President Obama, innovation and the National Clean Energy Business Plan Competitions

Published: January 26, 2012

In his 2012 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said an economy that is built to last encourages all Americans' ingenuity and talent.

"It means we should support everyone who's willing to work, and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs," President Obama said. "After all, innovation is what America has always been about."

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has been promoting innovation through its six regional National Clean Energy Business Plan Competitions. One of them, the Midwest region's Clean Energy Trust, recently announced 16 semifinalists for the inaugural Clean Energy Student Challenge.

Four of the 16 semifinalists are teams of Purdue students and faculty sponsors, including ATS Motors, Convolutus Inc., Power-by-Nano and Re:Wind. No other university placed as many teams in the semifinal round. The semifinalists will be trimmed to eight finalists in February, and each will present their business plan to a panel of judges in Chicago on March 1.