The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a $2.3 million pilot program to accelerate the transfer of innovative clean energy technologies from national laboratories into the commercial marketplace.
Modeled on the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps program, the new Lab-Corps program aims to better position national lab researchers to successfully transition their discoveries into high-impact, real world technologies in the private sector.
The DOE describes the effort as a specialized technology accelerator and training curriculum for the national laboratories that will enable lab-based teams to gain direct market feedback on their technologies and pursue the development of startup companies, industry partnerships, licensing agreements and other business opportunities.
Six national labs have been selected to participate in the Lab-Corps pilot program:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory;
- Argonne National Laboratory;
- Idaho National Laboratory;
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory;
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
‘The Energy Department's national laboratories are science and engineering powerhouses,’ says David Danielson, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, in a statement. ‘In support of the president's lab-to-market initiative, the Lab-Corps program … supports the entrepreneurial spirit at our national labs and will bring new lab technologies to market that advance American leadership in clean energy.’
