Some guy on the net, who took part in a discussion forum unrelated to energy, mentioned woes of getting his energy production scheme developed for lack of honest investors. Woes to the point of becoming bitter and jaded about trying to publicize it.. Suppose he says he's gotten it to work so far, but that being very poor, it will take years for him to complete it.
Is there some group like EMC2 that one could put him in touch with, with the confidence that if he really had something, it would be given a fair assessment and chance of development? Or does anyone know someone willing to try and talk to him as transparently as possible, to try and see if anything he says immediately stands out as bogus or promising?
Suppose..
Hello Betruger,
Difficult situation. If your correspondent has really got a good idea, and has solved many of the problems, then he should get in touch with venture capitalists ... universities often have commercialisation departments who will help in this area.
However the net is awash with people who have ... something, and separating the gold from the dross can be timeconsuming. Many VCs will pass up investment opportunities because they perceive the originator lacks a needed skill to make it come to pass -a skill such as the ability to get on with others, the ability to believe in and communicate the belief to others ...
If your correspondent has an idea, I think a university would be the first port of call.
Regards,
Tony Barry
Difficult situation. If your correspondent has really got a good idea, and has solved many of the problems, then he should get in touch with venture capitalists ... universities often have commercialisation departments who will help in this area.
However the net is awash with people who have ... something, and separating the gold from the dross can be timeconsuming. Many VCs will pass up investment opportunities because they perceive the originator lacks a needed skill to make it come to pass -a skill such as the ability to get on with others, the ability to believe in and communicate the belief to others ...
If your correspondent has an idea, I think a university would be the first port of call.
Regards,
Tony Barry
I agree with Tony - if there is anything bogus a prof will be fairly kind in pointing it out. They are used to dealing with students who misunderstand, or don't understand what they are trying to teach and know how to get the point across without hurting any feelings. If it's for real, they will be excited to dig into it.
The Energy Innovations Small Grant program sponsored by the California Energy Commission passes out grant money, to see if ideas have any merit. The grants are small, $50-$95,000, and only about 30 grants per year are funded, but they are very carefully evaluated by experts (or as close as can be found to experts) in the particular field of the proposal and feedback is provided. Start here: http://www.energy.ca.gov/research/innov ... index.html
I've heard it rumored that New York has a program like this but I've only heard the rumor and know nothing more. Of course one should always remember the Defense Department's SBIR programs, quite a bit more money. Start here: http://www.dodsbir.net/solicitation/default.htm
I've heard it rumored that New York has a program like this but I've only heard the rumor and know nothing more. Of course one should always remember the Defense Department's SBIR programs, quite a bit more money. Start here: http://www.dodsbir.net/solicitation/default.htm
Aero
As Aero says, SBIRs are probably a good place to start. DOE has them as well as DOD and I expect that is true of most government agencies. Phase I SBIRS are typically $100,000 and run for 6-8 months. SBIRs are mandated by Congress and many government managers view them with disdain. They look at Phase I projects as a write off. Phase Is aren't all that hard to get, but Phase IIs are very difficult. If nothing else, you will get a free, confidential peer review out of it.
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ravingdave
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Re: Suppose..
Betruger wrote:Some guy on the net, who took part in a discussion forum unrelated to energy, mentioned woes of getting his energy production scheme developed for lack of honest investors. Woes to the point of becoming bitter and jaded about trying to publicize it.. Suppose he says he's gotten it to work so far, but that being very poor, it will take years for him to complete it.
Is there some group like EMC2 that one could put him in touch with, with the confidence that if he really had something, it would be given a fair assessment and chance of development? Or does anyone know someone willing to try and talk to him as transparently as possible, to try and see if anything he says immediately stands out as bogus or promising?
Not to give anything away, could you tell us what AREA his idea is in?
(I mean like fuel cells, batteries, better heat engine, nuclear, zero-point energy or the mystic powers of RA?)
David
He never said.
I've passed all the advice along to him, as well as a link to this forum, though. He's been following fusion developments for a bit, himself. Maybe he'll come by and answer some of your questions.. He's mentionned a couple of very indirect clues as to his design, but he's so secretive about it that I don't want to break his trust or innacurately speak for him.
If nothing else, it's one more greasemonkey that could contribute some insight or idea to the discussions here
And thanks to all of you for responding.
I've passed all the advice along to him, as well as a link to this forum, though. He's been following fusion developments for a bit, himself. Maybe he'll come by and answer some of your questions.. He's mentionned a couple of very indirect clues as to his design, but he's so secretive about it that I don't want to break his trust or innacurately speak for him.
If nothing else, it's one more greasemonkey that could contribute some insight or idea to the discussions here
And thanks to all of you for responding.