The Academy Hosts Clean-Tech Advisory Board

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) held an Advisory Board Meeting for its clean energy proof-of-concept centers (POCCs) on June 3 at the Academy. Now in their second year of operation, the POCCs run programming to help inventors and scientists turn their high-tech, clean energy ideas into successful businesses by going through an immersive commercialization program that lasts for more than year. The POCCs are led by Columbia University and the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering, which have collaborated to form PowerBridgeNY, and High Tech Rochester, which has formed NEXUS-NY. The ultimate goal is to create more New York State-based businesses in clean technology.

The Academy, which serves in an advisory capacity for the POCCs, in concert with NYSERDA, formed the Advisory Board to provide strategic advice to the POCCs, such as refining program processes, timelines, and outcome reporting. The Board was selected for their expertise in innovative technologies, commercialization, and start-ups. It is a multisectoral group reaching across industry, academia, and foundations.

The Advisory Board is comprised of:

• Richard Adams, Manager, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, NREL
• David Audretsch, PhD, Director, Institute for Development Strategies, Ameritech Chair of Economic Development, Indiana University
• Abigail Barrow,PhD, Founding Director, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
• Bill Bonvillian, Director, MIT Washington Office, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Michael Cassidy, President and CEO, Georgia Research Alliance
• Jerome Engel, Founding Executive Director Emeritus, Lester Center for Entrepreneurship, University of California Berkeley
• Jerry McGuire, Former Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Development, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• Glen Merfeld, Platform Leader, Energy Storage Technology, GE Global Research – New York
• Willem Rensink, PhD, GameChanger, Shell International Exploration & Production
• Leon Sandler, Executive Director, MIT Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation
• Robert Strom, PhD, Director of Research and Policy, The Kauffman Foundation
• Dawn Tew, Program Director, Collaborative Research Initiatives, Global University Program, IBM

Members of the Advisory Board, as well as leadership from NYSERDA, PowerBridgeNY, NEXUS-NY, and the Academy were in attendance at the meeting, where they reviewed the POCCs’ performance over the last year and discussed strategies for a successful year ahead.