LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 7, 2022) — The University of Kentucky has been selected as the regional coordinator for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Tech University Awards Competition.
Sponsored by DOE’s Office of Technology Transition (OTT), the EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) is a collegiate competition in which multidisciplinary student teams develop and present business plans leveraging lab-developed and other high-potential energy technologies. EnergyTech UP awards cash prizes to teams that successfully identify an energy technology, assess its market potential, and propose a commercialization strategy.
Student teams will compete for a total prize pool of $250,000. During the competition, student teams will receive mentoring and materials to help them succeed.
Top teams will compete for $100,000 in prize money funded by OTT. Additionally, six DOE technical offices are offering bonus prizes of up to $25,000 to the best teams in their fields. The six offices include the Geothermal Technology Office, Solar Energy Technology Office, Nuclear Energy Office, Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Office, Building Technology Office, and Hydroelectric Technology Office.
“This is an exciting time for energy technology, and the EnergyTech University Prize will engage our undergraduate students and accelerate these technologies into markets where they can have real impact,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk, who began the award announcement with a video message to participants.
UK will serve as the regional coordinator for the Appalachian region, which includes Kentucky and Tennessee. Participating teams can find more details about the competition and register here: All teams must register on HeroX, the official competition platform, by 5pm on January 31, 2022.
Interested teams must submit a 200-word abstract about the technology and business opportunity they will leverage, an initial slide deck, and indicate their preferred geography. Teams will be invited to present at a regional host event. Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to compete for the EnergyTechUP prize.
Regional winners will receive exclusive mentorship and free access to OTT’s Energy I-Corps curriculum throughout February and March to help refine students’ ideas. Regional winners will present their completed business plans at Carnegie Mellon University’s Energy Week in March 2022.
Find out more about the UK EnergyTech UP regional coordinators here.
