Leveraging Benefits Attributable to Centers within the Industrial Assessment Center Program

Abstract

The purpose of the research reported here was to assess the leveraging benefits attributable to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Program. The term leveraging as used in this study refers to any additional support received by a university-based, IAC-sponsored center that the center would not have received had the IAC Program not been in place. Twenty-two IACs provided information about 120 leveraging activities over the 1997-2001 period. IAC directors indicated that the support for 115 of these projects was linked to the existence of DOE's IAC Program and the experience gained from their participation in the program. Ninety-three of the IAC-influenced projects were quantified, for a monetary value of $5,948,931. The average annual leveraged support was $1,189,786 over the time frame examined. Typical contributors of leveraged support were state governments, utilities, industry, universities, and other DOE and federal agencies. Most of the support was provided to conduct assessments outside of IAC Program criteria (e.g., assessments of government buildings or large manufacturing plants). Significant leveraged support was also provided to IACs for educational activities--such as workshops, seminars, and training--and for miscellaneous energy-related technical projects.