Networks

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) is at the center of a cleantech ecosystem.

Two people talking at a conference

From our unique position as a national lab-based entity with influential industry partners and motivated investors, we have built a network that can bring cleantech innovation to market, where it will make real impact.

We manage technology incubation programs for Shell and Wells Fargo; partner with industry and Department of Energy (DOE) labs and facilities; convene a robust network of more than 150 cleantech investors, including the NREL Investor Advisory Board; and manage a network of more than 60 leading incubators, accelerators, and universities that refer and assist our startup companies.

Entrepreneurs

Our Shell GameChanger AcceleratorTM Powered by NREL and Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator portfolios include more than 70 companies. Through the Canadian Technology Assistance Program, NREL has provided technical assistance to more than 20 Canadian startups. In addition, we convene entrepreneurs from around the world to participate in our annual Industry Growth Forum, which includes an Emerging Markets track. By encouraging cleantech innovation by and for developing economies, IEC amplifies its social and economic impact.

Incubators, Accelerators, and Universities

More than 60 universities, accelerators, and incubators make up the IEC network of Channel Partners.

Map of the United States showing the locations of the channel partners

Alaska

Launch Alaska
Anchorage, AK

Alabama

HudsonAlpha
Huntsville, AL

Arizona

University of Arizona – Center for Innovation (UACI)
Tucson, AZ

California

Activate
Berkeley, CA

AgStart
Woodland, CA

Caltech, FLOW Program
Pasadena, CA

Cleantech Group
San Francisco, CA

Cleantech Open
Los Angeles, CA

Cleantech San Diego
San Diego, CA

Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP)
Palm Springs, CA

Imagine H2O, Inc.
San Francisco, CA

Larta Institute
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)
Los Angeles, CA

New Energy Nexus
San Francisco, CA

Powerhouse
Oakland, CA

Prospect Silicon Valley (ProspectSV)
San Jose, CA

Stanford, TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy
Stanford, CA

University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

University of California, Davis – Energy and Efficiency Institute (EEI)
Davis, CA

Colorado

Colorado Cleantech Industries Association
Longmont, CO

Colorado State University Energy Institute, Powerhouse (CSU)
Fort Collins, CO

Innosphere
Fort Collins, CO

Innovation Corridor Foundation
Denver, CO

University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO

Florida

HBCU Clean Energy Initiative (HBCU CEI)
Miami, FL

Georgia

University of Georgia, Innovation Gateway
Athens, GA

Hawaii

Elemental Excelerator
Honolulu, HI

Iowa

Iowa State University
Ames, IA

Illinois

Evergreen Climate Innovations
Chicago, IL

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

Maryland

F3 Tech Accelerator
Easton, MD

Massachusetts

Browning the Green Space (BGS)
Boston, MA

FORGE
Somerville, MA

Greentown Labs
Somerville, MA

Mass Challenge
Boston, MA

Northeast Clean Energy Council Institute (NECEC)
Boston, MA

Michigan

NextEnergy Center
Detroit, MI

Missouri

BioGenerator
St. Louis, MO

The Yield Lab
St. Louis, MO

Nebraska

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska (DEIC)
Lincoln, NE

New Mexico

Arrowhead Center
Las Cruces, NM

New York

Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE)
Syracuse, NY

Urban Future Lab
New York, NY

North Carolina

North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech)
RTP, NC

University of North Carolina, Institute for the Environment
Chapel Hill, NC

North Dakota

Grand Farm/Emerging Prairie
Fargo, ND

Ohio

BRITE Energy Innovators
Warren, OH

Ontario, Canada

MaRS
Toronto, ON

Oregon

Portland State University Business Accelerator (PSU)
Portland, OR

VertueLab
Portland, OR

Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)
Pittsburgh, PA

Penn State University
State College, PA

Tennessee

AgLaunch
Memphis, TN

Texas

Rice University
Houston, TX

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Clean Energy Incubator
College Station, TX

Texas State University (TXST)
San Marcos, TX

University of Texas at Austin, Austin Technology Incubator
Austin, TX

University of Texas at Austin, Texas Venture Labs (TVL)
Austin, TX

Virginia

Dominion Energy Innovation Center
Ashland, VA

Washington

University of Washington
Seattle, WA

Wisconsin

The Water Council
Milwaukee, WI

University of Wisconsin-Madison – Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI)
Madison, WI

Wyoming

Impact 307
Laramie, WY

Alaska

Launch Alaska
Anchorage, AK

Alabama

HudsonAlpha
Huntsville, AL

Arizona

University of Arizona – Center for Innovation (UACI)
Tucson, AZ

California

Activate
Berkeley, CA

AgStart
Woodland, CA

Caltech, FLOW Program
Pasadena, CA

Cleantech Group
San Francisco, CA

Cleantech Open
Los Angeles, CA

Cleantech San Diego
San Diego, CA

Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP)
Palm Springs, CA

Imagine H2O, Inc.
San Francisco, CA

Larta Institute
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)
Los Angeles, CA

