Lab-Corps Program announces second round of training.

Press Release Summary:



Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Lab-Corps program launched second round of clean energy entrepreneurship trainings. Fourteen teams of researchers from 7 DOE national laboratories began 7-week Lab-Corps entrepreneurial bootcamp at NREL. Lab-Corps aims to accelerate transfer of clean energy technologies from national laboratories to marketplace by training and empowering researchers to transition their discoveries into high-impact, real world technologies in private sector.



Original Press Release:



Lab-Corps Program Announces Second Round of Training for Entrepreneurial Teams at National Labs



The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Lab-Corps program today launched its second round of clean energy entrepreneurship trainings this week in Golden, Colorado. The $2.3 million pilot, started in 2014, is based on the National Science Foundation's successful Innovation Corps model. Lab-Corps aims to accelerate the transfer of clean energy technologies from our national laboratories to the marketplace by training and empowering national lab researchers to successfully transition their discoveries into high-impact, real world technologies in the private sector.  As a key part of President Obama's  Lab-to-Market Initiative, the Lab-Corps program leverages the scientific expertise and entrepreneurial spirit at our national labs to bring new lab technologies to market that advance American leadership in clean energy.



This week, fourteen different teams of researchers from seven DOE national laboratories began the seven-week Lab-Corps entrepreneurial bootcamp at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for commercializing promising sustainable transportation, renewable power, and energy efficiency technologies. Through Lab-Corps' specialized technology accelerator and training curriculum, these lab-based teams will gain direct market feedback on their technologies and pursue the development of startup companies, industry partnerships, licensing agreements, and other business opportunities. The teams will also receive access to a suite of commercialization resources including technology validation and testing, facility access, techno-economic analysis, and other incubation services.



The 14 project teams participating in this round of training are (listed alphabetically by laboratory):



Argonne National Laboratory—Nanoheatblock

Efficient material for window upgrading

Argonne National Laboratory—Resin Water Electrodeionization

Process water upgrading

Argonne National Laboratory—Smart Change Adaptor

Advanced device for electric vehicle charging

Idaho National Laboratory—High-Moisture Pelleting Process

Biofeedstock processing

Idaho National Laboratory—Quake

Earthquake detection and analysis

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory—BioAlchemy

Enzyme screening for bioenergy applications

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory—Evodia

Enzymes for improved biochemical production

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory—Tough

Geothermal resource assessment system

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—Micro Miners

Rare earth metal recovery

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—Saline Solutions

Salt removal from water

National Renewable Energy Laboratory—Biolyst Renewables

Bio-based nylon

National Renewable Energy Laboratory—Solguard

Photovoltaic system safety device

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—VOLTTRON

Controller for energy efficient buildings

Sandia National Laboratories—Polymer Membranes

Membranes for energy and water applications



The Lab-Corps pilot has already trained 14 innovative national lab teams, and if this pilot proves successful, this exciting new model will be considered for expansion across the Energy Department's whole national lab enterprise. Lab-Corps is a key part of the Energy Department's National Laboratory Impact Initiative which hosts a number of exciting new lab-based, tech-to-market programs designed to increase and enhance the private sector's relationships with our national labs, streamline industry's access to national lab capabilities, and demonstrate the value of lab-developed science and technology.



Stay tuned for updates on exciting new tech-to-market programs like the Small Business Vouchers pilot, which allows small clean energy businesses to access national lab equipment and expertise; our Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative's Technologist-in-Residence pilot, which pairs senior technical staff from the labs with counterparts from U.S. manufacturing companies; and the Advanced Manufacturing Office's Cyclotron Road program, where top entrepreneurial researchers can advance technologies until they can succeed beyond the research lab.



The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accelerates development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality.


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