The engineering school will share the costs of research on polymer membranes to advance hydrogen fuel cell technology, the U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday. Mines will get about $300,000 a year for five years.

"Investments in fuel cell and hydrogen research today will enable America to lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles that will reduce our dependence on imported oil. This funding will help overcome technical barriers and bring hydrogen and fuel cell technology from the laboratory to the showroom," said Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman in the announcement.

The Mines' grant is one of 12 cost-shared research programs that the DOE will pay a total of $23.75 million. The partners will pay $4.75 million.

In addition to Mines, other winners were: Pennsylvania State University, State College, Penn.; Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.; Giner Electrochemical Systems, Newton, Mass.; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.; Case Western Reserve University (two projects), Cleveland, Ohio; FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Conn.; Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.; General Electric, Schenectady, N.Y.; Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.; and University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla.