The Spark Cleantech Accelerator program supports early stage cleantech businesses and drive commercialization of their technologies in Tennessee.
Donor Name: UT Research Park
State: Tennessee
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Program
Deadline: 05/15/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year
Details:
The Spark CTA was created in partnership with Evergreen Climate Innovations (previously Clean Energy Trust) and other partners to support early stage cleantech businesses and drive commercialization of their technologies in Tennessee and throughout the Midwest and the Southeast.
The Spark Cleantech Accelerator is a 12-week program and the UT Research Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. The program provides mentorship, connections, stipends, prototyping services, and business acceleration services to early stage cleantech entrepreneurs to help commercialize new innovations.
In 12-week, in-person program, the offer:

$15,000 Stipends to help defray travel/living costs and to support business and technical milestones
Prototyping services through the University of Tennessee’s Center for Materials Processing,
Mentoring and one-on-one support from our experts in business, market analysis and positioning, and IP/ patent strategy, product design, engineering, prototyping, testing, material selection, tooling design, and manufacturing,
Connections with customers, investors, strategic partners, suppliers, and universities and national laboratories,
Training Workshops and one-on-one support.
Partnership opportunities with organizations such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, Oak Ridge National Lab, the University of Tennessee, the City of Knoxville, and members of the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council.

Eligibility Criteria

Application from Tennessee, the Midwest, and beyond.
Companies that demonstrate a positive impact to energy efficiency, generate renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, carbon capture, increase recycling/upcycling and a circular economy.
Companies that show strong market potential and defensible intellectual property, with issued patents or pending patents filed.
Those who demonstrate their technology can support the challenges and needs of Spark partners, such as utilities, local governments, universities, manufacturing companies, commercial building operators, etc.
Those that create software of hardware technologies including intelligent connected devices, advanced materials process, or with technology companies at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2-6.
Applicants who are open to Tennessee as a permanent business location.

For more information, visit UT Research Park.