About the Partner Forum

To better facilitate engagement with a range of partners from academia, industry, and city, state, and local government, NREL hosts an annual Partner Forum.

This event aligns with NREL's commitment to expand impact, gain insights to inform future laboratory research, and develop new technologies that will advance the global energy market and eventually be commercialized—transforming energy through partnerships.

The event provides a unique opportunity for partners to connect with NREL and one another, learn about and explore current and future activities, and discuss new trends and innovations in renewable energy technology. The Partner Forum facilitates discussion and helps set the stage for future collaborations among attendees.

NREL recognizes and understands the value of partnerships and seeks out opportunities to collaborate. A mutual enthusiasm to uncover new, long-lasting solutions to the world's energy challenges is what motivates the lab and supports its deep investment in partnership efforts.

Collaboration and Impact

In addition to NREL's more than 1,100 active partnership agreements, the Partner Forum has provided the setting for enhanced collaborations and new partnerships with organizations including Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, NASA, Shell, Eaton, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The annual forum includes a formal program as well as optional campus tours. Past activities for in-person events have included rides on an autonomous shuttle around campus, a deep dive into NREL's data visualization and high-performance-computing capabilities, a hydrogen-fueled car display, and tours of the Energy Systems Integration Facility at NREL. The event draws more than 100 C-level attendees from organizations around the world.

Read about the 2024 Partner Forum, which focused on the built environment.