As Port Houston and the Houston Ship Channel continue to see growth, financial investments, innovation and community engagement will be essential to support that growth, according to Port Houston leaders. The Greater Houston Partnership's annual State of the Port event on Sept. 6 convened industry leaders and supporters as Port Houston leaders provided insight into the port's success and future. “In 2022, Port Houston handled 33.5 million metric tons of containerized cargo and traded with over 220 countries, a testament to the role we play in connecting global trade and offers significant financial impact across our 12-county region and the state of Texas," said Katie Pryor, the Partnership's chief development officer and senior vice president of member engagement.  The Houston Ship Channel complex encompasses more than 200 public and private facilities, with Port Houston owning and operating eight public facilities along the 52-mile channel. Ric Campo, chairman of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority, delivered the keynote address, providing insight into the progress of Project 11 and the ship channel's economic impact on the region and the nation. According to a recent study conducted by Martin Associates, the Houston Ship Channel generated $439.2 billion in total economic value for the state, representing 18.6 percent of the state’s GDP and a $100 billion increase in economic value since 2018.  Project 11, the $1 billion project designed to keep the ship channel competitive by reducing congestion and increasing safety, reached a key milestone earlier this year when the first portion, Segment 1A, was completed. The 11-mile segment, which runs from Bolivar to Redfish, widens the channel to 700 feet. The entire project is expected to be completed in 2025 but still lacks federal funding.  "Project 11 is a classic example of a Texas 'can do' [attitude] and how we partner with everyone in this room to get things done," Campo said.  Port Houston is also investing $1.5 billion in landside investments, including the completion of Wharf 6 at the Bayport Container Terminal. During the panel discussion, Candice Armenoff, Port Houston's execution planning manager, also discussed how investment and innovation have transformed the port. "Things are moving more fluidly" as the port works with trucking companies to ensure they're using the latest technology that allows them to be more productive, safer and idle less.   Community engagement has also been a focus for the port. The entity has several programs that educate communities about the opportunities and improvements along the ship channel, including the Port Commission Community Advisory Council and Maritime Education Program. "We are yours. We want you to be proud of your port," said Maria Aguirre, director of community relations for Port Houston. "There's really a bright future...and I'm really excited to be at the port and to be a part of it." This summer, Port Houston also announced it's moving its headquarters to Houston's historic Fifth Ward. A move the port says reflects its commitment to its roots and driving economic growth for the surrounding community and region.  Learn more about Houston's transportation and logistics industry and the region's global trade ties.

In addition to its growing network of incubators, accelerators, makerspaces, coworking spaces, and non-profits, Houston’s leading academic institutions are also investing in the region’s innovation ecosystem.  The University of Houston is set to break ground on a 70,000-square-foot, high-tech Innovation Hub this fall that is projected to open in spring 2025. The $52 million hub will house the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, the Energy Transition Institute, Presidential Frontier Faculty labs and offices, and a makerspace. It will serve as a center for academic and industry innovators to convene and advance research, commercialization, and education.  "There's all this talent that's out there — but we don't give them a place to come in and engage the future generations,” Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Vice President of Energy and Innovation at UH, said in an interview with InnovationMap. “This is an effort to provide a venue to create those unexpected, unanticipated collisions, create a talent pipeline, engage with experts, and build activities that will very quickly de-bottleneck some of the biggest challenges we have in the innovation space."  According to Krishnamoorti, the Innovation Hub will help bolster UH’s reputation on a national level, with the goal being to rival institutions such as Stanford University and MIT in 15 years.  Rice University is also seeking to bridge the gap between the university and Houston’s innovation ecosystem with the creation of its own innovation hub – Rice Nexus.  Located within the Ion, the space will be used for prototyping and scaling up the cutting-edge technologies being developed by Rice faculty, as well as workspaces and access to leading technical experts and business advisers. According to a press release from Paul Cherukuri, Vice President of Innovation at Rice, the goal of Rice Nexus is to provide a clear glide path for transitioning technologies from invention to commercialization.  "It's a two-way street. We're going to solve problems out in the real world and get those solutions to scale, and we'll be able to find new problems in the real world and bring them inside of Rice and create that new tech. We want to be able to make solutions." - Paul Cherukuri, Vice President of Innovation at Rice University  Rice University’s Office of Innovation recently named Adrian Trömel, a materials scientist and Houston founder, as the new vice president for strategy and investments, who will oversee the creation of Rice Nexus. Trömel will also lead the creation of a translational research grant fund and a university-affiliated venture fund for Rice-affiliated entrepreneurs.  Learn more about Houston’s innovation ecosystem.