Savannah River National Laboratory, EngenuitySC Partner to Bridge Regions and Future Fuels Opportunities

COLUMBIA, SC – July 31, 2013 – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and EngenuitySC have partnered to enhance the state’s technology-based economic development opportunities. The partnership will formally establish technology-based economic development collaborations between the South Carolina Midlands and the laboratory to bring new innovations out from the lab and into the marketplace.

As part of the partnership, SRNL will formally join EngenuitySC’s NuHub initiative, a collaborative group of public, private, higher education and workforce development stakeholders working to maximize economic and job creation opportunities for the nuclear industry in the Midstate region.

In addition to innovations from EngenuitySC partners at the University of South Carolina and the SmartState Program (formerly the S.C. Centers for Economic Excellence), SRNL will provide insight and expertise to the organization on trends and opportunities for South Carolina to lead the nuclear industry in next-generation technologies and applications.

Because of its commitment to the development of hydrogen fuel cell technologies, SRNL will also play a pivotal role in providing technical expertise on hydrogen innovation to the Fuel Cell Collaborative for select projects over the next several months. The Fuel Cell Collaborative is a five-member collaboration between SCRA, the City of Columbia, the University of South Carolina, Midlands Technical College, and EngenuitySC launched in 2006 to discover, develop, and deploy the world’s top hydrogen and fuel cell innovations from Columbia, S.C.

The Palmetto State has been consistently ranked a Top 5 Fuel Cell State by Fuel Cells 2000 due in large part to activities in the Midlands and the Upstate.

Dr. Terry Michalske, SRNL Laboratory Director, will join the EngenuitySC Executive Committee, co-chaired by Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides, in the coming weeks. The entire EngenuitySC Executive Committee for 2013-2014 will be announced later this summer.

About EngenuitySC

Headquartered in Columbia, SC, EngenuitySC is a public/private partnership formed to develop and grow the South Carolina Midlands’ knowledge-based economy. Through collaborations with business, government, higher education, and community leaders, EngenuitySC leads initiatives that enhance the region’s economic competitiveness by empowering entrepreneurs, cultivating the region’s talent, fostering knowledge creation and innovation, and capitalizing on the region’s areas of competitive advantage. To learn more, visit www.engenuitysc.com.

About Savannah River National Laboratory

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is a multi-program applied research and development laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.  SRNL applies state-of-the-art science and engineering to provide practical, high-value, cost-effective solutions for our nation’s environmental cleanup, nuclear security and clean energy challenges.  For more information, visit http://srnl.doe.gov

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