New Energy Nexus
San Francisco, CA

Powerhouse
Oakland, CA

Prospect Silicon Valley (ProspectSV)
San Jose, CA

Stanford, TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy
Stanford, CA

University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

University of California, Davis – Energy and Efficiency Institute (EEI)
Davis, CA

Colorado

Colorado Cleantech Industries Association
Longmont, CO

Colorado State University Energy Institute, Powerhouse (CSU)
Fort Collins, CO

Innosphere
Fort Collins, CO

Innovation Corridor Foundation
Denver, CO

University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO

Florida

HBCU Clean Energy Initiative (HBCU CEI)
Miami, FL

Georgia

University of Georgia, Innovation Gateway
Athens, GA

Hawaii

Elemental Excelerator
Honolulu, HI

Iowa

Iowa State University
Ames, IA

Illinois

Evergreen Climate Innovations
Chicago, IL

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

Maryland

F3 Tech Accelerator
Easton, MD

Massachusetts

Browning the Green Space (BGS)
Boston, MA

FORGE
Somerville, MA

Greentown Labs
Somerville, MA

Mass Challenge
Boston, MA

Northeast Clean Energy Council Institute (NECEC)
Boston, MA

Michigan

NextEnergy Center
Detroit, MI

Missouri

BioGenerator
St. Louis, MO

The Yield Lab
St. Louis, MO

Nebraska

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska (DEIC)
Lincoln, NE

New Mexico

Arrowhead Center
Las Cruces, NM

New York

Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE)
Syracuse, NY

Urban Future Lab
New York, NY

North Carolina

North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech)
RTP, NC

University of North Carolina, Institute for the Environment
Chapel Hill, NC

North Dakota

Grand Farm/Emerging Prairie
Fargo, ND

Ohio

BRITE Energy Innovators
Warren, OH

Ontario, Canada

MaRS
Toronto, ON

Oregon

Portland State University Business Accelerator (PSU)
Portland, OR

VertueLab
Portland, OR

Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)
Pittsburgh, PA

Penn State University
State College, PA

Tennessee

AgLaunch
Memphis, TN

Texas

Rice University
Houston, TX

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Clean Energy Incubator
College Station, TX

Texas State University (TXST)
San Marcos, TX

University of Texas at Austin, Austin Technology Incubator
Austin, TX

University of Texas at Austin, Texas Venture Labs (TVL)
Austin, TX

Virginia

Dominion Energy Innovation Center
Ashland, VA

Washington

University of Washington
Seattle, WA

Wisconsin

The Water Council
Milwaukee, WI

University of Wisconsin-Madison – Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI)
Madison, WI

Wyoming

Impact 307
Laramie, WY

Investors

More than 150 investment firms and individuals participate in IEC programs and events. Among them, NREL's Investor Advisory Board includes more than 40 influential investment firms that work with NREL and one another to support technology solutions that generate global impact.

Industry

IEC works with industry to create customized solutions to global problems. We have developed programs, demonstration projects, and events that help our industry partners meet their business and societal objectives. Among our partners:

Other Network Partners

Communities

The IEC provides opportunities for diverse communities to engage with the national lab system, DOE, and our network of entrepreneurs and investors.

Colorado Center for Renewable Energy Economic Development logo
The Colorado Center for Renewable Energy Economic Development (CREED®) is based in the IEC and is a community of Colorado cleantech organizations committed to economic development and entrepreneurship. CREED stakeholders include government partners, universities, industry associations, incubators, venture capital organizations, and small businesses. Contact us for more information about applying for office space at CREED and to learn more about the business development services we provide to renewable energy and cleantech companies and organizations.

National Labs

The IEC works with the entire network of DOE national laboratories, many as part of our channel partner network and others through our management of the DOE Office of Technology Transition’s Energy I-Corps program. Energy I-Corps introduces teams of lab researchers that have breakthrough technologies to business processes, strategies, and principles.

NREL

It's where we live. As the only national laboratory dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency, NREL is an expert in clean technology. The lab has the world-class research staff and facilities that can inform innovation. The IEC ensures connections are made between lab resources, markets, and innovators that are working to deliver on NREL's objective: transforming energy.

U.S. Department of Energy

The IEC works with DOE to grow the economy by encouraging energy transformation. Our IEC programs and events are all run through NREL, a DOE national laboratory that supports our endeavors. In addition, we manage Energy I-Corps, a DOE Office of Technology Transitions program that trains national lab researchers in business practices and strategies, and we are an award-winning participant in the DOE Small Business Program, which facilitates opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses to work with NREL and other national laboratories.


Share