CleanTech University Prize (CLEANTECH UP) Competition
The Cleantech UP Competition built on the success of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competitions (NCEBPC) in inspiring more graduate and undergraduate students to pursue entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialization of clean energy technologies. The competition addresses remaining challenges for students to pursue cleantech education, entrepreneurship, and careers, including : limited access to energy - industry - tailored education and entrepreneurial trai ning; limited coordination of regional and national resources for students; uneven support between competitions and regions; limited cooperation and best - practice sharing; and inconsistent collection of feedback and learning between student participants. During the first year of the grant, in 2016, Cleantech UP competition was managed by Spark Clean Energy; in partnership with DOE and members of the cleantech and energy ecosystems, VentureWell implemented the National Cleantech University Prize (UP) Competi tion during 2017 and 2018.