Vikas Tomar, a professor in AAE, was a speaker at The Battery Innovation Center (BIC) Technology Spark and Stakeholder Luncheon focusing on establishing public-private partnership for energy businesses in Indiana.

Tomar’s presentation gave an update on Purdue University’s Battery Safety Team, which focuses not only on developing basic technologies but also implements that into different industrial settings. The emphasis of the team is on establishing an energy-centered startup ecosystem in Indiana with public-private partnership. Tomar highlighted important governmental-university-industry partnerships that are growing with key roles played by the Purdue team. 

“Our team is actually trying to look inside the batteries and then try to get the information from that and develop new types of battery materials, new types of diagnostic technologies and try to do it in a way that it creates impact not only with the national labs but with industry as well,” Tomar said, highlighting the role of basic research into developing business startups, during his presentation Oct. 23 in Indianapolis.

The luncheon for the non-profit, energy-centric tech organization emphasizes networking and engaging all industries, as well as being a channel for BIC to give back in the form of scholarships and technical outreach from the event proceeds.

The mission of BIC is to promote advanced learning and education in the energy sector as well as to promote the rapid development, testing, and commercialization of safe, reliable, and lightweight energy storage systems for commercial, academic, and defense customers/organizations.