Partners
Turning an idea into a product in the field takes universities, companies, and national laboratories working together, something Pittsburgh has long done well. The Center for Energy builds partnerships across Pitt and beyond to carry research into deployment. Our deepest strengths are in electric power and the grid, and those remain our distinctive focus. Because the grid connects energy sources, loads, and storage, the partnerships and products that emerge may span other parts of the energy infrastructure as well, including generation and fuels, storage, and the loads and systems that depend on them.
Collaborating Centers
The Center works closely with University centers whose strengths complement our research focus areas:
RETI Consortium
The Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Consortium is an NSF-funded consortium led by West Virginia University, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and the US Research Impact Alliance. The consortium has more than 60 regional partners, including Pitt’s Center for Energy. The National Science Foundation announced the award on July 14, 2026, providing up to $160 million over a decade as part of $321 million in combined public and private funding. RETI addresses challenges in energy transmission and distribution and improvements in manufacturing processes, and links Pitt’s energy initiatives with industry, national laboratories, and public partners to help advance major funded initiatives, technology transfer, and workforce outcomes. RETI has a branch office at the Energy Innovation Center.
Industry, Government, and Regional Partners
Industry partners such as Westinghouse, Eaton, and Duquesne Light, federal partners such as the National Energy Technology Laboratory and the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, and state and city partners are already at the table. Industry members support our core centers through paid memberships that fund student research and shared operations. Together we pursue research, workforce development, and commercialization that benefit the region.
