The goal of this project is to improve the market focus of all the Program's R&D projects and thereby to increase the ultimate commercial viability of the Program's technology products. This is both an economic and a social goal, leading to increased public benefits of PIER's investment in the Program's products. The project meets this goal by systematically creating a "commercialization infrastructure" of alliances with key efficiency advocates and regulatory agencies, market-based reviews and refinements of each product's market approach, both professional and consumer audiences, and communications via web and print for more specific aid to products that become ready for commercialization during the Program term.

Bevilaqua-Knight, Inc. is leading the research and development work for this project.

The objectives of this project are to:

• Create, implement, and evaluate a new coordinated and intensive method of fulfilling the technology transfer requirements of the PIER Program.
• Provide specific expert guidance to the Program manager and technology developers on practical product specifications and economics needed to maximize market success.
• Build alliances with key institutional intermediaries including efficiency advocacy groups, energy professional and trade associations, and governmental regulatory authorities at all levels.
• Provide consistent and appropriate information in effective media forms to relevant market actors and consumers to enable understanding and acceptance of all Program products.
• Provide developers of selected earliest Program products with expert guidance on accelerating products toward effective market preparation and entry.

Achievement of these objectives will be assessed at the end of the project by delivery of written documents providing the specified guidance and information. Further assurance of achievement will be provided through independent assessments of project value by outside experts.

This project meets the PIER Goal of "Improving the Energy Cost/Value of California's Electricity" by decreasing commercialization risks and accelerating the market entry of the Program's technology products, thereby increasing their use and the energy savings that they represent. This project also meets the secondary goal of "Improving the Environmental and Public Health Costs/Risk of California's Electricityby increasing and accelerating the successful market entry of the Program's energy-saving products, which in turn reduces electricity use and its attendant environmental impacts.

This project makes significant contributions leading to PIER Building Area technology improvement as well as market introduction and penetration in California by bringing into each project a consistently high level of unbiased expert knowledge of market needs, product features, and intermediary activities required for market success. The project also contributes to market success by creating alliances with other supporters as well as developing and delivering a consistently high level of appropriate information to potential market actors who can use that information to help assure market success. Finally, the project tests the concept of a coordinated and intensive approach to improving technology transfer.