The University of Arizona Center for Innovation Awarded Another Contract by Department of Energy to Serve as Key Liaison to Support Clean Energy Innovators    

TUCSON, Ariz.- The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) has received an additional three-year award from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to support a variety of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) American-Made Challenges. This comes in addition to UACI’s 2020 appointed commitment as a Power Connector for NREL’s American-Made Solar Prize Challenge.  

In May 2020, UACI was selected to be one of only six Power Connectors across the nation, to collaborate in the $3 million prize competition designed to revitalize U.S. solar manufacturing through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators and other resources across the country. UACI attracts, engages and supports new talent, thus developing high-quality competitors for the American-Made Challenge Solar Prize. This additional contract will allow UACI to expand that work into other areas of American-made clean energy. 

In support of all American-Made challenges, UACI will expand their collaborator’s role with NREL and DOE by helping them pursue their mission to incentivize the nation’s entrepreneurs to strengthen American leadership in energy innovation and domestic manufacturing. Each challenge is dedicated to lessening obstacles U.S.-based innovators face in reaching manufacturing scale by accelerating the cycles of learning from years into weeks, while helping to create partnerships that connect entrepreneurs to the private sector and the network of DOE’s national laboratories across the nation.  

With the new subcontract award of up to $300,000 over three years, UACI will not only support the solar challenge but will be supporting all American-Made challenges, providing assistance with three more clean energy technology challenges. 

• The American-Made Challenges: Groundbreaking Hydro Prize which accelerates transformative developments in hydropower by applying advanced manufacturing technologies to reduce construction costs and repair frequency, improve efficiency and energy capture. 
•  The American-Made Challenges: Powering the Blue Economy™: Ocean Observing Prize which is soliciting the waterpower industry to submit industry-relevant problems and possible solutions. 
•  The American-Made Challenge: Geothermal Manufacturing Prize which incentivizes innovators and entrepreneurs to discover new advanced manufacturing solutions. 

Through this subcontract, UACI will continue to leverage a relationship with DOE and NREL. This collaboration allows UACI to expand their startup portfolio with more clean energy innovations and deploy innovative programming to help carry out NREL’s mission. 

“Collaborating with NREL has been an exceptional journey. With this additional opportunity, we will expand our role as a resource for entrepreneurs in the Southwest region looking to obtain funding and validation from the Department of Energy,” said UACI Executive Director Eric Smith