US DOE to ramp up clean energy technologies commercialization

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a new lab program to ramp up commercialization of clean energy technologies.

Built on the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) model, the $2.3m Lab-Corps will accelerate the transfer of new clean energy technologies from the DOE’s National Laboratories into the commercial markets.

Lab-Corps will allow lab-based teams to have direct market feedback on their technologies and undertake the development of startup firms, industry partnerships, licensing agreements, and other business opportunities.

Six national labs will participate in the Lab-Corps program in 2015 to assemble, train, and support entrepreneurial teams to find private sector opportunities for the commercialization of sustainable transportation, renewable power, and energy efficiency lab technologies.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado will develop, deliver, and manage the Lab-Corps training program throughout the laboratory sites, by using its expertise in technology commercialization and clean energy sectors.

Brookhaven National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratory are among the other laboratories which will support the program.

US DOE assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy David Danielson said: "The Energy Department’s National Laboratories are science and engineering powerhouses.

"In support of the President’s Lab-to-Market Initiative, the Lab-Corps program launched today supports the entrepreneurial spirit at our national labs and will bring new lab technologies to market that advance American leadership in clean energy."