Product Innovation & Assistance

Companies who participate in the EPIC Buildings Program have access to a variety of product innovation support and commercialization assistance, including:

• Product development ideation support from Syracuse University faculty experts
• Computational design assistance by faculty-supervised student teams
• Prototype and product testing assistance at SyracuseCoE facilities, with support from researchers, students, and staff research engineers
• Assistance with monitoring targeted funding opportunities, including those offered by the the U.S. Department of Energy, NYSERDA, and others

The EPIC Buildings Small-Scale Prototype Projects are short-term summer projects, led by companies, with support provided by graduate level students supervised by faculty from Syracuse University. Projects are sought that target concepts for new, innovative energy products for buildings, especially those that address 1) the needs of low- and moderate-income communities, 2) improved public health, and 3) energy-efficient and grid-interactive buildings. Applications are expected to be available in the fall of 2023, with an application deadline of Wednesday, January 31, 2024. Samples of previous projects are shown below.

---

Previous EPIC Buildings Small-Scale Prototype Projects Link

Hydronic Shell Technology: Modular HVAC and facade system for deep energy retrofits (2023)

Students: Tim Phelps and Rick Warner, SUNY ESF; Zhi Fei Li, Syracuse University

Faculty supervisor: Prof. Bess Krietemeyer, Syracuse University

MicroEra Power: Smart, Tunable Thermal Energy Storage (TES) as an Enabler for Decarbonized Buildings (2023)

Student: Zixen Jiang, Syracuse University

Faculty supervisor: Prof. Bing Dong, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University; BEST Lab, SyracuseCoE

TK Fabricate: Communication and Web Application Development for Mechanical Pod (2023)

Student: Xuezheng Wang, Syracuse University

Faculty supervisor: Prof. Bing Dong, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University; BEST Lab, SyracuseCoE

WellBuilding Control: Control Systems Targeting the Health-Energy Nexus in Next Generation Smart Buildings (2023)

Student: Zhipeng Deng, Zixin Jiang, Max Sulik, Syracuse University

Faculty supervisor: Prof. Bing Dong, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University; BEST Lab, SyracuseCoE

---

To learn more about how the EPIC Buildings Program can support your company, contact Tammy Rosanio at tlrosani@syr.edu.