IV and China Vanke Celebrate Earth Day with Announcement of Sustainable Urban Development

Intellectual Ventures, the global leader in the business of invention, and China Vanke Co., Ltd., China’s largest residential property developer, today announced their intent to partner on environmental inventions to advance the sustainability and quality of life of communities and cities. The two companies made the announcement at an international conference attended by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, Shenzhen Vice-Mayor Tang Jie, and leaders from more than 60 companies based in China and Washington State, as well as Earth Day founder and green building pioneer Denis Hayes.

Intellectual Ventures and Vanke plan to collaborate in support of a new ‘open innovation center’ that will identify, develop, and commercialize technologies for green buildings and other solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of urban areas.

“Vanke is committed to the new open innovation center project. We value our partnership with Intellectual Ventures because they bring a unique set of knowledge and expertise to this global innovation effort,” said Vanke Chairman Wang Shi. “This collaboration will open up new space for Vanke and Chinese industry to be inspired and activated.”

“Our mission is to increase the velocity of innovation to address today’s great challenges,” said Edward Jung, Intellectual Ventures founder and Chief Technology Officer. “Our relationship with Vanke – a committed innovator in sustainable urban development – is another example of how Intellectual Ventures is collaborating with companies around the world to build a sustainable future.”

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee applauded the announcement. “The Intellectual Ventures / Vanke relationship is an excellent example of how Washington State’s clean technology leadership can be a valuable contributor to China’s development, and to a low-carbon future for us all,” the governor said.

The companies are currently discussing the evaluation of novel green technologies for building construction and water conservation, and expect to expand the effort later this year.