The American-Made Challenges are a series of prize competitions, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), that are designed to incentivize the nation's entrepreneurs to reenergize innovation and reassert American leadership in the energy marketplace.

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This UT-based startup fund provides student innovators with startup capital and real-world investment experience. Genesis’ Smart Energy Call for Innovation (C4i) invests in transformative student startups building 21st-century smart energy solutions. 

*Open to undergraduate and graduate students

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC) invites teams from collegiate institutions to develop real-world geothermal solutions while competing for cash prizes and gaining resume experience in the renewable energy industry. Students of all majors, minors, and career paths are encouraged to participate in the annual geothermal competition. The theme for the competition is updated each year.

Register by Sept. 16 to be paired with a mentor; final registration deadline is Oct. 7.

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Green Labs is a resource to help researchers run more environmentally-friendly labs without sacrificing the integrity of their work. Green Labs assists researchers with minimizing waste, reducing water and energy use, and utilizing the concepts of Green Chemistry. 

*Open to students, faculty, and staff

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Located at the J.J. Pickle Campus in North Austin, in the EME Building, The Innovation Lab is a wet lab incubator space available for early-stage startups.

*Open to startups that have a license agreement with UT Austin.

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The LaunchPad at UT Austin is an entrepreneurship hub that helps undergraduate and graduate students of all majors explore and navigate entrepreneurship on the 40 Acres. Signature programs include the Bridge Venture Fellowship, the Entrepreneurial Mindset Bootcamp, the Gap Year Founders program for alumni, the SEAL Summer Accelerator, and the StartUP grant program.

*Open to undergraduate and graduate students

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This annual competition challenges student teams to design a community supported by affordable, resilient, sustainable energy. The winning team gets $10,000. Registration is now open! Deadline to enroll is March 15, 2025. Submissions are due April 15, 2025.

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Sponsored by Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) and GRID Alternatives, this two-month fellowship program provides mentoring and networking opportunities for aspiring renewable energy professionals. To be eligible, you must be 18 or older, identify as a woman or marginalized gender, and be a current student or recent graduate. 

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Student Entrepreneur Acceleration and Launch (SEAL) is UT Austin’s selective summer accelerator that picks the most promising emerging startups across campus and helps them confront their next market-driven milestone. Application period opens in the spring.

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Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy is a first-of-a-kind collaboration among UT Austin, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, Rice University, and Prairie View A&M University—powered by Greentown Labs and MIT’s Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship—to create a powerful student-driven entrepreneurship ecosystem in Texas. This program hosts the TEX-E Prize startup competition, sponsors a multidisciplinary energy fellowship program (application period opens March 2025), and more.

*Open to undergraduate and graduate students

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Climate LEAP is a year-long, paid internship program that offers students hands-on, practical experience developing a greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan for an organization. Interested in becoming a Climate Leader? For more information, fill out the interest form here. Applications are anticipated to open in March.

*Open to all undergraduate students

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