GOLDEN, Colo., Feb. 4, 2013 – The Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion (CRSP), headquartered at Colorado School of Mines, and the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), at the University of Tokyo, Japan, will join forces in an effort to promote advancements in solar research and technologies.

Representatives from the two institutions signed a letter of intent on Jan. 31, formalizing the agreement.

CRSP was established in 2008 as a joint research center of the Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory consisting of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Colorado State University (CSU), Mines, the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) and industry partners.

CRSP is headquartered at Mines in the same facility as the U.S. National Science Foundation Renewable Energy Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (REMRSEC). There are approximately 200 faculty members and researchers from NREL, Mines, CU and CSU involved with CRSP.

Since it was formed, CRSP has received approximately $3.6 million in research funding from industry partners and the State of Colorado. CRSP has strategic relationships with other solar research centers/programs including the Center for Advanced Solar Photophysics based at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Research Corporation for Science Advancement Solar Scialog program and REMRSEC, which engage in millions of dollars of solar research.

The University of Tokyo, also known as "Todai" was established in 1877 as the first national university in Japan. As a leading research university, Todai offers undergraduate and graduate courses and conducts a wide variety of research.

Contact:
Karen Gilbert, Director of Public Relations / 303-273-3541 / KGilbert@mines.edu