The Opportunity

The U.S. Mexico Foundation for Science (USMFS) and our regional partner the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), were selected as 1 of 18 Phase 1 prize winners for the U.S. Department of Energy’s first ever Inclusive Energy Innovation Competition.

Through this prize, we seek to create and sustain a Solar Utilization and Commercialization Coalition for Energy Efficiency Devices (SUCCEED) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (RGV) region of Texas. SUCCEED seeks to cultivate and develop this innovation ecosystem while taking advantage of the solar energy efficiencies of the area to promote entrepreneurship and enhance the energy innovation cluster in this region. The goal of the SUCCEED Coalition is to increase the rate at which solar energy ideas, innovations and research are translated into products, services, viable companies and ultimately jobs by building the capacity of the region’s innovators and entrepreneurs.

We will be selecting the top 10 solar projects / startups from the region to participate in our first cohort scheduled to begin in the fall of 2022. If accepted, your project or company will participate in entrepreneurial development programing focused on solar energy devices as well as business management courses. You will have access to expert consultants and successful energy entrepreneurs, R&D networks and investment opportunities. Each company will also receive personalized technical mentorship throughout the process. The top companies from the cohort will go on to our incubation and acceleration programming.