EngenuitySC

The USC-City of Columbia Fuel Cell Collaborative was formed by the University of South Carolina, the City of Columbia, EngenuitySC and the SCRA to position Columbia, SC as a leader in hydrogen and fuel cell innovation and technology.

Its mission is to attract private sector partners, top fuel cell scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators to the Columbia region as well as to collaborate with private sector leaders from all areas of the fuel cell market for the unprecedented deployment of fuel cell and other alternative energy technologies into multiple city, university and commercial applications throughout the region.

The activities supported by the collaborative are intended to help create and expand an "innovation pipeline" for fuel cell technology, which includes efforts to build a critical mass of research knowledge (the discovery phase), to commercialize the fruits of that research in specific applications for product creation and company formation (the development phase), and then to create incentives to grow and attract industries into enterprise clusters (the deployment phase).

Key Objectives

• To support the growth of a world class research environment for hydrogen and fuel cells
• To recruit and retain private sector partners, entrepreneurs and innovators to the region
• To position Columbia, SC as a leader in hydrogen and fuel cell commercialization
• To build and support a robust hydrogen and fuel cell industry in the region
• To support the creation of high-paying knowledge jobs through research and commercialization

Key Initiatives

Research Development
The collaborative works in partnership with the University of South Carolina to expand the depth, breadth, and quality of hydrogen, fuel cell, and future fuels research in the region.

Entrepreneurship and Commercialization
In partnership with USC and SC Launch, the collaborative seeks to identify, commercialize, and nurture new products stemming from discoveries being developed in the market and within the research universities of the region.

Business Retention and Expansion
The collaborative seeks to support the retention and expansion of the existing hydrogen and fuel cell industry in the region by collaborating on joint projects, federal programs, and connecting those firms to the support resources of the region. 

New Industry Engagement
The collaborative works to identify, engage, and recruit active private sector partners into the Columbia region by connecting them to the hydrogen and fuel cell resources in our community; including the world class research at the University of South Carolina.

Marketing and Communications
This initiative is focused on engaging in both internal and external marketing and communications to raise awareness for the Columbia region as a world class destination for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.  The goal is to attract private sector partners, top fuel cell scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators to the Columbia region.

For more information, visit FuelCellCollaborative.com.