MIT, Eni announce energy research p...( CAMBRIDGE Mass. - MIT and Italian en...)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - MIT and Italian energy company Eni today announced a major energy research partnership. The centerpiece of this collaboration will be a program focusing on the development of advanced solar technologies, from novel photovoltaic materials to the design of solar power plants.

Eni will also become a Founding Member of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), supporting a portfolio of diverse energy research projects at the Institute.

Total funding for the partnership will be $50 million over five years. Of those funds, $25 million will establish the Eni-MITEI Solar Frontiers Research Program. The remainder will support Eni's founding membership in MITEI.

MIT President Susan Hockfield voiced strong support for the collaboration, noting that "Eni's commitment to meeting the world's energy needs through new technologies is inspiring, and we're honored by Eni confidence in MIT as a partner. We look forward to working with Eni on the science, technology and analysis critical to advancing energy security and environmental stewardship."

Hockfield also praised the agreement as "an opportunity to vault forward in developing advanced solar technologies. For a global oil and gas company like Eni to invest in renewable energy options speaks volumes about the urgent need for large-scale carbon-free energy options like solar."

Paolo Scaroni, Eni's CEO, commented: "This partnership is part of a broader initiative originated in late 2006 with the long term objective of building up a leadership role for Eni in the field of innovation and advanced technologies. The commitment to develop innovative frontiers in renewables-particularly of solar energy-is an important part of this initiative."

The Eni-MITEI Solar Frontiers Research Program will include six areas of focus:

• Nano-structured thin film photovoltaics

• Luminescent solar concentrators

• Self-assembling photovoltaic
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