Announcements
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CRI project aims to fill critical computing needs
Research team from Chain Reaction Innovations Cohort 2 harnesses Center for Nanoscale Materials power to explore emerging materials for energy-efficient computing. The demand for computing power continues to accelerate with each passing year as consumers grow ever more reliant on smart phones and the… Read More
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Mesodyne Awarded a Competitive Grant from the National Science Foundation
Small Business Innovation Research Program Provides Seed Funding for R&D Mesodyne, Inc has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $224,362 to conduct research and development (R&D) work on a scalable photonic crystal fabrication process for mesoscale… Read More
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Cohort 3 Final Pitch Competition
February 7, 2019 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Building 240 View Replay Through an annual call, four to six teams are selected to join Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), a two-year program for innovators focused on energy and science technologies. Read More
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Innovation on display during Chain Reaction Innovations’ Demo Day
For 18 months entrepreneurs in the first cohort of Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), an early stage entrepreneurship program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, have been honing technologies that promote energy efficiency and a more sustainable future. Funded by the Advanced… Read More
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Argonne selects innovators from across nation to grow startups
Entrepreneurs from Illinois, California, New York, Texas and Missouri have won spots in an elite national program at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory to grow startup technologies. On April 18, John Carlisle announced the second cohort of Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) following an extensive… Read More
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Science entrepreneurship competition with up to $420,000 award opens Sept. 5
Building an energy or materials science technology is difficult. Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) can help you do that by providing business planning and technical mentorship, up to $200,000 in a fellowship grant, and up to $220,000 to spend on research work at Argonne National Laboratory. Read More
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Clean Energy Trust Challenge Accepting Applications Until Jan. 17
The Clean Energy Trust (CET) Challenge is one of the nation’s largest fundraising events for energy tech startups. This is the eight year of the program and the third consecutive year that CET has committed to invest $1,000,000 in cleantech startups in the Midwest. The… Read More
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CRI Announces First Cohort and Mentor Partners
In an event today with U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Senator Dick Durbin (D-III) at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the Midwest’s first entrepreneurship program to embed innovators in a national laboratory, announced the… Read More
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CRI and Mission Innovation Highlighted at The Current Happy Hour
Join us at The Current happy hour on Dec. 1 to hear the latest policy updates—particularly Mission Innovation, an initiative to double public investment in clean energy research and development. Learn about federal funding opportunities for your company, programs to help you partner with government… Read More
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CRI featured at PEW clean energy forum in Michigan
As a prelude to the 2016 Michigan Energy Innovators Gala, small-business leaders will hear about Chain Reaction Innovations and Nano Design Works, two Argonne National Laboratory programs aimed at leveraging the resources of a national laboratory to expedite entrepreneurship. The panel “From the Lab to… Read More
Latest Updates
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Five New Startups Join Argonne's Entrepreneurship Program
As Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) celebrates its 10th anniversary, the entrepreneurship program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory is welcoming five startup founders to its 2026 cohort. Over the next two years, the entrepreneurs will embed full time at Argonne, partnering… Read More
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Director's Letter August 2026
Dear Friends of CRI, It’s been a busy summer at Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) and a great reminder of how much our community continues to grow. We recently announced our 2026 cohort, welcoming five new startup founders to Argonne. They bring new technologies, perspectives and… Read More
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CRI to Open Recruitment for Cohort 2027
Scientists and engineers ready to take their technology from the laboratory to the marketplace will soon have a new opportunity to make that leap. Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) will open applications for its 2027 cohort on Sept. 15, 2026, offering technical founders a fellowship… Read More
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Finalists Chosen for CRI’s Cohort 2026
Eleven individuals advanced to the Finals pitch competition to join Chain Reaction Innovations’ Cohort 2026. A broad range of energy innovations are represented in this year’s applicants, including battery technologies, industrial processes, performance materials and biotechnology. The 11 startups will pitch their technology during the virtual… Read More
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2025 Startup Milestones
About CRI Startup founders and the CRI team work together to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing energy and environmental challenges through transformative science and technology. CRI support allows science startups to bring their deep tech to market more quickly. The combined total of… Read More
