Funding Opportunities

Grants/Awards/Challenges

Competitive funding opportunities not only bring financial rewards, but also prestige and opportunities for professional growth. View currently available opportunities for students, faculty and research teams.

There will be a virtual information session on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 from 3-4pm regarding the proposal process. Dr. Ellen Williams, Chair of our Investment Committee will be available to answer your questions. Please contact Cathy Stephens (csteph5@umd.edu) for the link to the information session.

The power point presentation from the information meeting can be found here.

FY2023 Energy Seed Grant for Innovation application deadline has passed. Check back later for the next round. 

The Maryland Energy Innovation Institute (MEI2) is focused on translating university energy research into new clean energy companies in the State of Maryland and thus simultaneously benefiting our environment and creating high paying jobs to help our State economy. MEI2 proposes a unique opportunity through the following seed grant program to bridge the gap between academic transformative laboratory research results and prototype demonstrations to obtain investor interest.  This call will support multiple seed grant awards with a maximum award ceiling of $100,000 USD as well as potential Phase 2 awards with a maximum ceiling of $200,000 USD for those projects that received a prior seed grant. The total amount of funding available for the FY23 Seed Grant Program is $650,000 USD.  For the full announcement and requirements click here. 

Program Focus: The intent of the program is to foster commercialization by translating energy research into a prototype device or process through technology development, creation and/or advancement of university start-up companies within the state of Maryland.

Expectations: The project should advance energy technology and economic growth in Maryland. The device or process should have appropriate intellectual property protection (invention disclosure, patent application, or patent) filed with the applicant institution. At the end of one year, a report that describes work done and includes a commercialization plan will be the final deliverable for the project. The plan should include: 1) clear market assessment and strategy; 2) a viable revenue model; and 3) a strategy for financing the plan.

Allowable Expenses: Research supplies; purchase or rental of equipment and materials; travel for project purposes (excluding travel to meetings or symposia); salary support for a temporary position (1 year or less) technician, or research associates (post-docs), and/or graduate students, and/or commercialization consultants; up to 10% salary support for Professional Track Faculty (PTK) in a Phase I proposal and up to 10% salary support for either PTK or Tenure Track Faculty (TTK) in a Phase II proposal.

Unallowable Expenses: Salaries for PIs (with exceptions listed above); administrative support

2023 Recipients

  • Natural Gas to Value-Added Chemicals Without Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Lead PI: Eric Wachsman, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: Alchemity (Phase II)
  • Low-cost Vacuum Insulated Glass; Lead PI: Ratenesh Tiwari, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: NextGlass, LLC (Phase II)
  • Advancing Technology for Commercialization of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Production from Industrial Hemp Biomass; Lead PI: Sadanand Dhekney, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Partnering Company: Atlantic Biomass (Phase II)
  • Large-Scale Biofuel Production Using a Novel Cyanobaterium; Lead PI: Viji Sitther, Morgan State University; Partnering Company: HaloCyTech LLC
  • SulAnchor Cathodes for Solid-State Lithium Sulfur Batteries; Lead PI: Sara Thoi, Johns Hopkins University \, Partnering Company: Lithinity, LLC
  • Development and Commercialization of Rechargeable Zn-ion Batteries from Crab Shell; Lead PI: Xin Zhang, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: WH-Power, Inc

2022 Recipients

  • Machine Learning-Accelerated Development of Non-Flammable Silica Aerogels for Building Thermal Insulation; Lead PI: Po-Yen Chen, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: Liatris Inc
  • Large-Scale Biofuel Production Using a Novel Cyanobaterium; Lead PI: Viji Sitther, Morgan State University; Partnering Company: HaloCyTech LLC
  • Portable Hybrid Vertical-axis Turbine Technology for Efficient Aero-hydro Energy Harvesting; Lead PI: Meilin Yu, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Partnering Company: InoSonic LLC and Solar Oysters LLC
  • Low-cost Vacuum Insulated Glass; Lead PI: Junho Kim, University of Maryland College Park

2021 Recipients

  • Scaled Electronic Inks as Transparent Conductors for the Solar Cell and Energy-Efficient Lighting Industries (PHASE II); Lead PI: Susanna Thon, Johns Hopkins University; Partnering Company: Nano Direct, LLC
  • Insulating Wood Panels for Energy Efficient Wall Retrofits; Lead PI: Amy Gong, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: Invent Wood LLC
  • A Digital Twin For Lithium-Sulfur Battery Management; Lead PI: Hosam Fathy, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Compnay: Digitalis Technologies
  •  Translation of UMD Research Findings into an AI Thermostat Prototype for Thermal Comfort and Load Sheading; Lead PI: Jelena Srebric, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: Build Sci, Inc.

