According to the DOE’s statement, the $25 million it is providing will need to be matched by the winning universities, national labs, private companies or others who apply and are accepted for the program. Initially, the grant recipients are meant to focus on three specific areas, including building energy efficiency, second-generation biofuels and solar energy.
The Obama administration may be bent on out-educating and
out-innovating the rest of the world, but it seems to recognize that
international collaboration has its place in the development of clean energy
technologies. The Department of Energy (DOE) has already launched cooperative
efforts with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in order to further solar panel
research and development. Now, the DOE is announcing a partnership with India
that involves $25 million in federal funds to be parsed out over the next five
years through what is being called the U.S.-India Joint Clean Energy
Research and Development Center (JCERDC).
According to the DOE’s statement, the $25 million it is
providing will need to be matched by the winning universities, national labs,
private companies or others who apply and are accepted for the program.
Initially, the grant recipients are meant to focus on three specific areas,
including building energy efficiency, second-generation biofuels and solar
energy. The Indian Ministry of Science and Technology will reportedly
provide $50 million of its own in Indian public and private funding to
support similar research in India.
Interestingly, the money and research jobs that come about
through this “research and development center” will stay in their respective
countries. There is no joint research and development center location, per se.
Essentially, the agreement seems to be about the sharing of information on
research topics that both countries previously agreed upon.
earthtechling.com
