LRC News

Growing Businesses at the Lighting Technology Greenhouse

Businesses have a new resource available to help them grow. The Lighting Technology Greenhouse (LTG), a program of the Lighting Research Center (LRC), promotes the growth and success of lighting-related businesses by acting as an interface for businesses to facilitate the commercialization of lighting products and services that enhance sustainability.

The LTG is the only program of its type, with a goal of providing assistance in the establishment and growth of lighting companies. It offers a wealth of services to businesses within and outside of New York State, including networking with commercialization players interested in the growth of lighting-related businesses such as large companies interested in acquiring smaller companies, small companies looking to grow, entrepreneurs, inventors, and investors. A list of lighting-related businesses, including lighting manufacturers and distributors, as well as companies offering lighting-related services or capable of building components or prototypes for new lighting products is also available.

"LTG can also provide assistance in identifying and securing federal, state, and regional funding opportunities,” said Mark Rea, the LRC’s director. “Although LTG does not provide funding itself, it can help with proposal planning, writing, and editing assistance to secure funding on behalf of New York State lighting-related businesses.”

Other services include technical and market assessment assistance for companies trying to benchmark and improve their products, provide due diligence for technical evaluations, or document lighting product success stories.

At the core of the LTG are the Lighting Research Center and Linc, a new, not-for-profit corporation. Together, they “envision a vibrant cluster of lighting companies within New York State” that will provide useful lighting products and services throughout the world.

“The LRC is a unique, but heretofore unrealized asset for lighting companies coming to and growing in New York State,” said Rea. “As the leading independent third party for lighting research, the LRC has not been directly involved in the development and commercialization of lighting products.”

That is where Linc comes in. Linc – The Lighting Cultivator^TM – provides the conduit between the LRC and the private sector to foster commercialization of new lighting concepts. Linc was created through funding by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Through collaboration with Linc, the LRC provides resources to the private sector while maintaining its integrity as the world’s leading independent authority on lighting science and technology.

"Linc is a new model for technology commercialization, business development, and technology evaluation in the lighting industry—bridging the worlds of research, tech transfer, and manufacturing," adds Eugene K. Schuler, Executive Director of Linc.

For more information about the Lighting Technology Greenhouse, visit www.lightingtechnologygreenhouse.org or contact Mark Rea, LRC Director, at 518-687-7100 or ream@rpi.edu.

For more information about Linc - The Lighting Cultivator, visit www.lightingcultivator.org or contact Gene Schuler, Jr., at 518-424-7187 or eschuler@lightingcultivator.org.

About the Lighting Research Center

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) is part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N.Y., and is the leading university-based research center devoted to lighting. The LRC offers the world's premier graduate education in lighting, including one- and two-year master's programs and a Ph.D. program. Since 1988 the LRC has built an international reputation as a reliable source for objective information about lighting technologies, applications, and products. The LRC also provides training programs for government agencies, utilities, contractors, lighting designers, and other lighting professionals. Visit www.lrc.rpi.edu.