The Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster for Energy-Efficient Buildings: A new model for public-private partnerships

OVERVIEW: The Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) for Energy-Efficient Buildings is breaking new ground on how public-private research partnerships are conducted. A consortium of public, private, and academic institutions is working under the guidance of seven federal agencies to transform the fragmented building retrofit environment into a systems solution industry while boosting energy efficiency, creating jobs, and stimulating private investment. GPIC is unique in that it is researching not only cutting-edge technology and tools but also the policies, financial models, workforce training programs, and intellectual property agreements to support the technology. Both the technology and the accompanying frameworks will be demonstrated and deployed regionally and nationally.