The Spark Innovation Center was founded in 2020 as the entrepreneurial initiative of the UT Research Park in Knoxville, TN. It is currently an incubator program that provides energy – focused startups laboratory and office space in the Park’s world-class Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing. The Spark Cleantech Accelerator is 12 week business accelerator welcoming top cleantech companies from all over the country to Knoxville. The accelerator was developed in partnership with the Heartland Climate Tech Partnership, the Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Lab, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Launch Tennessee, the City of Knoxville, and many others.

The Spark Innovation Center is located in the Institute of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing at the University of Tennessee Research Park, 2641 Osprey Vista Way in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The accelerator is an in-person program, located in Knoxville, Tennessee

Eligible technologies will primarily focus on solutions, preferably hardware, that address climate mitigation, resilience and natural resource conservation including but not limited to bioenergy, buildings, energy efficiency, vehicles, fuel cell, advanced manufacturing technologies, grid modernization technologies, carbon capture, and related fossil energy innovations.

The best way to apply to the Spark Cleantech Accelerator is to go to the F6S application located at this link: https://www.f6s.com/spark-cleantech-accelerator-cohort-3

A stipend of $15,000 will be provided to Spark Cleantech Accelerator companies to help defray the costs of travel, living, and other expenses. Funding will be provided in two tranches, half on your arrival in Knoxville and half at the midpoint of the accelerator based on satisfactory participation in the program.

In the very unlikely event that we receive applications from two competitive companies, we will make every reasonable effort to avoid the distraction of selecting both.

We are currently working with the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and Visit Knoxville to identify housing that will be available for our accelerator participants to rent while in Knoxville, or preferably occupy for a longer term.

A typical week will begin with one (or more) days of instruction from our staff of technology and business mentors and partners. The remainder of the week will be used for development of your business plans on the topic of that week’s instruction, or other area(s) that are a priority for you.

We prefer that you work on your company full time during the accelerator program, but understand that there may be other unavoidable time commitments. In those instances, we’ll work with you on an alternate schedule.

A welcome packet and agreement will be sent to each selected cohort member for review and signature. Included in these documents is a summary of expectations while participating in the accelerator. We expect you and your team to be productively engaged in every aspect of the program, and to support your company’s development, your accelerator cohorts where possible, and the program in general.

The accelerator program will end with a “demonstration day” where participants will present their business, in a pitch format, to our network of institutional and corporate partners and investors.

One of our selection criteria will be the applicant’s plans to bring their business, or a portion of their business (e.g., partners, supply chain companies, etc.) to Knoxville or the Tennessee region. We would love to have companies locate or relocate in this area.

Up to six (6).

Please do not include confidential or trade secret information in your application, even if it is marked as such.

We will make introductions to corporate partners of the Spark Cleantech Accelerator for technical and business mentorship both in cohort and individual instruction, pilot project development, and follow-on working relationships where appropriate.

The Spark Innovation Center currently includes four senior mentors who have extensive planning, engineering, startup formation, business development, financial, successful exit, investment and incubator/accelerator experience: Tom Rogers, John Bruck, Carol Seamons, Lilly Tench and Bill Malkes

Additionally, the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council will be providing mentors through its mentor network, and the Midwest Regional Innovation Partnership’s (of which Spark is a member) programming will be available through its members the Clean Energy Trust, mHub and Centrepolis.