continues to incentivize the reshoring and nearshoring of activities aligned to national priorities, leaders from across San Diego, Imperial Valley, and Tijuana are maximizing growth through global connection.                         

“South Korea is a critical global market and a natural partner for San Diego as we share complementary strengths in the life sciences, clean energy, and biotechnology sectors,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “I’m proud to again join the World Trade Center San Diego on a trade mission to strengthen business relationships and grow quality jobs here at home for San Diegans.”

Home to Asia’s third busiest cargo airport and seventh largest port, South Korea is an emerging hub for global trade and business. As the U.S. strengthens its alliances in East Asia, San Diego finds in South Korea an economy with shared expertise in knowledge-intensive industries, including personalized medicine, semiconductor research and manufacturing, and clean energy. South Korean-based companies directly employ more than 850 San Diegans, predominantly in the technology and manufacturing industries at companies like Samsung and Hyundai. Notably, the U.S. and South Korea hold the #1 and #2 spots, respectively, in global market share of the semiconductor industry. Further, South Korean investment into the U.S. is accelerating, with $18.2 billion in new investment since mid-2020 alone. South Korea is the #13 country investing venture capital into San Diego by deal count, closely behind Germany and Singapore (2014—2020), primarily in the pharmaceuticals and technology industries.

LEARN ABOUT THE TWO REGIONS

 “The binational mega-region has always been a remarkable place, but at this moment for the global economy, we can compete like never before,” said Nikia Clarke, executive director of World Trade Center San Diego and senior vice president at San Diego Regional EDC. “With San Diego’s innovation ecosystem, Imperial Valley’s clean energy leadership, and Tijuana’s advanced manufacturing prowess, we have all the necessary pieces to anchor the supply chains of the future: collaboratively, efficiently, and sustainably.”

“I am looking forward to showcasing the advancements in clean energy technology, life sciences, and port infrastructure to elevate the best of what our binational region has to offer and identify new partnerships with South Korea to foster innovation and economic growth for both our regions,” said SANDAG and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “This is an opportunity to increase trade and share new ideas that will help develop lasting solutions to improve our region’s infrastructure, transportation, and economy for the residents of San Diego County.”

Over the four-day trade mission in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, San Diego will look to build lasting institutional relationships and attract foreign investment in industries that are critical to the future.

Agenda items include:

  • The celebration of a partnership between San Diego-based medtech company Dexcom and South Korean-based tech giant Kakao, which will enable Dexcom to bring its next-generation glucose monitoring capabilities to the South Korean market
  • Opportunities to showcase major regional development projects for foreign investors, including the Seaport Village redevelopment, Lithium Valley in Imperial County, as well as San Diego State University and UC San Diego’s campus expansions
  • Meetings with Port, Airport, and infrastructure partners to better connect our regions through nonstop air and liner service, as well as sharing energy transition innovations
  • Government convenings with the Governor of Gyeonggi and the Mayor of Siheung together with Mayor Todd Gloria and SANDAG and County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas
  • Formal meetings and tours of major employers in both regions, including Qualcomm, Illumina, and Samsung Biologics

Delegates will participate in upwards of 15 meetings over the course of the trade mission, sharing best practices and driving business connectivity across many verticals. The two dozen San Diego delegates include representatives from Illumina, Qualcomm, Viasat, ASML, Cubic, General Dynamics NASSCO, Gafcon, and small businesses including Tioga Research and Nano PharmaSolutions. Also in attendance are delegates from key agencies, universities, and civic organizations such as Port of San Diego, San Diego International Airport, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Imperial Valley EDC, Tijuana EDC, and others.

The trade mission is organized by World Trade Center San Diego, an affiliate of the San Diego Regional EDC, with assistance and support provided by the U.S. Embassy in South Korea, and sponsorship by Dentons, Townshend Venture Advisors, and Qualcomm.

Follow along with the trade mission: #SDinKR

REFLECTIONS ON OUR KOREA TRADE MISSION

WTCSD.ORG

Thank you to our trade mission sponsors:

Reflections on our trade mission by WTCSD’s director

By Lucas Coleman,

Thriving Cities Trade Mission to the Netherlands

Two weeks have passed since our return from the Netherlands Trade Mission, and I continue to think back on how effectively public and private sector forces work together to develop the infrastructure for trains, busses, bicycles, cars, and even canal boats to coexist in harmony. 

After three years of pandemic-related travel limitations, it was refreshing and inspiring to hit the road again, this time with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and 29 of our region’s most influential and collaborative business, academic, political, and economic leaders. This delegation carried the San Diego banner in one of the world’s leading metros for innovation and circular urban development—the Netherlands—a country engineered out of the sea. 

Learn why the netherlands → 

We kicked off the mission by hosting the Thriving Cities Mayoral Forum, where we explored the leading role that cities play in driving circular/sustainable development with insight from Mayor Gloria, Amsterdam Mayor Halsema, and other innovation leaders from both regions.

We visited Qualcomm’s largest AI research hub outside of San Diego to celebrate its expansion, and learn about its partnership with the University of Amsterdam, QUVA, which supports a pipeline of engineering talent.  

Joined by SANDAG Chair Catherine Blakespear and leadership at San Diego’s higher education institutions, we visited TNO, the premier applied research organization of the Dutch government to see its newest tool in action—a ‘digital twin’ of a region that overlays conditions for traffic, energy usage, pollution, and more, with the option to toggle different variables to see how the conditions interact with each other.  

Our delegation then headed to ‘the smartest kilometer in Europe’ to visit Philips and ASML, the largest medical systems and technology companies in the Netherlands, respectively, that both have existing and growing operations in San Diego. 

We also brought together three Commissioners and the CEO of the Port of San Diego in the Port of Rotterdam to learn about circular and efficient operations at Europe’s busiest port and share the exciting developments we have underway on our beautiful waterfront. 

And perhaps one of the most inspiring moments of our trade mission happened on our last day, when WTCSD’s MetroConnect companies Trabus Technologies and Nano PharmaSolutions pitched to Port of Rotterdam and Leiden Bio Science Park leaders, respectively, for foreign investment. 

As we settle back into life in San Diego, our delegation brings home a fresh perspective on the ways we can address challenges in critical areas such as transportation and urban development. We see more clearly than ever the value of closer collaboration between the public sector, academia, and private business. In the coming years, we hope to see engineering solutions and transformative technologies like TNO’s Digital Twin being used to aid decision-making in large public works, and large multinationals like ASML and Philips successfully growing their operations in the region. 

Most of all, we look forward to the meaningful relationships and connections built through the mission and the collaboration that will lead to smarter, stronger, more inclusive development for all, right here in San Diego.  

The trade mission is organized by WTCSD, an affiliate of the San Diego Regional EDC, with assistance and support provided by the Consulate of the Netherlands, and sponsorship by ASML, Lufthansa, and Qualcomm Technologies.

Dankjewel,

Lucas Coleman
Lucas Coleman

Director, World Trade Center San Diego

Read EDC’s Monthly Report

San Diego small businesses pitch for Dutch investment as part of mayoral trade mission

By Bree Burris,

Trabus Technologies and Nano PharmaSolutions join delegation to Netherlands to drive local growth

This week, as part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s trade mission to the Netherlands, coordinated by World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), an affiliate of EDC, San Diego small businesses pitched their technology solutions to potential international partners and investors. Trabus Technologies (TRABUS) and Nano PharmaSolutions, both San Diego-based, minority-owned small businesses, joined this three-day trip to establish business relationships, pursue investment, and grow local jobs.

San Diego is the birthplace of many successful large, multinational companies, including Qualcomm who is represented in the delegation as well. However, small businesses—those with fewer than 100 employees—are the backbone of the regional economy and drive regional economic growth and innovation. Small businesses employ more than 60 percent of San Diego County’s workforce, nearly double the national average, and represent nearly 98 percent of the region’s firms. Yet small companies face outsize barriers to international expansion.

“Having an economy driven by small, innovative companies has been great for San Diego, and we want to support their expansion into overseas markets so they can stay strong and competitive in their industries,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “This trade mission gives us the chance to lay that groundwork for small businesses that face headwinds overseas.”

