Energy Institute at Haas

Cleantech to Market

Cleantech to Market (C2M) is a partnership between UC Berkeley graduate students and scientists to bring clean energy technologies to market.

The mission of C2M is to develop the next generation of leaders capable of addressing critical energy and climate change issues, while at the same time commercializing new low carbon energy technologies.

C2M accomplishes this by creating cross-disciplinary teams of graduate students who work with scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), the Joint BioEnergy Institute, and the UC Berkeley Office of Technology Licensing. The students experience firsthand the challenges and rewards of transferring new technologies to the marketplace, while the scientists gain valuable business feedback on their research. The result is a powerful engagement of students in bridging the gap from invention to market.

C2M was spearheaded by the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative, and ran as a pilot during 2008-09. The pilot was so successful that Haas hired two co-directors who will work with students on expanding the program and offering a class in Spring 2010. The co-directors bring extensive experience in new venture creation, solar research, and energy industry operations.