Jordan Clark, assistant professor in The Ohio State University's Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, is among the five innovative minds selected to receive funding via The Ohio State University Accelerator Awards.
The Accelerator Awards program is designed to advance the translation of technologies developed at Ohio State into the marketplace. The program provides grants of up to $150,000 per project to support external validation that will demonstrate the commercial viability of a technology. The goal of the program is to license the technology to an Ohio-based startup company and support economic development in the region. Administered through the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, the program is funded by the university with matching funds from the Ohio Third Frontier Technology Validation and Startup Fund.
“The latest round of the Accelerator Award cycle showcased a remarkable collection of cutting-edge technologies. We are delighted to provide essential funding at this crucial early stage to our PIs enabling them to conduct proof-of-concept studies and develop prototypes that swiftly validate the efficacy of their technologies,” said Cheryl Turnbull, senior director of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship. “By investing in such groundwork before entering into license agreements, our aim is to enhance the value and scale of startup ventures emerging from Ohio State."
Since the program launch in 2015, Accelerator Awards have distributed over $5 million dollars to 69 unique projects. These projects have led to more than 20 startup companies.
Clark, who also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, is researching solar air conditioning with metal-organic frameworks for this award.
Air conditioning uses about 5% of primary energy in the United States and is responsible for 40% of peak demand on electrical grids and unsustainable growth in demand for energy in the developing world. Working with Casey Wade from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark will leverage recent advances in materials science to create an air conditioning cycle that is thermally driven and eliminates both the need for a compressor and around 80% of the electricity needed for air conditioning. This is accomplished through the unique adsorption behavior of metal-organic frameworks sorbents. Accelerator funds will enable the construction of a prototype that will be deployed in a real environment with commercial partners.
Congratulations to Jordan Clark for this prestigious University award!
Read the College of Engineering's full release.