Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the entrepreneurship program at Argonne National Laboratory, will begin accepting applications on September 21 for Cohort 6. Entrepreneurs in any technology area that can leverage Argonne’s resources in partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Office of the Department of Energy (DOE) are encouraged to pre-apply here.
Technologies that fall into Argonne’s areas of excellence include advanced materials, catalysis, transportation and nanotechnology.
The CRI Program supports the next generation of energy entrepreneurs to move their innovations to market. A new cohort is selected each year through an annual call for applications. This year, the application will open on September 21, 2021 and run though 5 p.m. Central Standard Daylight Time on October 31, 2021. Those chosen for cohort 6 will begin work in June 2022.
“Looking forward, the program will focus on inclusive innovation,” said Deena Wright, CRI’s Senior Program Specialist who works with the cohorts. “The cohort model that CRI uses offers strong peer support from a broad range of disciplines, in addition to those provided by the CRI team,” she noted. “There are clear benefits to including a diverse group of people in our program–more specifically broad collections of ideas and unique perspectives.”
To pre-apply, visit http://chainreaction.anl.gov/apply/.
Informational Webinars
CRI will host a series of four informational webinars in August, September and October for interested applicants to learn specifics about the program. If selected, innovators receive salary, benefits, travel expenses and $220,000 in support of technical work at Argonne.
Wednesday, August 25, 11 a.m. Central Standard Time
Tuesday, September 14, 2 p.m. Central Standard Time
Friday, October 1, 10 a.m. Central Standard Time
Thursday, October 21, 3 p.m. Central Standard Time
Register here for the webinars.
About CRI
CRI is a fellowship focusing on energy and science technologies. Four to six teams/individuals are selected to join CRI each year through a competitive process. Program participants receive the financial and technical support needed to perform early-stage research and development (R&D) with the goal to launch energy or manufacturing businesses.
The two-year elite program teaches the best and brightest from across the nation the entrepreneurship skills needed to develop transformative clean energy technologies and innovations in advanced manufacturing.
“This year, more than other years, it’s critically important to foster inclusive innovation,” says John Carlisle, CRI’s director. “As they progress through the program, our cohorts generate jobs through investments and expansion,” he points out. “Not only do they create change with their technologies, they also have an immediate economic impact that’s inclusive from beginning to end.” To date CRI cohorts have raised nearly $150 million while creating 247 jobs.
Cohort Benefits
CRI offers innovators a two-year runway to develop and scale their technologies while being supported by fellowship funding that covers salary, benefits, use of laboratory equipment and office space. Through partnerships with mentor organizations, cohort members get assistance developing business strategies, conducting market research, and finding long-term financing and potential commercial partners. Each innovator partners with an Argonne scientist who serves as the Principal Investigator, supporting the innovator’s R & D within the laboratory. Learn more about the program’s benefits here.
CRI Partners
Argonne’s Chain Reaction Innovations program, which is under Argonne National Lab’s Science and Technology Partnerships Outreach directorate, is funded by The Advanced Manufacturing Office within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
CRI is part of the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). EERE created the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs to provide an institutional home for innovative postdoctoral researchers to build their research into products and train to be entrepreneurs.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy supports early-stage research and development of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to strengthen U.S. economic growth, energy security, and environmental quality.
