The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PETITION OF:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PETITION OF:
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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.
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An Act establishing the Massachusetts Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Collaborative. |
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. The Commonwealth shall establish the Massachusetts Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Institute as a joint venture among universities in Massachusetts to serve as a focal point for research, education, and commercialization activities in the state. Specific objectives of the Institute include: (1) coordinate and strengthen hydrogen and fuel cell research activities within the universities in Massachusetts; (2) strengthen collaborative research and development between universities and companies located within Massachusetts; (3) address critical technological barriers facing the hydrogen and fuel cell companies; (4) strengthen existing educational programs and introduce new curricula in Massachusetts universities to produce graduates conversant in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies; and (5) promote partnerships between Massachusetts universities and companies to jointly demonstrate hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and attract greater amounts of federal funding to the Commonwealth.
(a) The Massachusetts Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Institute will undertake collaborative research in areas deemed critical to Massachusetts firms, including competing for federal funding with joint proposals. It will provide access to facilities and equipment at participating universities for proprietary research under pre-negotiated terms. It will also provide independent testing and validation of products manufactured by Massachusetts firms by establishing of a central testing and evaluation laboratory. The Institute will develop new curricula for undergraduate and graduate students and will provide conferences and seminars for industry executives, engineers, and scientists.
(b) Laboratories at Massachusetts Universities such as Boston University, University of Massachusetts, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Tufts, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, have strong Fuel Cell and Hydrogen related programs with current ties to industry, and will jointly form the basis of the Massachusetts Fuel Cell Institute.
(c) The Massachusetts Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Institute would thus serve mainly in a coordinating capacity, with work to be conducted within Research Centers located at individual Massachusetts universities with pre-existing strengths.
(d) Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) will lead the development of a business plan and will serve as the administrator for this Institute.
(e) A budget of $2 million per year over five years will be assigned for this program. In addition, $2 million will be provided in the first year to establish a central state-of-the-art central testing and evaluation laboratory available to all universities and companies within the Commonwealth.