On behalf of the USC Columbia Fuel Cell Collaborative, SCRA announced that it is accepting white papers for the Greater Columbia Fuel Cell Challenge 2009 for projects focused on commercializing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in and around Columbia, South Carolina. The call for white papers was issued at the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Fall Forum, “Hydrogen from Renewables” being held this week in Golden, Colorado.
This solicitation launches the third annual installment of the Fuel Cell Challenge. With a total anticipated funding availability between $500,000 and $1,000,000, the Fuel Cell Challenge 2009 will focus on accelerating the region’s efforts to become a premier destination for hydrogen and fuel cell innovation in the country. “This project demonstrates how successful collaborations within South Carolina continue to grow our state’s knowledge economy,” said Bill Mahoney, SCRA CEO. “The partnerships assembled under the banner of the Greater Columbia Fuel Cell Challenge are turning innovative ideas from researchers and companies across the nation into significant economic opportunities, both in the Midlands of South Carolina as well as across the state.”
Based upon a merit review of white papers received, invitations to submit full proposals will be issued in late November or early December, 2008. A major factor in ultimate award selection will be on how the proposed project would lead to generation of new jobs and/or creation of new or spin-off companies in near-term hydrogen and fuel cell commercial market segments.
Challenge will focus on expanding the innovation pipeline
The Greater Columbia Fuel Cell Challenge was launched in 2006 to help create and expand an “innovation pipeline” for fuel cell technology, which include efforts to build a critical mass of research knowledge (the discovery phase), commercialize the fruits of that research in specific applications for product creation and company formation (the development phase), and then create incentives to grow and attract industries into enterprise clusters (the deployment phase). Potential activities for this new phase of the Challenge will align with these three broad innovation pipeline categories:
Discovery: The focus of the discovery phase will be on creating intellectual property by fostering research partnerships and activities, promoting educational awareness and outreach within the K-12 schools, technical and four-year college and business communities, and incentivizing individuals and groups to direct their talents and imagination toward fuel cell related technology.
Development: The focus of the development phase will be on establishing a local business and entrepreneurial environment conducive to company formation and successful start-up centered on the intellectual property developed at or in partnership with the University of South Carolina.
Deployment: The focus of the deployment phase will be on creating a commercial market for fuel cell products that, in turn, will drive fuel cell industry growth and create an economic “cluster” of fuel cell companies. This is a long term goal; in the near term the Challenge will focus on demonstrating the largest possible variety of market ready or near market ready fuel cell technologies and applications across the stationary power, portable power and transportation application spectrum, and connecting those demonstrations with the comprehensive “end-to-end” vision for the future of the Columbia region.
“The Fuel Cell Challenge is about the power of ideas and innovation,” said Neil McLean, Executive Director of EngenuitySC. “It may originate in Columbia, SC, but we’re hoping to connect to ideas in any lab, company, or region in the world.”
The Fuel Cell Challenge 2009 seeks to build upon the successes achieved in the first two years of this initiative, during which more than $4 million has been invested in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Fuel Cell Challenge awards to date include:
* 10 awards in 2006 - the first year of the program
* 4 awards in 2007
* The Columbia hydrogen fueling station is under contract for delivery in first quarter of 2009.
* The FTA National Fuel Cell Bus Program will demonstrate a hybrid battery-fuel cell bus in Columbia for a year, beginning in the first quarter of 2009
Areas of particular interest for Fuel Cell Challenge 2009 include:
* Hydrogen production from renewable sources
* A transportation project affiliated with the Columbia hydrogen fueling station
* A high visibility stationary power project that could be sited in the University of South Carolina’s new research campus facilities (“Innovista”) in the heart of downtown Columbia
for mor information visit http://www.fuelcellchallenge.com/
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