By RICHARD ADAMS
Electrical current flows in one direction but ideas don’t, and that’s one reason why the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has found partnerships and collaborations so important.
NREL is dedicated to increasing the amount of renewable energy powering the planet. What that means is opportunities abound for entrepreneurs, startups and established companies interested in furthering NREL’s mission. Several programs are available to help businesses in various stages of development.
Technology transfer agreements are one way for a company to foster connections with NREL. Partnering opportunities allow companies to work with NREL to commercialize and deploy energy technologies and products. Technologies developed at the laboratory are available for licensing, under the protection of intellectual property rights. Licenses can be either exclusive or nonexclusive, and NREL has developed licensing terms that are friendly to startups, who may access technologies that form the basis of new companies. NREL maintains a website where the technologies available for licensing are listed.
The Commercialization Assistance Program can connect entrepreneurs with NREL’s resources. As sometimes happens as a company works on moving a product into the marketplace, obstacles can get in the way of a good idea. NREL’s program works with small companies that have hit a problem with their clean-energy technology, such as a prototype beset by glitches. The program is free, and companies can apply at any time, but acceptance is on a first-come, first-served basis. The companies selected will get as much as 40 hours of technical help. NREL’s assistance includes testing systems or components, and providing insight into emerging technologies. During fiscal 2015, 28 companies were aided through the Commercial Assistance Program.
The Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot program is another way NREL is able to help businesses. Launched in the fall of 2015, the SBV is intended to give small businesses greater access to the expertise at NREL and the other national laboratories operated by DOE . The companies must be working in one of nine technologies, such as geothermal, solar or wind power. Companies interested in the program can register online at www.sbv.org and submit a request for assistance during certain open periods. A merit review process is used to determine which companies will be chosen for help. Hundreds of companies asked for assistance in the first round of the program. The open period for the second round of voucher requests is expected to begin in February. A third round is expected in May or June.
In addition to technical assistance, the other main hurdle most young startups face is access to capital. The Industry Growth Forum, a staple in the industry for over 20 years, is designed to facilitate just that. The event convenes 400 entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, and key government agencies for two days of company pitch presentations and networking opportunities. The forum plays a key role in establishing connections among those seeking funding to improve their technology and bring innovative solutions to market, with the deep pockets looking for promising young companies with strong market potential. Since 2003, companies that have presented at the event have raised more than $5 billion in financing.
NREL also participates in the Mentor-Protégé Program established by the DOE. The program is intended to help small businesses owned by someone who’s both socially and economically disadvantaged, as well as those owned by women and by service-disabled veterans. A small business chosen for the program signs a two-year commitment and during that time receives developmental and technical assistance from NREL, and becomes eligible for non-competitive subcontracts. The ultimate outcome is to provide the small business with the knowledge, skills and capabilities needed to successfully compete for DOE prime contracts, to foster long-term business relationships with these small businesses and to increase the overall number of small business entities that receive DOE prime and subcontracts.
More information about how to connect your business with NREL can be found online at https://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/faqs.html.
Richard Adams is director, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
