Southeastern Pennsylvania recently gained a new champion in the race to develop alternative energy and clean technologies. The Energy Commercialization Institute (ECI) is a partnership among Drexel University, Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) and the University of Pennsylvania, created with a $1.2 million grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

"The ECI will spur development through translational research and sponsored research funding," says RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, president and CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners/Southeastern PA (BFTP/SEP).

Other partners of the ECI are Penn State University, Villanova University, Philadelphia University, Widener University and Temple University. These institutions will be key participants with roles in the operating committee and energy commercialization groups within the ECI.

The ECI creates a joint technology-transfer model for the region's research institutions, centered on a common framework for technology development, intellectual property (IP) management, sponsored research and company formation. A large part of the ECI is researching new technology. Its funding is apportioned between two program areas--one geared toward institutional researchers, the other toward companies that work with the institutional researchers. Funding is also applied to translational research projects that have significant commercial potential.

Critical Component of the Regional Energy Strategy
The ECI will drive directed research funding in two technology sectors that have been identified as vital to successful energy commercialization--transportation and generation. Transportation focuses on hydrogen utilization and storage, while generation refers to solar cell and wind power distribution and storage. Another core point is conservation, researching and developing smart meters and advanced building techniques. In its early stages, the ECI will address the first two sectors.

"The ECI is a critical component of our regional energy strategy. It provides a continuum of support for emerging technologies dealing with clean energy that are being studied with translational research," says James Gambino, vice president of Technology Commercialization for Physical Sciences at BFTP/SEP. "The structure of the ECI is based on the structure of the Nanotechnology Institute, a successful model for cooperation between institutions and corporations, pooling their research and technology in a very effective manner."

The ECI supports researchers, companies and institutions in their translational research to create new energy technology. The ECI's partner program, the state-approved Alternative Energy Development Program (AEDP), will then provide a variety of services, including investment services, to support the commercialization of these emerging technologies.

The ECI's two-year $1.2 million grant is being managed by BFTP and used to support research and programs. The ECI has also created the Energy Commercialization Group (ECG) to pool IP from participating institutions, provided that these institutions dedicate technology-transfer services with expertise to promote energy commercialization. The ECG is being housed at Drexel University and will offer corporations a single point of negotiation for IP licensing, independent of the number of institutions with ownership of that IP.