Sometimes great big ideas come from really small — make that microscopic — materials.
A team of University of Utah researchers and MBA students is on its way to the White House to
submit its quantum dot production method in a competition against several other high-profile
schools in the U.S. Department of Energy's inaugural National Clean Energy Business Plan
Competition.
U. startup company Navillum recently won $100,000 in a regional clean- tech competition, and
has advanced to the finals, which concludes with an award ceremony in Washington, D.C., on
June 13.
Navillum is developing a new, more efficient method for producing quantum dots — which can
be used to make television screens, computer screens, mobile devices and solar panels more
efficient and produce better color imaging. The team will be competing against five other
schools, including Columbia, MIT, Northwestern, Stanford and the University of Central Florida
— all of which also won regional contests to advance to the final round of competition.
Winners of the six regional competitions will vie for the honor of presenting the best clean
energy business plan before a panel of expert judges and invited guests from federal agencies,
industry, national labs and the venture capital community. KSL
