Student and faculty Energy Competitions
OVPR Distinguished University Innovator Award
Nomination deadline: Nov. 13, 2009
To be eligible for this award the nominee(s) must be member of the tenure/tenure track or research faculty. Teams of up to three (3) individuals led by such faculty member are also eligible. The Distinguished University Innovator(s) will have accomplished one or more of the following:
- Developed a breakthrough technology and demonstrated its transformational potential relative to an otherwise conventionally accepted practice or market.
- Taken a significant innovation developed in the University through to market-readiness, either through partnership with a commercial enterprise, or by starting a company.
- Demonstrated a new method or means for moving innovations from the university into the private sector through the establishment of partnerships or other relationships that promote the strategic or economic position of the region, state or nation.
For more information visit http://research.umich.edu/ovpr/innovator/
Distinguished Dissertation Awards
Nomination deadline: Nov. 16, 2009
The purpose of the awards is to recognize exceptional and unusually interesting work produced by doctoral students in the last phase of their graduate work. The nominees’ overall academic accomplishments will also be taken into account. This special award gives us an opportunity to celebrate the splendid diversity of scholarly interests examined and explored by our talented doctoral students. We seek nominations from a broad range of academic disciplines. To qualify for consideration, a nominee must have completed the dissertation and earned the doctoral degree during the 2009 calendar year. Up to eight awards will be made.
Sponsored by the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School. For more information visit http://www.rackham.umich.edu/faculty_staff/dda/
$100,000 DTE Clean Energy Prize
Executive summaries due: Nov. 20, 2009
The DTE Clean Energy Prize (CEP) aims to encourage economic development in Michigan and capture university-born ideas for advancing the energy industry. The $100,000 award will recognize the teams that convey the greatest potential to transfer applicable technology into practical business development. All entrants’ proposed businesses must be based upon a technology, product, or service in a clean energy focus areas.
Focus Areas:
· Renewable Energy, e.g. solar, wind, biomass, biofuels, hydro
· Energy Efficiency and Demand Response, e.g. smart grid, green building
· Environmental Control Technologies, e.g. carbon capture, nuclear energy
· Energy Storage, e.g. battery storage, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and infrastructure
The DTE Clean Energy Prize is a multi-round competition during which teams pitch their businesses to panels of professionals serving as judges. All students who write a complete executive summary for their proposed business will compete in Round One of the CEP. Those that advance to Round Two, Semi-Finals, and Finals will write a marketing and financial overview for their company and finish a complete business plan. Teams interested in competing for the CEP must submit the Intent to Compete form and a three page executive summary by 8am on November 20, 2009.
For information on the DTE Energy prize visit http://mpowered.studentorgs.umich.edu/index.php?n=DTE.CleanEnergyPrize
The Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute is a partner in this competition.
Alternative Energy Solutions: Lessons from the developing world
December 7, 2009 - Prototype Deadline
December 11, 2009 - Final Decision
This competition is designed to encourage students to create cost effective alternative energy solutions that are scalable to all income levels, in the U.S. and beyond. Currently, most alternative energy solutions available in the market are not affordable to individuals in the median to low income range. The task is to develop affordable alternative energy solutions by learning from innovative approaches used in developing countries.
This competition is brought to you by the generous support of Richard Rosmarin, Managing Director of Cornerstone Management, a University of Michigan Engineering ’78 graduate, in partnership with the Center for Entrepreneurship and MPowered.
For more information visit http://mpowered.umich.edu/index.php?n=Alternative.Energy
Zayed Future Energy Prize
Winners Announced: 19 Jan 2010 at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.
The Zayed Future Energy Prize is seeking nominations for its annual award that recognizes global energy innovators who are creating solutions to address one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. The Zayed Prize is one of the top awards in the industry providing global recognition, as well as a $1.5M first prize and $350K for two finalists.
Who can submit? This is a global prize and any individual, company, non-government organization can apply. Zayed is looking for significant contributions in research, implementation and so on, with respect to energy and climate change. You can nominate yourself, or can be nominated by others.
Winners Announced: 19 Jan 2010 at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.
Please go to www.zayedfutureenergyprize.com for more info.
BACKGROUND
The government of Abu Dhabi, through the Mubadala Development Company, has established the Zayed Future Energy Prize with an annual prize fund to honour individuals, companies, NGOs and organizations for their excellence in the innovation, development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions.
Submissions will be judged according to the following criteria:
- Innovation – Proof of cutting-edge concepts and solutions that solve today’s energy and sustainability challenges.
- Long-term vision – Demonstration of ability to scale through a commercially viable or sustainable business model.
- Leadership – Championing the vision in order to advance clean energy and sustainable solutions.
H - Prize: A project of the hydrogen education foundation
Deadline for Registration and Eligibility Documentation: Feb. 15, 2010
The H-Prize, enacted by Congress, authorized the Secretary of Energy to create a program to competitively award cash prizes that will advance the commercial application of hydrogen energy technologies by dramatizing and incentivizing accelerated research. The H-Prize was originally established by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, in Sec. 654.
There are several H-Prize categories, including production, storage, distribution, utilization, and prototypes and transformational technologies. The 2009-11 prize will be awarded in the area of storage materials in mobile systems for light-duty vehicles.
The H-Prize is managed by the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program in the U.S. Department of Energy. DOE is the lead Federal agency for directing activities in hydrogen and fuel cell R&D, and the HFCIT Program is responsible for coordinating activities. It is designed to help the U.S. achieve a diverse, secure and emissions-free energy future by improving efficiency, reducing oil imports and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
To learn more, including eligibility requirements, visit http://www.hydrogenprize.org/index.asp