by Rebecca Walker — December 17, 2010—The U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization (NIREC) today announced their collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of a clean technology innovation owned and developed by the Laboratory.
This pilot program pairs NIREC’s Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR) Program with Berkeley Lab’s world-class clean energy research to meet defined market needs. Led by an EIR with market-relevant expertise, the selected team will be awarded funding and pre-commercialization services to achieve technical and commercial milestones, and create a structured commercialization plan. NIREC’s proven interstate collaboration model links the resources and technologies of California and Nevada, two states with key roles in clean energy development, deployment and utilization, officials note.
Since 1990, Berkeley Lab technologies have formed the basis for 30 start-up companies, creating nearly 2,400 jobs with a full job impact of close to 13,000. NIREC is a 501(c)3 independent nonprofit organization integrating researchers, experienced entrepreneurs, business executives, and financial capital to identify, fund and accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy solutions.
