Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) have announced the names of the initial members and mentor partners of an embedded entrepreneurship program based at the Argonne National Laboratory.
Argonne said Monday the Chain Reaction Innovations program looks to help startups and industry members address risks and development costs in a push to support manufacturing growth and the creation of sustainable and energy-efficient technologies.
“Chain Reaction Innovations, with the support of Argonne National Lab, will help the next generation of entrepreneurs develop the technologies needed to combat climate change and advance a low-carbon economy,” said Moniz.
The first cohort — which includes researchers Chad Mason, Felipe Gomez del Campo, Ian Hamilton, Tyler Huggins and Justin Whiteley — will focus on the development of aerospace, energy generation and storage, recycling and transportation technologies, Argonne added.
They will receive $350,000 for research and development and up to $110,000 in wages, benefits and travel stipends annually to work on their projects at the lab over two years beginning January 2017.
Argonne added that the Purdue Foundry and the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation have joined CRI as mentor organizations that will help the research team develop business strategies and connect with commercial partners and investors.