As the nation's first National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells (IUCRC), the Center for Electrochemical Engineering, The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Center of Excellence, and the new Center for Clean Coal Research, Future Fuels is one of the top research priorities at the University of South Carolina. The goal of the Future Fuels initiative is the expansion the University of South Carolina’s internationally recognized research and educational programs. This university-wide initiative will build on our highly regarded reputation in the areas of electrochemistry and fuel cells.
In order to advance our interests, the University of South Carolina’s Future Fuels initiative has signed two international strategic partnership agreements with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Germany, and Korean Institute for Energy Research (KIER). These agreements establish research partnerships in fuel cells, hydrogen storage, hydrogen production, chemical-energy conversion, and other electrochemical storage devices. The State of South Carolina also has an agreement with Queensland in Australia, which facilitates interactions between USC and the University of Queensland. All three of these agreements call for the exchange of scientists, engineers, and students; joint programs in research and development; and the promotion of intellectual property for commercial purposes.