The Energy Commercialization Institute

The Energy Commercialization Institute (ECI) is the region’s first multi-institutional partnership to accelerate alternative and clean energy technology development and commercialization, through translational research and sponsored research funding.

Ben Franklin, Drexel University and The University of Pennsylvania created the ECI, with $1.2 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Additional university partnerships include Penn State University, Villanova University, Philadelphia University, Widener University, and Temple University.

ECI pools intellectual property from participating institutions, providing dedicated technology transfer services with expertise to promote energy commercialization. It offers corporations a single point of negotiation for IP licensing, independent of the number of institutions with ownership of that IP.

The ECI offers to funds:

• The Energy Translational Research Fund (ETRF) provides grants of up to $150,000 directly to institutional researchers to support multi-institutional projects with a high degree of potential success.
• The Energy Sponsored Research Agreement Fund (ESRA) provides up to $50,000 in matching funds for Sponsored Research Agreements to support institutional research for the advancement of a company’s existing technology.

Funding is available to those institutions affiliated with the ECI: Drexel University, Penn State University, Philadelphia University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University and Widener University.

Click here to read the ECI Awards Annoucements

For more information, please contact:

Khalilah Parham Mangum
215-972-6700, x3226