DOE opens 2022 clean technology entrepreneur incubator

The program provides clean technology innovators a two-year paid fellowships and unprecedented access to experts and research infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has opened applications for the 2022 cohort of its Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program.  

Those selected for this program will use access to an extensive network of mentors and research capabilities at U.S. National Laboratories to develop next-generation clean technologies. 

DOE seeks innovators who are developing technologies that enable industrial decarbonization, CO2 capture or utilization, solar energy production, net-zero building construction or operation, or other technology that “supports an equitable transition to a clean, decarbonized economy.”   

The Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program helps clean tech entrepreneurs move their innovations out of the lab and into the commercialization phase.  

The Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program offers: 

  • Two-year paid fellowships: Each fellowship includes a personal living stipend, health insurance stipend, and travel allowance. 

  • National laboratory access and research funding: In addition to access to facilities, equipment, and expertise at a National Laboratory, participants receive research and development funding. 

  • Business mentors, entrepreneurial training, and networking: Successful candidates will have access to experienced business mentorship, entrepreneurial training programs and exclusive networking opportunities. Innovators are also exposed to a wide range of leaders from academia, industry, government and finance that can serve as advisors and partners. 

There are currently four “nodes” involved in the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program. Each node leverages the expertise at its respective lab and the surrounding regional innovation network. While applications are now closed for the Cyclotron Road node—a division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory—you may still apply for the cohorts of the remaining three nodes. To apply for a particular node, check the dates below: 

Chain Reaction Innovations (Argonne National Laboratory; Lemont, IL): Applications due November 30. Informational webinars through November 28

The Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program is primarily funded through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The DOE says entrepreneurs that have participated in the program have collectively attracted nearly $1 billion in follow-on funding for their startups and created 1,000 jobs.