Purdue University graduate and undergraduate students in all academic disciplines are invited to a Sept. 25 callout meeting to learn about applying for a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored business creation contest that includes a $100,000 prize.
The 2014 Indiana Clean Energy Student Challenge kickoff meeting will be 6 p.m. in room 121 of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, 1201 W. State St. Students from other Indiana colleges and universities can find the information on the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization's website beginning Sept. 24.
Staff from Chicago-based Clean Energy Trust and Purdue Research Foundation will speak about the Student Challenge during a moderated discussion. Also scheduled to speak are members of Bearing Analytics, which won the 2013 Indiana Clean Energy Student Challenge and the 2013 Midwest Clean Energy Challenge. Team member Anurag Garg, a graduate research assistant in the Birck Nanotechnology Center, said winning the competitions has benefited the team's technology.
"Winning the $100,000 has allowed Bearing Analytics to continue market research, customer development, and additional prototype and production development efforts toward securing the next major round of angel investments," he said. "The key takeaways from attending last year's information session were learning about the competition structure and requirements."
Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization can offer novel energy-related technologies to serve as the basis for the Clean Energy Student Challenge applications. Each application must include a brief executive summary, a link to a three-minute investor pitch and a brief résumé of each team member.
Applications for the Indiana Clean Energy Student Challenge will be accepted through the Clean Energy Exchange and are due Dec. 8. An-intent-to-apply submission is encouraged by Oct. 18.