The National Instruments Green Engineering Grant Program FAQ

Many of the most innovative advances in renewable energy and clean-tech fields over the past twenty years have been developed by small, entrepreneurial technology companies and individuals. To support and further this progress, National Instruments has created the Green Engineering Grant program to allow engineers and scientists easier access to the world’s most advanced graphical system design technology. By significantly enhancing development productivity, NI hardware and software tools help green entrepreneurs bring their ideas from prototype to commercialization stages and provide a reliable path to high volume deployment. The National Instruments Green Engineering Grant Program is designed to provide start-up assistance for companies planning to use National Instruments hardware as a component of their clean energy, energy efficiency, or smart grid system. Eligible parties are granted up to $25,000 USD in software and training.

FAQ

Who is eligible for the grant?

To be eligible, grantees must be developing systems with the potential to make a significant contribution towards a clean energy future and must be interested in using graphical system design techniques and NI hardware for their designs. To be considered a strong candidate, the system under development must have the potential for wide scale commercial deployment and impact and the granted training and tools must significantly increase the likelihood of success. 

Specific attention is being given to applications that focus on the advancement of smart grid, energy storage, electric vehicle and grid-tied power electronics control systems due to their importance as foundational technologies for clean energy adoption. Additionally, the grant committee extends a special invitation to renewable energy companies developing smart grid monitoring, analysis and control application based on LabVIEW and NI reconfigurable I/O (RIO) hardware platforms for networked, distributed sensing, analytics and control.

Examples include smart grid analyzers, synchrophasor measurement units (PMUs), smart distribution reclosers and switches, grid adaptive power inverters, distribution fault anticipation systems, electric power real-time simulators, and more. Special preference is given to companies who provide worldwide sales and support for their smart grid systems.

Renewable and clean energy systems, as well as systems that optimize energy efficiency are also eligible.

Learn about past grant recipients.

What hardware purchases make me eligible for the grant?

In order to be eligible, you must be evaluating one of the NI hardware platforms for deployment as a component in your commercial product or technology. These include, but are not limited to NI Wireless Sensor Networks, NI CompactRIO, NI Single-Board RIO, NI PXI, NI R Series, NI Data Acquisition, NI Modular Instruments, NI GPIB, or NI Touch Panels.

Do I need to purchase anything once I receive the grant? 

Yes - the green engineering grant requires a hardware purchase of some kind.

How do I apply?

Step1. Find a sponsor in your area. To do so, contact your local field engineer or call (866)265-9891.

Step2. Download and complete the application (linked below).

Step3. E-mail the completed application to greenengineering.grant@ni.com.

What is the deadline for application?

Applications for the 2013 grant program are due on November 1, 2013. Grant applications may be submitted at any time in 2013 preceeding this deadline and responses will typically be made within 3 weeks. If your grant decision is time sensitive, please let us know by email (greenengineering.grant@ni.com). Also, feel free to check status by email.

What are the benefits of the training and certification membership that is typically included?

In addition to granted software, the $25,000 USD award typically includes the equivalent of a single 1-year Training & Certification Membership, which provides unlimited access to regional and online NI training courses and certification exams for 1 year. This training is included to help you bring your developer up to speed quickly on LabVIEW graphical system design development techniques, thereby increasing the likelihood your project will succeed. Overall, approximately 89 percent of NI training customers in a recent survey categorized the return on investment (ROI) for NI training courses as average to extremely high, with benefits that include faster learning, faster application development and less time spent on maintenance. You can explore all of the training courses National Instruments offers at http://www.ni.com/training.

What are the benefits of graphical system design technology for prototyping green applications?

The trend today is towards using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) prototyping platforms in the place of building custom electronics. In the old approach, you would have built a custom electronic board as your prototype—that takes 14 months on average and requires you to incur high up-front engineering expenses. The new approach is to use system level design tools and off-the-shelf functional prototyping hardware to create the first physical prototype. Rapid prototyping platforms like NI CompactRIO are programmed graphically with LabVIEW and include reconfigurable FPGA devices to provide circuit level customization, while also offering integrated real-time processors and I/O modules for direct connectivity to sensors and actuators. Advantages include lower engineering cost, faster time to market, more design iterations/optimization/testing, the ability to do more with your engineering resources, and an enhanced ability to secure angel and venture capital funding. NI prototyping platforms are also widely used for commercial deployment and provide a smooth transition path to high volume as your business grows. Learn more.

What marketing right to publish permissions are typically expected for granted organizations?

By accepting the grant award, most organizations agree to allow themselves to be listed as a National Instruments Green Engineering Grant Program recipient. Therefore, after the award is made we will request the following items from you. Please limit your response only to information you wish to share publicly- there is no need to reveal any sensitive or confidential information about your company. The response you provide may be included in both digital and print publications.

1. A short paragraph (3-4 sentences) describing your company and the green engineering benefits (economic, environmental, etc.) of the technology under development.
2. A company logo image.
3. A brief quote stating why you are choosing NI hardware/software technology and training for this project. What technical and business benefits do you expect to achieve as a result? Please include the name and job title of the person being quoted.

If you are unable to provide any of these items or you do not wish to have your company listed publicly as a grant recipient, please let us know at the time of application.

Finally, within one year of the grant, NI may ask you to a 3-minute narrated presentation to be featured on ni.com and a case study of your application. This will consist of an overview of the application, the use of NI products, and how it will change the world.  Again, all text, images and content will be approved by you - we will not ask you to divulge any information that you do not wish to be public as the safety of your intellectual property is of the highest concern to us.  If you need additional information or examples, feel free to contact us.

Who do I contact with more questions?

For more information, e-mail greenengineering.grant@ni.com.

Where can I find more information on renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grid, or clean-tech product development with National Instruments?

For more information including case studies, development tips and tricks, and software tools, visit ni.com/power.

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