MIT is one of five universities invited to participate in Bosch Group’s new $10 million initiative designed to promote energy research and education in the United States.
As part of the company’s 125th anniversary activities, Bosch is launching a new initiative, the Bosch Energy Research Network in North America, which will invest $10 million over eight years to support 20 new university research projects in transformative energy technology and approximately 200 internships over the next eight years.
Peter Marks, chairman, president and CEO, Robert Bosch LLC, noted that Bosch’s support of BERN “provides opportunities for us to partner with academia to strengthen research efforts which will ultimately enhance society.”
The Bosch Energy Research Network (BERN) project will provide two-year research grant opportunities—with a maximum of $150,000 per year. The grant program focuses on transformative energy technology including, but not limited to, the following topics:
Please see the BERN website for more on desired research areas.
The grant application is a two-step process, with initial white papers providing a technical explanation of the idea due by July 1. For submissions passing the first round of reviews, applicants will be asked to submit proposals by August 26. Depending on project performance and availability of funds, the two-year grants may be extended one year.
For application details, including information about the format and length of the white paper, visit the BERN website.
The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) is coordinating the response to the call for proposals on behalf of MIT. Please submit white papers to Karen Gibson (kgibson@mit.edu) by June 29 to be included in the full package being submitted to Bosch.
In the project’s initial phase, in addition to MIT, UC Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and the University of Michigan are eligible to participate.
In addition to supporting research grants, BERN will offer 200 internships to graduate students in the general area of energy. The internship programs are intended to stimulate a dynamic transfer of knowledge and experience, and to provide opportunities for students to participate in the development of technologies.