Securing a sustainable and resilient energy future 

Since 2007, the Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory (Collaboratory) is a uniquely Colorado partnership.  The Collaboratory has been a successful and impactful research consortium among four leading research institutions—the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, University of Colorado-Boulder, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  Our impact and exceptional record of research and education can be read in our economic impact report.

Our research areas support a diversified energy portfolio in advanced energy technologies in oil and gas, sustainable energy, microgrid, battery, advanced cooling, gas to liquid, and increased energy efficiency — to name a few.

The Collaboratory works with industry partners, public agencies, and other universities and colleges to transform our energy future.  We do this by:

  • Use our world-class researchers and state-wide facilities to expand our national leadership in energy research collaborations
  • Leverage partnerships to transform research innovation into commercial impact
  • Training the next-gen workforce through education, company/job creating technologies and intellectual property
  • Boosting the nation’s energy ecosystem through research partnerships with industry, foundations, and government

Click here to read about the Colorado Electric Vehicle Stakeholder Directory

Looking Towards the Future

Watch Collaboratory’s free webinars on multiple energy-related topics!

      Webinar Calendar

      Past Webinars

 

 

 

SAVE THE DATE!  The 9th annual 21st Century Energy Transition Symposium will be held May 4-5, 2021 (100% virtual due to the uncertainty due to COVID-19 challenges in hosting large in-person events)

Theme:  Ideas.  Innovation.  Impact.

An Outstanding Team Effort

The Directors of the Colorado Energy Research Authority are grateful for the past support of Colorado’s Governors and the Colorado General Assembly, and we are proud that we have exceeded expectations in the effective investment of these State funds.  The State’s funding has been critical to the Authority’s and the Collaboratory’s success.

Of course, this success would not have been possible without the hard work and exceptional contributions provided by the Collaboratory leadership, the Collaboratory center’s management teams, the world class researchers, and the many administrative personnel who support research at the four Collaboratory institutions.  They are responsible for the scientific, technological, and economic benefits flowing to the State of Colorado.

The Past

  • The Collaboratory will not be funding cost share and matching grant requests at this time.
  • In November 2017 the Collaboratory formed an Industry Advisory Committee made up of 15 industry executives. The committee’s purpose will be to advise the Collaboratory on opportunities for energy-related research and development; advise and advocate for the Collaboratory’s strategic initiatives with State of Colorado and National officials;  help foster relationships between Collaboratory institutions and industry partners with the goal of enhancing collaboration and partnerships; help create critical partnerships that pair private sector experts with research professionals to bring commercially viable technologies to market, create new products, develop and enhance companies and high-value jobs, grow local economies, while increasing the research capacity of Colorado’s research universities in strategic areas; encourage partnerships among universities, federal and state governments, funders, philanthropists and philanthropic organizations, economic developers, workforce developers and the business community in order to strengthen and revitalize university research and speed its translation into innovative products and services; and help merge the discovery-driven culture of the Collaboratory members with the innovation-driven environment of industry for the purposes of facilitating the rapid transfer of knowledge, ideas, and technology to commercialization and productive societal use.  Click here for more information.
  • On November 28, 2017 the Collaboratory hosted a Workshop on Applying to ARPA-E free of charge to all participants. The half-day workshop was held on the CU Boulder campus and was live streamed and captured for later use. Click here to watch any or all of the sessions.  The purpose of this workshop was to educate public and private sector researchers and entities interested in submitting proposals to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) solicitations, including open solicitations.  Former ARPA-E Program Directors and Colorado ARPA-E award recipients provided information on the agency’s approach to transformational energy research.  Lessons-learned, helpful advice on how to both develop and write winning ARPA-E proposals, how to manage a proposal, and execute successful ARPA-E projects was also provided.  Participants had a chance to network and see how different entities can team up on projects.   Click here for more information.
  • During 2016 and the first half of 2017 the Collaboratory completed a great deal of activity in support of clean energy innovation and economic growth in Colorado. In the months ahead, as missions and budgets for federal agencies sponsoring research and innovation, in particular those for DOE, continue to be developed, the Executive Board has advised that the Collaboratory move forward cautiously until there is more clarity around the federal agency funding opportunities for our Collaboratory researchers to pursue.
  • The Collaboratory continues to host meetings with various venture capital and philanthropic organizations with the goal of diversifying revenue that can be used as cost share and seed grant awards. This includes closely following ARPA-E and federal funding sources.
  • The Collaboratory has numerous success stories from researchers and scientists who have received Collaboratory funds.  Collaboratory brochure
  • August 2018, the Collaboratory hosted a Subsurface Energy Roundtable inviting over 40 participants to discuss how Department of Energy’s ARPA-E could stand up a new oil, gas and subsurface program.
  • Between July 2016 and October 2018 the Collaboratory has granted 33 requests for matching funds totaling close to $1 million.  These awards focused on “all of the above” sources in energy.

The four Collaboratory institutions co-hosted the 8th annual 21st Century Energy Transition Symposium that was held in downtown Denver April 1-2, 2019. For the past seven years Colorado State University has built a recognizable brand of hosting balanced, relevant and solution-driven symposia.   The 8th annual symposium broadened their theme of “Driving Innovations” into more parts of the state of Colorado.  Click here for more details.