Last month, Mass Energy Lab’s Integrated Marketing Specialist, Jen Kaye talked with Dr. Abigail Barrow, Founding Director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC) to discuss the center’s commitment to the development of innovative technology in Massachusetts’ clean energy sector.

The MTTC was funded through the 2003 Economic Stimulus Bill to support inventors at non-profit research institutions. The center is dedicated to accelerating the commercialization and the success of innovative technologies by providing services to help inventors gain funding and bring their project to market.

KAYE: As the Founding Director of the MTTC, can you briefly describe what your role entails and what a typical day is like for you?

BARROW: I don't know that I have a typical day. The Massachusetts Technology Transfer Centers (MTTC) works with all of the non-profit research institutions and research labs in the state to help them take their innovations off the bench and into real products. We help the researchers who have the inventions think through how to commercialize their technologies and, if it's feasible, create a startup company around those technologies. At this phase, we help them find the resources that they need to begin their startup and we identify sources where they can raise money. In addition, the MTTC helps them think through which are the best markets for the technology or identify existing companies that they can work with. The center exists to help all of those inventors in the university research labs to get their technology out of the institution and into either new or existing companies within the state. So on a typical day I might meet with a faculty member and help them think through where their technology could be applied and who they would be working with. Sometimes we work with a slightly more established company where we get outside people to come in and review the technology or review an initial business plan to get the researcher to think strategically about building their business. We also introduce the inventor to venture capitalists and other investors. In addition, we run numerous conferences, one of which is targeted at clean energy. At this conference, we have about 20 early-stage companies pitch their ideas to the audience which is made up of venture capitalists and other investors.

KAYE: It certainly seems like there are many different aspects of your position. What are your favorite or most rewarding parts of this job?

BARROW: I'm working with inventors who have great ideas and are extremely enthusiastic about moving their technology towards commercialization. Most of them do not have much business training but are anxious to learn and think through the business strategy so that they can move their technology out of the institution. It is very rewarding to meet with the researcher and hear about their invention while working with them to develop a plan for commercializing their technology. We get to see a lot of cool technology and great products!

KAYE: It must be very exciting to meet with the inventors and witness their enthusiasm! Can you explain MTTC's Catalyst Program and its involvement in deploying new technologies into the marketplace?

BARROW: The MTTC runs the Catalyst Program which is funded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). What we do is give out crucial concept awards to researchers who have technologies that look commercially interesting but need more development and a better prototype to show other people its functionality and what it will look like. Our $40,000 grant will help the researcher take the invention and move it along the commercialization path. As these projects are extremely early-stage there is risk involved as sometimes it turns out that the technology does not work as well as planned or is not competitive enough to replace an existing technology. What we're hoping is to build a company around the technology and create interest among outside investors to continue down the path towards commercialization.

KAYE: How do the MTTC and MassCEC work together to successfully operate the Catalyst Program?

BARROW: It is a joint process, MassCEC funds the program while the MTTC is involved in more of the outreach because we work very closely with all of the tech transfer offices along with the institutions and their researchers. We deal with the solicitations and we manage the review process which is also very much in collaboration with MassCEC. With MassCEC, we recruit knowledgeable reviewers and use their recommendations to make our final awards.

KAYE: How do the two organizations decide which research projects to fund? Is there a set of criteria that each project must meet?

BARROW: We do have a set of criteria; really what we are most interested in finding is technology that is commercially interesting. So with our small grant, can we take the technology to a point where we can show an investor or a company how the technology works in order to continue to gain funding and complete the commercialization process? We can't fund big projects where the technology needs a huge investment in order to get it to a point where it can be commercialized. Our biggest criteria is that the project needs to be small enough so that our grant will be meaningful in moving the technology further along towards commercialization and getting external interest. One of the other criteria is determining if there is a large enough market for this technology to justify its funding. We use a group of external reviewers, including people from established companies along with venture capitalists and investors in clean energy, who review the proposals and listen to pitches from the finalists. These people provide valuable input on which projects offer most marketable technologies with the most exciting commercial opportunities instead of neat technology products. With their help, we are able to choose four or five winners out of the 20 or so applicants we receive for each round of funding.

KAYE: What happens to a project once it receives the funding?

BARROW: Once we award the grant, we then work with the researcher on how they are using the funding to make sure that they are doing projects that will help them to achieve the next level of funding to gain outside interest in the technology. We also help them think through the commercialization strategy, so we might go in and help them develop a business pitch and have outside people consider whether this is a possible investment. If they decide to build a startup company we help them find a CEO and get the business started. Each project is different, but we consistently meet with the inventors to help move the technology along.

KAYE: This is the fourth round of funding provided by the Catalyst Program, what is the furthest stage some of these winning projects have reached?

BARROW: We have a couple of early-stage companies that are in formation, I'm not sure that anybody has raised much money yet, but certainly they have recruited management or in some cases a graduate student has started and helped set up the company. There are four or five companies that currently are in the formation stages, most of these technologies are still in the research phase, but we have started to see increasing interest in them.

KAYE: What impact have past grant winning projects made?

BARROW: Because it is so early in the process, none of the clean energy projects that we supported have products currently on the market. Some of the companies that we have worked with, though not necessarily funded, have raised significant investment. Six years ago we worked with the initial inventors of FloDesign at Western New England University and they have now raised over $100 million and their first wind turbines are in the field and being tested. That is certainly the path that we hope our current projects will follow!

KAYE: That is very impressive! Have there been any energy efficiency projects that particularly stood out based on the project's ability to create substantial efficiency improvements or energy savings?

BARROW: We funded Dr. Taofang Zeng's project out of MIT's Mechanical Engineering Department titled, "Thermal Insulation Materials and Structures for Building Energy Conservation." Dr. Zeng invented a new form of insulation material, an aerogel, with a much higher insulation value so that you can have very thin layers and get the insulation effect of having a much thicker material. That is probably one of the most exciting technologies in the energy efficiency sector that we have been working with.

KAYE: That sounds like a great product with a lot of potential! What was one of the most innovative technologies that has received the grant?

BARROW: We have another project coming out of Western New England University that is for separating algae. It is a new kind of production system which not only has applications in clean energy, but also in various other industries including the conventional oil and gas industry. The project has the potential to clean up the way oil companies handle some of their resources, particularly how they use water in oil extraction. That is another really cool technology that we have!

KAYE: Another great idea! What do you consider MTTC's greatest accomplishment since its inauguration in 2003?

BARROW: I think part of what we have done is built a very collaborative network between all of the institutions across Massachusetts. We developed a website where we list technologies from multiple institutions in one place. It is like a one stop shop where you can find a technology from MIT, UMass Lowell, Tufts, WPI or any of the other institutions. To get all of the state's institutions to collaborate and put their technologies in one place makes them much more accessible. When we talk to people from other states, they are amazed that we were able to get all of these institutions to work together. While it was a very small project, I think it symbolizes what Massachusetts stands for and the willingness of the institutions to collaborate. This was certainly one of our great achievements!

KAYE: There is a lot to be said for that camaraderie within the state. What is your vision for this Catalyst Program and the MTTC in general five years from now?

BARROW: We certainly hope to find and fund a number of great startup companies that can grow and be meaningful while having a positive impact on the industry. It would be great if one or two of our little grants ended up being the catalyst for a big company that will change the way we think about and use energy!

Dr. Barrow is the Founding Director at the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center. At the University of Edinburgh, she received her Ph.D. from the Science Studies Unit and a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering.