The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), of which Georgia Tech is a member through the National Collegiate Athletic Association, is now accepting entries to its new business plan competition, the $100K ACC Clean Energy Challenge.

Entrants are asked to submit ideas for new clean energy companies. The Challenge targets and is open to all ACC schools, as well as other universities in the southeastern U.S. The Challenge finals event will rotate among three sub-regions with nearby ACC schools co-hosting each year. Maryland, Virginia, and Virginia Tech co-host in Washington, D.C. in year one; Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest co-host in Research Triangle in year two; Georgia Tech will co-host with Clemson, Florida State, and Miami in Atlanta in year three.

Supported by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the competition invites business plans with commercialization potential in the clean energy space, including projects related to renewable energy, energy efficiency improvements and advanced fuels/vehicles. The winner will receive a $100,000 prize and compete in the DOE National Clean Energy Business Plan Finals in Washington, D.C., in summer 2012.

Executive summary submissions are due Monday, Feb. 20, 2012. Visit the competition's website and see the attached (at right) flyer for more details. If you’d like to have a role in planning, marketing and running this competition at Tech, contact Marcia Kinstler in the Office of Environmental Stewardship.