The startup, which is affiliated with the University of Maryland, received a $20 million grant this week from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a program to boost research and development in the U.S. energy sector.
Ion Storage Systems, a Beltsville, Maryland-based company that makes solid-state batteries based on technology developed at the UMD lab, received funding as part of the Creating Significant Advances in Key Energy Technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program, which is managed by the department's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
The company was co-founded by Professor Emeritus Eric Waxman, director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute and faculty member in materials science and engineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering.
The company will use the award, combined with $20 million in private matching funds, to work with partners including Saint-Gobain, one of the world's largest ceramic, glass and materials suppliers, and KLA, a leader in semiconductor process and quality control, to significantly accelerate the commercialization of Ion Storage Systems' safe, energy-dense, fast-chargeable batteries.
“By accelerating the commercialization of promising technologies, we are ensuring the private sector is focused on advancing American manufacturing, strengthening our national security, and ensuring our competitiveness,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Grunhold said in a news release.
Since the program's inception in 2019, only teams affiliated with UMD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University have received multiple SCALEUP awards.
“It's been quite a journey, from the initial ARPA-E Seedling award that enabled me to prove my 3D ceramic architecture concept, to the opportunity to win multiple other funding awards to advance the technology, to winning my final award, SCALEUP, to work with leading manufacturing partners such as Saint-Gobain and KLA to move the technology towards commercialization,” Wachsman said.
