Boston plans incubator for clean-tech firms

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday that an incubator “would help clean-tech companies start up in Boston, create jobs in Boston, and thrive in Boston. We will take the lead because we know how important these businesses are to our city’s future.’’

Typically, business incubators offer start-ups free or discounted rent, along with access to experienced investors, executives, and technology specialists.

Menino did not offer more specifics, but Peter Rothstein of the New England Clean Energy Council said his group has been working with the city, MIT, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to secure federal funding that could help renovate a building that would serve as a clean-tech incubator.

Together, they are chasing $129 million in funding over five years to establish an energy innovation cluster in New England. The money would mainly support academic research on how to make buildings more energy efficient, but some funding would go to renovating a Boston building to serve as an incubator space, Rothstein said.

“The grant is really about cluster development and projects to deploy these new energy efficiency technologies,’’ he said.

The proposal was submitted in early May, Rothstein said, with a decision expected in August or September. “It’ll be quite competitive, since there’s only one grant that will be awarded to one city,’’ he said.

Other cities, including Worcester and Springfield, are working on clean-tech incubators of their own. In Waltham, the Clean Energy Fusion Center is already home to a dozen entrepreneurs working on new ventures, and the Cleantech InnoVenture Center opened last fall in Lynn.

Menino unveiled plans for the South Boston incubator at the Ad Club’s third annual Edge Conference. The Boston Globe was one of 19 sponsors of the event. The club is a trade organization for the New England marketing industry.

Scott Kirsner can be reached at kirsner@pobox.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottKirsner.