WARREN — BRITE Energy Innovators has been given $150,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy to help fund the clean energy startup incubator’s effort to bridge the gap between innovation and marketplace.

The funding through the department’s Office of Technology Transitions will help the agency plan and execute support programs for “underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs in academic and other environments” who are developing new and game-changing technologies in the energy space.

“This isn’t just a win for BRITE, this is a win for Ohio universities and their students who want to be on the forefront of solving the biggest problems of our generation, creating good-paying jobs and mitigating climate change,” BRITE President and CEO Rick Stockburger said.

Though support exists to fund academic and lab-driven research at universities, moving the research to market is more challenging, according to BRITE. The federal dollars “help bridge the gap that exists between the academic environment and entrepreneurial support ecosystems,” the release states.

Jing Lyon, BRITE’s program director, said, “This program is about coming alongside university entrepreneurship and research programming and building a pathway for all of the great talent and ideas to break out of the university ecosystem and into the market. Our ultimate objective is to empower every student with the necessary support to materialize their concepts into commercially viable ventures.”