The FY25 Spring Energy I-Corps program continues to offer Topic 1: Pipeline Development and Topic 3: Post Energy I-Corps, in addition to the historically-offered immersive Topic 2 training curriculum.
Under Topic 1, DOE National Labs, Plants, and Sites proposed projects aimed at increasing their researchers' participation in future training cohorts. Under Topic 3, researchers applied for additional assistance to aid their DOE technology’s next step toward commercialization.
Find information about selected teams and technologies for Topic 2: Training Cohort 20.
Topic 1: Pipeline Development
Three projects were selected for FY25 Spring Topic 1. The selected projects will provide entrepreneurial training to more than 150 researchers from three DOE National Laboratories. In addition to entrepreneurial training, this year’s projects include compiling and evaluating commercializable technologies and offering lab researchers mentoring from Energy I-Corps Topic 2 alumni.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will develop Waveguide, a program to build a sustainable pathway for Energy I-Corps participation at the lab.
Funded by the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT).
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will develop Entrepreneurship in Action, a program to learn about and celebrate commercialization and innovation at the lab.
Funded by the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office.
Los Alamos National Laboratory will host an Energy I-Corps Lite Program and implement an accelerated, shortened entrepreneurial training called EIC Sprint.
Co-funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration and OTT.
Topic 3: Post Energy I-Corps
Topic 3 supports the advancement of technologies that researchers took through the Topic 2 training program and have demonstrated a high likelihood of commercialization. The funds are intended to cover costs of the next actionable step in their commercialization journey and to help awardees reach their next source of more substantive funding.
One team from Ames National Laboratory was selected for this topic:
A graduate of the U.S. National Science Foundation I-Corps 2023 Summer Cohort #2, this team developed a single-step process to manufacture low-carbon, cost-competitive diesel fuel by utilizing mixed waste plastics as feedstock.
The Topic 3 project funds two pilot deployments with potential customers. The data generated will validate the economic and environmental analysis as well as the business model for this technology.