About

The Defining Challenge of Our Generation: Sustainable Energy and Manufacturing to Address Climate Change

Our mission is to identify innovators with ideas for energy- and science-based technologies that can have a significant impact on the lives of billions of people. We will provide these innovators with the laboratory tools, seed capital, and collaborators needed to grow their early-stage technologies so they can attract the long-term capital and commercial partners needed to scale and launch into the marketplace. If you’re interested in applying for the program, learn more by reading the CRI Applicant FAQs.

Our Guiding Principles

  • The solution to sustainable energy to help mitigate climate change requires complex science.
  • It will take breakthroughs in chemistry, physics, materials, and engineering to develop sustainable energy sources and deliver that energy affordably across the globe, including to the 1.4 billion people currently living without access to power, clean water and the billions more with unreliable power.
  • A better environment, secure future, and competitive America depends on advanced manufacturing.
  • Big challenges require big, bold partnerships.
  • The invention, development, and commercialization of transformative innovations require collaboration between government and the private sector to successfully transition new technologies from the lab to the marketplace.

Our Path to Success

  • We identify the best and brightest innovators.
  • We provide unprecedented access to world-class scientific tools and expertise.
  • We partner innovators with mentors to build strong business strategies and distribute game-changing technologies.

The idea of the lone inventor growing the next transformative technology with nothing but brilliance and sweat is a myth. Technologies that forge new industries, create sustainable energy sources, and raise standards of living require teamwork. To grow these technologies from idea to prototype requires vast amounts of capital, expensive equipment, and often, the blending of cross-discipline scientific and engineering expertise. To get these technologies quickly into the hands of the people they can help requires investment, market access, a strong business plan, and connections.

We are that support team for today’s best and brightest innovators. We give you the resources and room to grow your ideas and create a lasting legacy.

Chain Reaction Innovations’s leadership team brings a mix of technical, business, marketing, entrepreneurial and IP portfolio management skills that innovators may leverage.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) provides $3 million during a two-year period to support four to six teams of innovators. New teams will be selected each year to receive this two-year allocation. This funding will pay for fellowships that cover salary, benefits, use of laboratory equipment and office space, and guidance from Argonne researchers. Argonne also contributes about $1.2 million in funds to the program.

CRI is managed by DOE’s Technology-to-Market program and AMO and run by Argonne.