Arrowhead Center at NMSU awarded DOE prize to establish clean energy accelerator

Original Article | Adriana Chávez | adchavez@nmsu.edu | April 10, 2024

New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center has been named among the winners of a U.S. Department of Energy prize awarded to clean energy innovators across the country.

The Department of Energy also chose Arrowhead Center as the site to announce the winners of the Energy Program for Innovation Clusters, or EPIC, Round 3, Phase 1 program, April 2. Hosting the live announcement at Arrowhead Center was a landmark selection underscoring the vital role Arrowhead Center plays in propelling clean energy innovations and fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem that benefits communities — particularly those that are underserved — nationwide, Arrowhead Center officials said.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions EPIC Round 3, Phase 1 program allocates funding to support U.S. energy startups and entrepreneurs within their communities. Arrowhead Center was named about 23 incubators and accelerators nationwide that will each receive $150,000.

Arrowhead Center will use the funding to establish the Arrowhead RenewTech Incubator and Accelerator, which aims to advance clean energy and water technologies in New Mexico and support an innovation-centric ecosystem.

“Programming designed specifically for energy innovators is relatively new for Arrowhead,” said Dana Catron, deputy director of Arrowhead Center. “Recognizing the hurdles our clients encountered in bringing clean energy solutions to the market, we strategically positioned ourselves to bridge this gap.”

Arrowhead Center offers a robust range of program and resources for innovators and entrepreneurs within a broad service region. Arrowhead Center has achieved significant success in working with startups and underserved populations, including minorities, women, rural communities, and Native American tribes and pueblos.

“Our efforts are closely aligned with impacts and outcomes of programming, with over 70% of the New Mexico Clean Energy Resilience and Growth Cluster applicants and participants identifying as underserved,” Catron said.

In 2020, Arrowhead Center was awarded the Department of Energy’s inaugural EPIC prize, receiving $50,000 to spearhead the hybrid EnergySprint + SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) accelerator. The following year, Arrowhead Center secured a $1 million EPIC award to begin the NM CERG cluster, which provides targeted support for clean energy technology firms.

“This award is a testament to the collaborative ethos that defines us,” said Luis Cifuentes, NMSU vice president for research and economic development, about the EPIC Round 3, Phase 1 prize. “NMSU is a university not just focused on academic excellence, but on fostering a community that graduates successful individuals ready to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.”

“Arrowhead Center’s commitment to supporting emerging energy and water technology companies through mentorship, industry connections and access to resources is truly inspiring,” said Victor Kane, director of commercialization programs in the Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions. “The Arrowhead RenewTech Incubator exemplifies the spirit of innovation and collaboration that EPIC seeks to foster.”

The EPIC program has allocated $15.5 million to support more than 230 startups across the U.S. For more information, visit https://www.energy.gov/technologytransitions/energy-program-innovation-clusters.