Center funds $35,000 in clean-tech prototype development

“We have funding available.” Those are four words that are bound to attract student attention. For the University of Washington’s Environmental Innovation Challenge, student teams define a clean-tech problem, design and develop a solution and produce both a prototype and a business summary that outlines the market opportunity. To aid in prototype development for the April 1 Challenge, the Center offered teams $35,000 in prototype funding. All they had to do for the free money was apply by December 11.  And apply they did.

Seventeen teams, with students from engineering, environmental sciences, business, computer science, arts and sciences and forest resources, submitted proposals requesting a total of $59,961. The review team examined each proposal for the credibility/novelty of the idea and its potential for impact. After that first cut, the reviewers looked at each team’s budget and whittled down the expenses. What did the team really need, what could they do without, buy on Craig’s List or find in a UW lab with faculty support? In the end, 14 teams received emails from CIE Director Connie Bourassa-Shaw, awarding them between $450 and $5,400.

The ideas for the 2010 UW EIC include automotive adaptations to save energy, new forms of solar products, thermal heating and cooling systems, products for households wanting to conserve electricity, energy solutions from biomass and wireless alternatives for energy distribution. Students have from early January to April 1 to use the funds and must provide receipts of their expenses. By accepting the prototype funding, teams agree to compete in the Challenge. The prototype dollars were provided by the UW College of Engineering and the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA).