Research at Drexel University involving renewable energy is gaining steam, like its partnership with local smart-grid pioneer Viridity Energy. So it seems like a logical next step to find a place to house the companies it will eventually create. Earlier this month, school officials and U.S. Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th) announced Drexel’s intention to create a small business incubator at the Bridge Business Center in Bristol Township, Bucks County.
“Bucks County is a growing magnet for innovative renewable energy companies,” says Murphy.
Drexel’s incubator program will be modeled after the Applied Communications and Information Networking (ACIN) program in nearby Camden, N.J. The successful program has supported more than 100 small high-tech companies and employees more than 325 on site.
The incubator will join a host of promising efforts at Bridge Business Center, home to Y-Carbon, Chemistry Research Solutions and Princeton Global Synthesis. Drexel plans to lease close to 20,000 square feet there and build a power lab to give entrepreneurs and researchers the ability to test and develop new renewable energy and energy efficiency technology. Resources wil focus specifically on startup companies conducting research and development to increase the military’s energy independence and energy security.
Murphy’s work here is not new. The lawmaker claims to have brought 2,700 jobs to Southeastern PA, including the recent creation of the Green Jobs Academy at Bucks County Community College.
Source: Patrick Murphy, U.S. Congress
Writer: Joe Petrucci