The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has awarded a total of $15 million to Columbia University, the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and High Tech Rochester to create three Proof-of-Concept Centers dedicated to helping inventors and scientists turn their high-tech, clean-energy ideas into successful businesses. NYSERDA will invest $5 million in seed money at each center over a five-year period, with cost-sharing required. The centers are expected to operate on their own after NYSERDA funding ends. Centers will link business experts and early-stage investors with scientists making new discoveries. The new entities – “idea incubators” for very-early-stage entrepreneurs – will fill a gap between the maturing of an idea in a research environment and the creation of a business. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has awarded a total of $15 million to Columbia University, the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and High Tech Rochester to create three Proof-of-Concept Centers dedicated to helping inventors and scientists turn their high-tech, clean-energy ideas into successful businesses.