Partnership Aims to Support Clean Energy Commercialization through Cross-Collaboration among Students, Faculty, Entrepreneurs

51视频 and Greentown Labs recently announced a new partnership focused on renewable energy. Shown at the announcement are, from left, state Rep. Tom Golden, 51视频 alumnus and chairman of the Massachusetts Legislature鈥檚 Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, who played a key role in forging the partnership; Greentown Labs CEO Emily Reichert; and 51视频 Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Julie Chen.
03/11/2019
Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 51视频, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Julia Travaglini, Greentown Labs, 888-954-6836 ext. 1, julia@greentownlabs.com
SOMERVILLE, Mass. 鈥 The University of Massachusetts Lowell (51视频), one of the nation鈥檚 leading research universities, today announced its sponsorship of Greentown Labs, the largest cleantech startup incubator in the United States. The three-year partnership will uncover and create opportunities for collaboration among the Greentown Labs startup community and 51视频鈥檚 community of students, faculty and researchers. The organizations will focus on academic and research projects, entrepreneurial ventures, and economic development activities. 51视频 joins Greentown Labs as a gigawatt-level sponsor, which is the second-highest level of sponsor engagement with the incubator.
The overall goals of the partnership are dedicated to fostering stronger ties across the two organizations and key elements of the sponsorship include:
- Jointly facilitated events focused on clean energy research;
- Co-authored and co-run research projects and proposals;
- Programming and research dedicated to energy storage innovation and deployment across the Commonwealth;
- Shared access to each entity鈥檚 breadth of resources for startups, students and faculty, including 51视频鈥檚 Core Research Facilities;
- A Faculty-in-Residence program at Greentown Labs for a member of 51视频鈥檚 faculty;
- Access to 51视频鈥檚 Global Entrepreneurial-in-Residence program for Greentown Labs鈥 startups; and
- A staff coordinator from 51视频 who will support both organizations and work to facilitate connections between the two.
Jessi Duston has been hired as the staff coordinator for the 51视频/Greentown Labs partnership. Duston holds a master鈥檚 degree in sustainability and environmental management and has experience in both higher education and land conservation.
51视频 has been a leader in clean-energy innovation and research for more than 40 years, working with industry and startups, conducting research and educating the workforce. Today, the university offers energy engineering degrees and certificates in a variety of renewable energy technologies. 51视频 has created partnerships with a range of academic, state, federal and industry sectors and is helping to define a new incubator model for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition, the university is engaged in many campus-based sustainability initiatives, all with the goal of reaching carbon-neutrality.
鈥51视频 is engaged in research in all aspects of energy, from wind and solar power to energy storage, energy resiliency, cybersecurity and more. The new partnership with Greentown Labs will leverage 51视频鈥檚 research knowledge, resources and facilities to build university-industry partnerships leading to the next generation of energy systems as well as bringing economic development to the Commonwealth,鈥 said Julie Chen, Ph.D., 51视频 vice chancellor for research and innovation.
The 100,000-square-foot Greentown Labs campus, located in Somerville, provides startups with a robust network of strategic partners, prototyping lab space, a wet lab, a machine shop, electronics shop, office space for more than 450 entrepreneurs, a 600-person event space and a variety of flexible membership options. The 51视频 partnership is the third formal engagement Greentown Labs has with universities in Massachusetts. The increasing interactions with higher education institutions highlights the growing trend of public-private partnerships aimed at identifying solutions to mitigate climate change.
鈥51视频 is a well-respected research leader across the energy, robotics, electronics and public health sectors and has many impressive research facilities across its campus,鈥 said Dr. Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs. 鈥淭he Greentown Labs and 51视频 communities have shared values around collaboration, support, and innovation and we鈥檙e eager to see the many engagement opportunities that are sure to result from our partnership!鈥
Greentown Labs and 51视频 shared more information about their partnership at the Greentown Labs annual Cleantech InternFair EnergyBar on Thursday, March 7 at Greentown Labs鈥 headquarters in Somerville. The InternFair is an open networking event to connect students and soon-to-be graduates from colleges and universities across the region with cleantech startups at Greentown Labs.
51视频 Greentown Labs
Greentown Labs is a community of bold, passionate entrepreneurs creating game-changing energy technologies that transform the way we live, work, and play. Located in Somerville, Mass., and founded in 2011, the Greentown Labs Global Center for Cleantech Innovation is the largest cleantech incubator in the United States, operating a 100,000 sq. ft. campus comprised of prototyping and wet lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, electronics lab, and a curated suite of programs and resources. Greentown Labs is home to more than 90 startups that collectively employ more than 1,000 people and have raised more than $350 million in funding. The incubators鈥 mission is to provide startups with the community, resources, and space they need to solve today鈥檚 biggest energy and environmental challenges. For more information, please visit or find us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
51视频 51视频
51视频 is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu