MORGANTOWN – The Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Consortium – led by WVU in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and more than 60 regional partners – will receive up to $160 million over the next decade from the National Science Foundation to develop innovative technologies to address the nation’s energy needs.
RETI was selected as one of 12 U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines award recipients, the NSF announced on Tuesday. The funding is projected to generate 21,000 jobs, 150 startups, and more than $1 billion in economic growth for the region.
The NSF RETI Engine is located at the WVU Innovation Corp. site in Morgantown with a branch office at the Energy Innovation Center in Pittsburgh.
On Wednesday morning, WVU President Michael T. Benson and RETI Engine CEO Erienne Olesh talked to the press about what this means.
Along with the NSF grant, RETI will receive another $161 million from RETI’s established industry, workforce, philanthropy, state government, and community partners – for a total $321 million.
The 12 NSF Engine awardees were chosen from more than 300 applicants during a two-year process, Benson said. “Our work will develop innovative ways to meet the nation’s rapidly growing energy needs.”
He said, “I can’t overstate how huge this is for our institution.” This is the largest grant in WVU’s history.
AI, data centers and reshoring American industry are all playing roles in straining the power grid, Olesh said. RETI will develop hardware, software, and AI technologies to address the problem.
The RETI region covers West Virginia and western Pennsylvania, Olesh said. “Our region has such a deep history in the energy sector.” It powers nearly half the nation and is the second-largest energy producing region, with a corresponding industrial core. “That was a very fundamental part of why we’ve been successful in this project.”
The RETI Engine, she said, is built on four pillars. One is research and development. WVU along with Pitt and Carnegie Mellon will invest in new and emerging technologies focused on energy security and grid reliability.
Two is “translation to practice.” This means taking the technologies to market, and that’s where industrial partners will be important.
Three is workforce effort – ensuring great workforce opportunities for new workers and for retraining existing workers. And four is community engagement and policy: bringing in the communities and informing them where the project is at and where it’s going.
Olesh also explained that investments will be distributed along two tracks. One is seed funding for research and development. RETI will work with industrial partners to understand their most pressing challenges and needs for new technologies and innovation.
From that, RETI will push out requests for proposals across the region and to academic partners. Faculty members and research labs can apply to have their projects considered, and be selected in a competitive process. Awards will range from $50,000 to $250,000.
The second track is funding for startup companies, also selected through a competitive process. They are most interested in companies committed to staying in the region. Awards will range from $100,000 to $250,000.
Most of the money will be federal funds, she said, so RETI can’t and won’t take equity in the projects. It will help them make best use of funds.
But, alongside the public funds, RETI has a network more than 70 investment partners with $3 billion available to invest. Those partners can come coming in alongside, and those will be equity-bearing investments.
Olesh provided a little hisotry of the NSF Engine program. NSF in May 2022 put out its initial concept. WVU, Pitt and Carnegie Mellon have had a long history of collaboration, and they felt well poised to go after the opportunity. All three universities submitted applications, committing to maintain a partnership. In the end, WVU’s application was chosen.
In a press release about the award, Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director, said “NSF Engines investments in critical technologies and future industries will transform America’s innovation infrastructure for decades to come. The NSF RETI Engine will strengthen U.S. energy security and grow the industry by advancing resources for energy grid management, storage, and cybersecurity.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito commented, “I’m incredibly proud of WVU’s leadership in securing the RETI Consortium right here in Appalachia, designed to spur economic opportunities and create good paying jobs through the development of resilient energy and industrial technologies. This was a competitive selection process that I advocated for on WVU’s behalf, and it’s great to see NSF recognize the capabilities that we know exist in our region to power the future of America.”
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., commented, “Congratulations to Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University, and all of the partners on earning this outstanding NSF Regional Innovation Engines award. I was proud to support this opportunity because it’s exactly the kind of collaboration that keeps our region at the forefront of innovation.”
