Patenting and business outcomes for cleantech startups funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

Abstract

Innovation to reduce the cost of clean technologies has large environmental and societal benefits, and governments can play an important role in helping cleantech startups innovate and overcome risks involved in technology development. Here we examine the impact of the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency -Energy (ARPA-E) on two outcomes for startup companies: innovation (measured by patenting activity) and business success (measured by venture capital funding raised, survival, and acquisition or initial public offering). We compare 25 startups funded by ARPA-E in 2010 to rejected ARPA-E applicants, startups funded by a related government program, and other comparable cleantech startups. We find that ARPA-E awardees have a strong innovation advantage over all the comparison groups. However, while we find that ARPA-E awardees performed better than rejected applicants in terms of post-award business success, we do not detect significant differences compared to other cleantech startups. These findings suggest that ARPA-E was not able to fully address the "valley of death" for cleantech startups within 10-15 years after founding.ARPA-E was established in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2009, in recognition of the urgent need for accelerating energy technology innovation. The agency was created to fund breakthrough energy research with greater flexibility to overcome the stovepiping that afflicts traditional DOE funding offices. [1][2][3] For over two decades, experts have called for increased government spending on energy research and demonstration (R&D) 4-7 and for stronger mission-

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“…The study project (IRB number 1635964-1) has been reviewed and determined to meet the following federal exemption category per 45 CFR 46.104d: Exemption Category: 2 (ii) (2) Research that only includes interactions involving educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures, or observation of public behavior (including visual or auditory recording) if at least one of the following criteria is met: (ii) Any disclosure of the human subjects' responses outside the research would not reasonably place the subjects at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subjects' financial standing, employability, educational advancement, or reputation; This determination is based on no greater than minimal risk to research participants. When a research project is determined to meet the criteria for an exempt status, it means the project as submitted is exempt from Michigan Technological Institutional Review Board (MTU-IRB) oversight and does not require annual continuing review.…”

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