WPI, eSki among four Central Mass. climatetech firms granted slice of $4.2M
Image I Courtesy Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Unity Hall
As part of the Boston-based state agency Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s ongoing efforts to combat climate change, four Worcester County climatetech organizations have received a cut of $4.2 million in grants from the economic development agency to fund their clean energy initiatives.
The area’s awardees received funding through the MassCEC programs Catalyst, DICES, and InnovateMass, which were supported by the Waltham-based capital venture firm MassVentures, according to a Tuesday press release from MassCEC.
Worcester County MassCEC recipients include:
Catalyst/DICES awardees:
- Envirowerks in Spencer received $75,000 to convert large freight trucks into hybrid electric vehicles.
- eSki of Worcester received $75,000 to create an electric jet ski.
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute received $75,000 for the work of Mehdi Mortazavi, associate teaching professor, in enhancing production efficiency of green hydrogen for its use as fuel within heavy-duty transportation.
InnovateMass awardee:
- Embue of Worcester received $334,640 to test its peak electricity load management system in multifamily buildings.
MassCEC’s Catalyst program offers grants up to $75,000 to researchers and early stage companies to showcase their initial climate technology prototypes, according to the MassCEC website. The grants are an effort to show an innovator’s ability to move a product from the research stage to a commercially viable technology and pique the interest of the industry and potential investors.
The DICES program extends the efforts of Catalyst by awarding up to three additional $75,000 grants to applicants who come from underrepresented demographics in the climatech industry or have faced financial hardships entering the environmental or entrepreneurial industries.
The InnovateMass program offers up to $350,000 in grant funding and technical support to teams implementing novel clean energy technologies or combinations of existing technologies with significant potential for commercialization.
“From Western Mass. to Woods Hole, the innovations we need to meet the global climate challenge are being developed here in Massachusetts,” Emily Reichert, CEO of MassCEC, said in the release. “It’s MassCEC’s job to make sure that these climate leaders have the resources they need to turn their technologies into successful businesses that make a difference around the world, creating good jobs and stimulating our local economies here at home.”
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this article stated Mehdi Mortazavi is an associate teaching professional, he is an associate teaching professor.
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