In order to drive economic resilience, Mayor Todd Gloria and WTCSD have prioritized small businesses as part of the Netherlands trade mission. TRABUS and Nano PharmaSolutions—both innovative, minority-owned small businesses involved in WTCSD’s export accelerator program MetroConnect—pitched to the Port of Rotterdam and investors at the Leiden Bio Science Park respectively:

  • TRABUS and Port of Rotterdam: TRABUS is a service-disabled, veteran- and minority-owned small business providing innovative solutions to the U.S. government and private sector. The 50-person TRABUS team specializes in the development of technology across five major portfolios—wireless technologies, artificial intelligence and data science, maritime transportation, environmental informatics and cybersecurity. To be spotlighted in its pitch to the European port, TRABUS has developed the first AI-based voyage planning software, RippleGo, for the inland waterways. While the SaaS product is currently being tested on U.S. waterways, RippleGo could have tremendous potential to enhance voyage planning and supply chain logistics on EU based waterways for greater economic efficiencies.

 “We are excited about the potential partnerships and opportunities to work with the European maritime industry. The EU has an impressive, interconnected waterway network already. We hope to learn more about their network and offer up some of our technologies that can aid in waterway management and intermodal supply chain logistics,” said Art Salindong, Managing Director, TRABUS.

  • Nano PharmaSolutions (NPS) and Leiden Bio Science Park: A platform technology startup for nanodrug delivery of small molecule drugs, NPS offers improved solubility and convenient dosage form development. Founded in 2019, the company is seeking Seed and early-stage VC investment, with plans to expand into the European market and access increased pharmaceutical customers in the years ahead. NPS plans to co-manufacture clinical trial materials for their customers at Mikart Pharmaceutical, a contract manufacturing organization in Atlanta, GA, beginning Q3 2023. Mikart is a commercial scale oral dosage form company, which can support NanoTransformer™ nano-granulation and downstream dosage form manufacturing and QC activities.

“Not only does our NanoTransformer™ technology expedite drug development at a lower R&D cost, but it helps drugs absorb into the body more quickly and efficiently” said Dr. Kay Olmstead, Founder & CEO, NPS. “This is an incredible opportunity to share our story and build partnerships at the famous Leiden Bio Science Park, and we’re excited about what’s to come.”

“With the right partners, small companies that solve important problems—like TRABUS and Nano PharmaSolutions—become big companies that change the world. That has always been San Diego’s story, and it is why we work so hard to open doors for innovators and entrepreneurs both overseas and back at home,” said Nikia Clarke, executive director of WTCSD and SVP, EDC.

This session is one of a dozen meetings and programs on the three-day trade mission to the Netherlands, September 26—29, 2022. See a summary of the trip here and follow along for more: #SDinNL

Learn more on SD and NL

The trade mission is organized by WTCSD, an affiliate of the San Diego Regional EDC, with assistance and support provided by the Consulate of the Netherlands, and sponsorship by ASML, Lufthansa, and Qualcomm Technologies.

 

San Diego mayor, WTCSD visit ASML HQ in NL

By Bree Burris,

A visit to ASML HQ in Veldhoven seeks to strengthen an already strong relationship between ASML and San Diego

This week, as part of Mayor Gloria’s inaugural trade mission with World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), an affiliate of EDC, the delegation visited ASML headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands.

With major operations in San Diego, and more than 35,000 staff around the globe, ASML is the most important technology company you’ve never heard of.

ASML is the leading provider of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to every major chipmaker around the world, playing an integral role in driving the global chip industry forward.

In San Diego, ASML designs, develops, and manufactures the lasers and lights sources that power its lithography machines—the systems chipmakers use to produce semiconductors featured in every piece of technology across nearly every industry.

From cell phones and life-changing medical devices, to self-driving cars and the James Webb Space Telescope, semiconductors are ubiquitously part of everyday life—and ASML represents the foundation for them all.

The company expanded its global footprint in 2012 with the acquisition of Cymer, a San Diego-based industry leader in laser sources for semiconductor equipment. In the 10 years since this acquisition, ASML San Diego has doubled its local headcount to 1,600, and counting.

Learn more about the connection between SD and NL

Follow along with us for more: #SDinNL