International Trade committee  I think there are two big challenges. I think from a product side and a market side, the biggest challenge is getting the first installations, the first proofs of concept in those markets and having an installation in the market where potential customers can go and see it and feel it.

International Trade committee  I would say currently that about 80% of our product is going into northern Europe, mainly Germany, Norway, Denmark, or Sweden. There just happens to be a focus of demand for our particular product there. The other driver we have from an export perspective is into China. Especially in the major cities and the major port cities, there is certainly a big focus on cleaning up the air and the ports.

International Trade committee  There are a few different questions in there. Firstly, for Corvus, I think the thing that pushed us across was the reality of our business. We're very focused on a particular market, and that market is 95% driven by overseas customers. We didn't have a choice, really. In terms of the facilities that are available to Canadian companies, in order of importance for us I would say it was the financial support by EDC in providing the backing we needed to deliver letters of credit and so on and so forth to our customers, and foreign exchange opportunities.

International Trade committee  For getting more people involved, I think it's about making it easier for companies to access the facilities that are available. For the people I work with and the people I talk with in different companies in B.C., most of them aren't aware of what is out there to support them to export.

International Trade committee  In Europe, Fraunhofer is probably the best practice. They've done some pretty amazing work in the solar industry and in green technology. ITRI in Taiwan has done some pretty impressive work as well. Even some of those do some blue-sky research, but then they make it available to multiple companies, whereas with SR and ED, the funding is focused on one company, which does some research, and then the intellectual property is locked within that company.

International Trade committee  I think the challenge in a partnership, for a small company, is knowing all the different opportunities that are available. Even when we go back to Go Global...that was the first time I had seen all the major institutions in one place at one time. The different opportunities are all there, but it's a question of getting one point of access to guide SMEs through the processes and through the opportunities and the things they might need.

International Trade committee  Much of the funding and work, certainly within the universities, is focused more on pure and very early stage research. From a commercialization perspective, it is probably pre-commercialization by five years. There are many challenges to getting your product. Once you develop your first-generation product and then put it into the field, you get a lot of field data.

International Trade committee  Our cells actually come out of Korea. The cell is the base of our battery. We have managed to get a trade agreement, or a trade tariff recognition, where we're allowed to import and then directly export without duty because our product is for marine purposes. Certainly we watch pretty closely the free trade agreements.

International Trade committee  I think the hardest thing for us was getting trade finance sorted out. It was a long road to getting the banking that EDC eventually provided and in getting letters of credit support and foreign exchange support. When you're pre-cashflow-positive, even if you have a good pipeline and you can demonstrate a path forward, no tier one commercial bank really is willing to work with you.

International Trade committee  It's still pretty good. It's about 10 or 11 degrees today.

International Trade committee  About 15% goes to Asia at the moment.

International Trade committee  I think the marine market is global. We're really focused on where the majority of coastal trade and shipping is taking place. Certainly around northern Europe, the west coast of North America, and the east Asian seaboard are the key focuses for us.

International Trade committee  Thank you for inviting me here today. I really appreciate the opportunity to speak to the committee Corvus Energy is a young clean technology company of approximately 50 people focused on providing energy storage systems, or large batteries, to the marine market. If you think of cars such as a hybrid Prius, or a fully electric Tesla, then that's what we do for ships by providing large, rugged batteries for ferries, tugs, offshore supply vessels, and other coastal vessels.