Initiatives
Early stage energy technologies face a number of challenges in transitioning for basic research to market solutions.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) have created specific initiatives in order to address the commercialization challenges that energy efficient and renewable energy technologies must face. These initiatives are developed to launch emerging energy technologies off the ground and into the marketplace.
For an overview of the program and these initiatives, read the Commercialization and Innovation Program Fact Sheet
.
Innovation Ecosystem Initiative
Transforming ideas from research concepts on the drawing board to innovations in the marketplace is essential for a competitive and prosperous U.S. economy. To accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship and job-creation by moving energy efficient and renewable energy technologies from university laboratories to the market, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $5.25 million to five three-year projects under the Innovation Ecosystem Initiative.
i6 Green Challenge
The i6 Green Challenge is part of the Obama Administration's Startup America initiative at the U.S. Department of Energy. The competition aims to inspire and promote entrepreneurship and aims to encourage and reward innovative Proof of Concept Centers that accelerate technology commercialization and help bridge the gap between university research and private sector job creation.
National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition is designed to build regional networks of student-focused business creation contests across the country. Through spring and early summer 2012, six Regional Clean Energy Business Plan Competitions will take place across the country—representing all of the United States' distinct regions.
Energy Innovation Portal
In concert with NREL, EERE has developed the Energy Innovation Portal as a key tool for investors, entrepreneurs, and other technology seekers to rapidly filter and identify technologies that have been developed by DOE laboratories and are available for licensing. The portal provides streamlined searching and browsing of patents, patent applications, and marketing summaries for clean energy technologies from DOE laboratories and participating research institutions.
Portal users can:
- Search thousands of clean energy related patents available for licensing as well as patent applications that have been created using DOE funding since 1992
- Browse marketing summaries of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies available for licensing organized into 14 technology areas
- Sign up for e-mail updates
- Link directly to the DOE laboratories that developed the available technologies to get more information.
Visit the EERE Energy Innovation Portal.
Small Business and Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) Partnership
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business and Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) Partnership launched in 2010 as part of DOE's initiatives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Funded with $1.2 million, the Partnership provides mentoring and commercialization services to companies that receive federal support such as grants from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program.