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Fuel cell commercialization program at Los Alamos calls for partners

Fuel cell commercialization

Fuel cell commercialization program at Los Alamos calls for partners

Los Alamos National Laboratory is issuing a Call for Commercialization Partners to join its L’Innovator 2.0 program, which seeks to accelerate the commercialization of cutting-edge hydrogen and fuel cell innovations. The program works on a collaborative model, as commercial partners develop minimum viable products through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with shared investment.

Jacob Spendelow, scientist at Los Alamos, said:

The technologies that we work on at Los Alamos can reduce costs and improve durability, creating a strong competitive edge for developers in this emerging, high-growth industry,

“The global market for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry is estimated at $2.5 trillion across a range of sectors, from transportation to stationary power to energy storage and more. The hydrogen and fuel cell industry is positioned for substantial growth in the coming years.”

Letter of interest due by Feb. 15

Prospective program participants have until Feb. 15 to submit a letter of interest, followed by the execution of non-disclosure agreements, the proffering of business plans and the selection and announcement of partners May 18. The program is expected to result in one or more licensing agreements or options to license, as well as one or more collaboration agreements — such as a CRADA — to support the transition of the Laboratory’s catalyst and electrode structure technology to the commercial marketplace.

A critical feature of L’Innovator 2.0 is a cost-sharing agreement between the Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. The Laboratory offers access to a portfolio of high-potential hydrogen and fuel cell intellectual property, providing an efficient, streamlined engagement process and the necessary contractual mechanisms.

In the program, manufacturers develop and demonstrate a minimum viable product that validates performance and commercial viability, taking lab-generated innovations in catalyst and electrode structure technologies to a higher technological readiness level and manufacturing readiness level. The program spans multiple applications, but the call may be especially relevant to heavy and medium-duty transportation, such as trucks, buses, rail and off-road equipment. It could also apply to stationary fuel cell applications critical to data centers and other essential infrastructure.

Building on a successful pilot

The L’Innovator 2.0 program builds on the success of the original L’Innovator program, which launched in 2017. As a result of that program, Advent Technologies opened a facility in Massachusetts in early 2023 to manufacture next-generation membrane electrode assemblies — a core component of fuel cells — that Advent anticipates truck and other vehicle manufacturers may use for powering heavy-duty mobility applications with a longer lifetime and double the power density compared to previous fuel cell systems.

L’Innovator was launched in 2017 as a pilot program that led to a successful partnership with Advent Technologies, which focuses on manufacturing next-generation membrane electrode assemblies — a core component of fuel cells. Advent anticipates truck and other vehicle manufacturers may use the technology for powering heavy-duty mobility applications with a longer lifetime and double the power density compared with previous fuel cell systems.

Like the pilot, the latest iteration of the program includes nonexclusive licensing rights to all of parts of the intellectual property portfolio. Partners will also be able to exclusively license new intellectual property developed under the CRADA during its term and for six months afterward.

Marc Witkowski, a program manager at Los Alamos overseeing the commercialization aspects of the program, said :

The L’Innovator 2.0 program is about matching Laboratory innovation and HFTO resources with commercialization partners that have the expertise, manufacturing capabilities and resources to co-invest in scaling technologies,

“We’ve built in a lot of flexibility and streamlined many processes in the design of this program, and we’re eager to work with partners to help build the future through fuel cell technology.”

READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central

Fuel cell commercialization program at Los Alamos calls for partners, source

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