The Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI) stands at the forefront of public-private collaboration to accelerate technologies and strategies that will expand U.S. energy availability, strengthen manufacturing competitiveness, and support national prosperity. By integrating Purdue's research strengths with industry expertise, IEI helps convert innovation into practical, scalable solutions that create economic value across the energy and manufacturing sectors.

As a national hub for industrial energy research, Purdue brings together partners from industry, government, and academia to advance the next generation of technologies in power systems, industrial heat, storage, and materials supply chains. Through its consortium-based model, IEI enables applied research that improves efficiency, enhances reliability, and fuels regional and national economic growth.

OUR FOCUS:

• Advance energy and industrial innovation through technologies that improve efficiency, reliability, and process performance across sectors.
• Develop and deploy solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure while enhancing productivity and lowering operational costs.
• Strengthen U.S. manufacturing leadership by aligning energy research with domestic supply-chain resilience, workforce development, and technology deployment.
• Collaborate with industry partners to identify critical challenges in energy systems, manufacturing, and materials, and deliver solutions that move from concept to commercialization.

The IEI Industry Consortium

The IEI Consortium will encompass the full energy value chain-from generation and conversion to storage, manufacturing, and end-use applications. Through this collaborative framework, industry members gain access to Purdue's world-class faculty, students, and facilities, enabling cross-sector innovation and rapid technology deployment.

The Consortium will:

• Unite companies across energy, manufacturing, transportation, and materials sectors to pursue shared research priorities.
• Provide partners with early access to research outcomes and opportunities for joint intellectual property development.
• Leverage Purdue's unique facilities in mid-level Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 4-6)-bridging the gap between laboratory-scale discovery and commercial-scale validation.

These include:

• Grainger Energy Conversion and Microgrids Laboratory
• Grainger Power Magnetics Fabrication Laboratory
• Electric Vehicle Systems Laboratory
• Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories
• Ray W. Herrick Laboratories
• Purdue University's Reactor (PUR-1)

Each of these facilities plays a vital role in transforming theoretical concepts into market-ready energy technologies.

Purdue's Industry Partnerships in Action

IEI integrates and expands on Purdue's longstanding industrial collaborations across its leading research centers:

CISTAR - Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources

A National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center connecting industry and academia to develop new catalytic and process technologies for U.S. fuels and chemicals manufacturing.

CARES - Center for Advances in Resilient Energy Storage

Develops a science-based foundation for safe, scalable, and resilient energy-storage systems through physics-based modeling and high-resolution analytics.

CIVS - Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation

Hosts the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC), an industry-led network advancing industrial efficiency, digital twins, and competitiveness in American steelmaking.

ASPIRE - NSF Engineering Research Center for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification

A Generation 4 National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center developing electrified transportation systems and infrastructure through multi-institutional and industry collaboration.

LORRE - The Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering

Conducts bioprocessing and biomanufacturing research with long-term industry partners, advancing scalable conversion of biomass into valuable products.

The Purdue Heat Treating Consortium

An industrial consortium developing next-generation processes for metals manufacturing and thermal systems, enhancing efficiency and product quality.

Our Commitment

Through these partnerships and research platforms, the Institute for Energy Innovation and its industrial collaborators are building the foundation for the next generation of U.S. energy and manufacturing leadership . Together, we are advancing practical, industry-driven solutions that deliver abundant, reliable, and affordable energy-powering opportunity for Indiana, the nation, and the world.