Energy Department Announces Second Round of Entrepreneurship Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Energy Department today announced the opening of the application period for innovators to join the second cohort of Innovation Crossroads (IC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). IC, one of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs, embeds the next generation of top technical postdoctoral talent within ORNL as entrepreneurial researchers to address fundamental energy and manufacturing challenges identified by industry.

The translation of early-stage research and development (R&D) into innovations that drive private sector growth is stifled by lengthy development cycles and insufficient access to capital investment, scientific tools, and technical facilities. The Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs provide resources for researchers to ready their energy and manufacturing technologies for subsequent development in the private sector.

Innovation Crossroads, a two-year post-doctoral research program, provides a home for innovators focusing on energy and manufacturing technologies. At ORNL, the innovators will have access to some of the best scientific resources in the country, as well as scientific and engineering expertise, business mentorship, entrepreneurial training, and introductions to potential partners. Each innovator will also be paired with a doctoral student from the University of Tennessee's Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education for assistance with market research and customer discovery.

The DOE Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs strengthen America's regional innovation ecosystems and are ensuring that taxpayer investments in our national labs support American manufacturing and contribute to the development of regional economies. Innovators inject fresh ideas and innovative approaches into our national laboratories.

Funded with up to $2.5 million, which is subject to appropriations, DOE plans to select up to five post-doctoral innovators to work at Oak Ridge National Lab. Applicants may apply to this merit based opportunity either individually or as a team. However, successful applicants will be selected based on their individual merits. View the solicitation and submission instructions to apply.  

EERE's Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) supports early-stage applied research and development of new materials, information, and processes that improve American manufacturing's energy efficiency, as well as platform technologies for manufacturing clean energy products.