2020 Recipients

  • Multi-Winding Planar Transformer for Energy Router in Smart Homes; Lead PI: Alireza Khaligh, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: AmpX Technologies, Inc.
  • Mind Your Feet – Knitting Meta-Cool into Socks; Lead PI: YuHuang Wang, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: Coolwave Dynamics, LLC
  • Swirl Stove: Swirling combustion for efficient wood burning; Lead PI: Taylor Myers; Partnering Company: MF Fire Inc.
  • Utilizing Industrial Hemp Biomass for High Throughput Biofuel Production in Maryland; Lead PIs: Jurgen Schwarz, Professor and Chair, and Sadanand Dhekney, Professor, Agriculture, Food and Resource Science, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Partnering Company: Atlantic Biomass Company
  • Poultry Litter to Energy; Lead PI: Seong Lee, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Morgan State University; Partnering Company: Cykloburn Technologies, LLC
  • Thermohalt Li-Ion Battery Management System Development and Customer Test; Lead PI: Rengaswamy Srinivasan, Lead Scientist, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab; Partnering Compnay: Thermohalt Technology, LLC

2019 Recipients

  • RoCo (the Roving Comforter - Phase 2); Lead PI: Reinhard Radermacher, Professor and Director Center for Environmental Energy Engineering, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Companies: Mobile Comfort, Daikin and Alliance Material Handling 
  • A Novel Geared Infinitely Variable Transmission for Tidal Current Energy Harvesting; Lead PI: Weidong Zhu, Professor Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Partnering Company: Talos Industry Corporation
  • Packaging of Solid-State Batteries for Strategic Partner Testing and Product Integration; Lead PI: Greg Hitz, CTO Ion Storage Systems, LLC; University Collaborator: Eric Wachsman, Professor Materials Science Engineering, University of Maryland College Park

2018 Recipients

  • Biogas Enhancement and Ammonia Extraction for Increased Revenue in Waste-to-Energy Systems; Lead PI: Stephanie Lansing, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science & Technology, University of Maryland College Park, Partnering Company: Planet Found Energy Systems, LLC
  • Large Area Quantum Dot Solar Cells for Building Integrated Photovoltaics; Lead PI: Susanna Thon, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University; Partnering Company: NanoDirect LLC
  • Prototype Study of One-Step Membrane Reactor for Stranded Natural Gas to Liquids; Lead PI: Dongxia Liu, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Company: Protonic Membranes
  • RoCo (the Roving Comforter); Lead PI: Reinhard Radermacher, Professor and Director Center for Environmental Energy Engineering, University of Maryland College Park; Partnering Companies: Mobile Comfort, Daikin and Alliance Material Handling

 

 

DOE EnergyTech University Prize

Students interested in learning about cutting-edge clean energy tech, take note: The next round of the EnergyTech University Prize(EnergyTech UP) from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions is now accepting applications!

This innovative prize, part of the American-Made Challenges program, asks multidisciplinary student teams to identify a high-potential energy technology, assess its market potential, and propose a strategy for commercialization—and compete for a share of $370,000! 

Prize administrators are holding an informational webinar to share details about the funding available to students, inspire ideas around energy technologies that teams can use to develop their plans, and answer questions from potential participants. Register now for the webinar, taking place on Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. ET.

The competition offers students the opportunity to build their leadership and entrepreneurial skills, while providing exposure to all of the innovative energy technologies out there waiting to be commercialized.

Since 2008, Ms. Barbara Hulka has provided the Hulka Energy Research Fellowship to support graduate student research in selected alternative energy fields at the University of Maryland Energy Innovation Institute (MEI2). This announcement serves as a request for proposals for engineering graduate student(s) and their faculty advisor(s) to seek funding to pursue new research in one of the following research areas:

  • advanced solar energy conversion,
  • fuels and power from sustainable biological processes,
  • renewable wind energy,
  • ocean thermal or wave energy or geothermal energy conversion

The University of Maryland Energy Innovation Institute (MEI2) is privileged to offer the Harry K. Wells Fellowship.  Mr. Harry K. Wells established an endowment to support engineering graduate student research in energy at the University of Maryland (UMD). This announcement serves as a request for proposals for engineering graduate student(s) and their faculty advisor(s) to seek funding to pursue new research in the field of sustainable energy generation and/or storage.

  • DOE EnergyTech University Prize

Students interested in learning about cutting-edge clean energy tech, take note: The next round of the EnergyTech University Prize(EnergyTech UP) from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions is now accepting applications!

This innovative prize, part of the American-Made Challenges program, asks multidisciplinary student teams to identify a high-potential energy technology, assess its market potential, and propose a strategy for commercialization—and compete for a share of $370,000! 

Prize administrators are holding an informational webinar to share details about the funding available to students, inspire ideas around energy technologies that teams can use to develop their plans, and answer questions from potential participants. Register now for the webinar, taking place on Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. ET.

The competition offers students the opportunity to build their leadership and entrepreneurial skills, while providing exposure to all of the innovative energy technologies out there waiting to be commercialized.

 


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