The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) says up to $4 million is available to help entities “bridge the gap” between startup companies focused on clean-energy technology hardware and manufacturers that can help bring their products to market. One of NYSERDA’s goals is to help bring “innovative” clean-tech products to the marketplace, […]
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) says up to $4 million is available to help entities “bridge the gap” between startup companies focused on clean-energy technology hardware and manufacturers that can help bring their products to market.
One of NYSERDA’s goals is to help bring “innovative” clean-tech products to the marketplace, the authority said in a news release issued June 29.
The funding will create the manufacturing corps (M-corps) pilot program that will pay for the development of strategies to accelerate the time-to-market for clean-tech products. The M-corps-funded entities will “accomplish this goal by removing barriers” between clean-energy technology startups and manufacturers in New York state.
NYSERDA will “competitively” select one or more contractors to run the M-corps pilot program by the fall and then launch the pilot later this year.
Once it awards funding, most of the pilot activities will focus on hardware startups that have a prototype and a validated market but need manufacturing assistance.
The goal is to “better prepare” hardware startup companies and manufacturers to work together as the state “continues to advance these industries.”
NYSERDA expects the pilot to last about two years. Based on the results, NYSERDA will issue another “competitive” solicitation to select one or more contractors to implement “the most promising lessons learned on a larger scale.”
NYSERDA will invest a total of $12 million in this initiative through the end of 2019.
The authority will conduct an informational webinar about the M-corps initiative on July 13 between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and answer questions relating to possible projects, program applicability, selection criteria, and any other appropriate topics.
Funding is available through the state’s clean-energy fund.
More information about the webinar and funding is available on NYSERDA’s website: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/Manufacturing-Corps-Pilot-Program.
Explaining rationale
NYSERDA also used its news release to explain why it believes such pilot programs are needed.
Bringing cleantech products to the marketplace is “vital” to the clean-climate careers initiative, a “multi-pronged strategy” to grow New York’s “emerging” clean-energy economy to make the state a “magnet” for energy-technology companies and create 40,000 new, “good-paying,” clean-energy jobs by 2020, NYSERDA said.
It’s also “vital” to supporting Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s reforming the energy vision (REV) effort, the authority added.
“Under Gov. Cuomo’s leadership, New York has made a significant investment in clean-tech startups and supporting entrepreneurs. Now, we are taking the next step — to bring them together with manufacturers that can move their products to the marketplace to help make New York’s environment cleaner and greener,” Alicia Barton, president and CEO of NYSERDA, said in the release.
NYSERDA is a public benefit corporation, started in 1975, that says it seeks to “advance innovative energy solutions in ways that improve New York’s economy and environment.” Its efforts include conducting energy research and analysis, attracting private-sector capital investment to help expand New York’s clean-energy economy, reducing barriers to using clean energy on a large-scale in the state, and promoting energy efficiency and use of renewable energy by New York communities and residents. NYSERDA is governed by a 13-member board of directors.