Evelyn Wang (center), director of the the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), welcomed more than 100 energy innovation leaders to “ARPA-E on the Road: Houston,” a first-of-its-kind event held June 8 at Hudspeth Auditorium in Rice’s Anderson-Clarke Center.
(Photos by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)
Wang announced a third installment of $100 million in funding for the agency’s SCALEUP program, which stands for “Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential.” SCALEUP provides additional funding to ARPA-E recipients that have demonstrated viable paths to market. The announcement was followed by a panel discussion in which (from left) Joe Zhou, Rita Hansen and Carlos Araque, the respective CEOs of Quidnet, Onboard Dynamics and Quaise, discussed how their companies benefit from ARPA-E funding.
Rice’s choice as host site of the agency’s inaugural “on the road” event provided Rice Vice President for Research Ramamoorthy Ramesh an opportunity to tell the energy innovation community about the university's efforts to make Houston a leader in the development of renewable and sustainable technologies that address climate change.
The event offered members of the energy innovation community a chance to ask questions and hear directly from Wang and ARPA-E program directors about the agency’s funding approach and specific areas of interest.