Chain Reaction Innovations is Recruiting for Cohort 9

Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the entrepreneurship program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, is looking for scientists and engineers to join its next cohort. Applications open September 4^th and close at 5 p.m. on November 8^th, 2024.

Is this you? Ideal candidates are focused on early-stage science and climate technologies. They do not need to have an incorporated startup yet but if they do, it must be registered in the U.S. and cannot have raised more than $2M in private sector funding at the time of application.

Chosen candidates will move to Chicago for two years to embed at Argonne, advancing their technology by working with an Argonne scientist. CRI innovators must be either U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents at the time of application.

Highlights of the Program

• 2-year fellowship including a $115k per year stipend, travel allowance and health care benefits
• Funding to de-risk technological innovations
• Connection to technical experts, researchers, facilities and unique capabilities at Argonne National Laboratory
• Networking with business experts, investors, mentors, & corporate partners
• Neither DOE nor Argonne take an equity stake

Ideal Candidates:

Our ideal candidates are working on deep tech/climate tech solutions. They do not need to have an incorporated startup yet, however, if they do it must be registered to the U.S. and cannot have more than $2M in private sector funding at the time of application to CRI. All candidates must move to Chicago for two years to embed at Argonne. CRI innovators must be either U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. Technology areas include:

• Advanced materials​
• Improving manufacturing efficiency​
• Industrial decarbonization​
• Lowering building carbon and energy footprints​
• Solar energy​
• Offshore, land-based and distributed wind energy​
• Supply chains supporting wind energy​
• Social and environmental impacts of wind energy​
• Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies​
• Quantum computing​
• Energy storage – electric grid​
• Innovative grid sensing and data analytics technologies​
• Circularity (Re-X pathways; circular economy)​
• Food, water, energy nexus​
• Carbon dioxide removal (CDR)​
• Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)​
• Other as determined by the DOE

Innovators from our previous 8 cohorts have created more than 685 jobs and raised $648M in funding. CRI is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program, one of four ‘nodes’ embedded at national labs across the U.S.

For more information, register for a Cohort 9 info webinar. You can also drop into 1 p.m. (CT) Friday Zoom office hours September 20th – November 8th or e-mail chainreaction@anl.gov.

CRI is one of four U.S. Department of Energy Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs located at national laboratories throughout the country.