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Energy I-Corps Celebrates 22 Cohorts

In June, Energy I-Corps celebrated its 22nd cohort, bringing the total number of graduated teams to 286! 18 teams from Cohort 22 gathered in Washington, D.C. to share their impactful work with key stakeholders.

Office of Technology Commercialization

July 7, 2026
Estimated Read Time   min

This June marked the completion of the 22nd Energy I-Corps (EIC) cohort, bringing the total number of graduated teams to 286. Now in its 11th year, EIC provides a suite of opportunities for National Laboratory researchers to learn commercialization and entrepreneurial skills and apply these to U.S. Department of Energy-developed (DOE) technologies. This entrepreneurial bootcamp is an immersive two-month training for researchers to assess viable pathways to bring their DOE technology to market.

A group of approximately 45 people pose together on a podium with the Energy I-Corps logo displayed in the background.
18 research teams from 11 National Labs joined Department of Energy leadership in Washington, D.C. to mark the completion of their Energy I-Corps training. Photo courtesy of Charles Watkins, DOE
"I'm a researcher and really on the technical side, [so] thinking about how we can bring this technology to the commercial side is a whole different thing for me," said Gao Liu, a researcher from Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory and Principal Investigator for Team Re.Graphite (Team 284). Liu’s technology aims to revitalize America’s critical supply of graphite, which is in short supply due to a lack of natural reserves. Through an advanced regeneration platform, Re.Graphite focuses on stabilizing spent anode materials, resulting in a domestic and dependable supply source for this critical mineral.
Two blocks of graphite lay on a table in a laboratory setting.
Graphite is a vulnerable critical mineral. Energy I-Corps’ Team Re.Graphite (Team 284) is developing a new technology to revitalize America’s graphite supply. Photo courtesy of Dennis Schroeder, NLR.

Within Cohort 22, 18 teams represented innovations ranging from advanced manufacturing, critical materials, data visualization, cybersecurity, data centers, and artificial intelligence. These groundbreaking technologies sprouted out of 11 National Labs: 

  • Ames National Laboratory (Ames)
  • Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
  • Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
  • National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)
  • National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR)
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
  • Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)

Cohort 22 was supported by eight DOE program offices:

Over the course of two months, each team conducted more than 75 interviews with potential customers and other stakeholders in their ecosystem. In this way, Energy I-Corps combines technical astuteness with the industry knowledge needed to ensure impact and success when bringing a new technology to market. 

Team TLC Carbon Fiber (Team 273) out of Oak Ridge National Laboratory paired Entrepreneurial Lead, Sumit Gupta, who is new to the National Lab environment, with long-standing Principal Investigator and researcher, Robert E (Bob) Norris, who has more than 40 years of lab experience. 

"My partner, Bob, has a lot of experience. However, I'm kind of a newcomer and I'm trying to understand when I'm working in the lab how we are developing the right kinds of scientific impacts,” added Sumit Gupta. “[Energy I-Corps] is a great experience for me to better understand how technology could go from one stage of development in the lab to the application side and then, industry utilization,” said Gupta. 

Two men in business suits stand in front of a poster display.
Bob Norris (left) and Sumit Gupta of Team TLC Carbon Fiber from Oak Ridge National Laboratory share their research findings during the capstone poster session at the Cohort 22 graduation in June 2026. These sessions highlight each team’s real-world market

To mark the completion of the program, Cohort 22 teams gathered in Washington, D.C. with their peers, instructors, and DOE stakeholders, including Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Science Shawn Whitman. The teams’ capstone presentations showcased the impact of the discovery interview process on their commercialization journey. Additionally, each team participated in a poster session to showcase their project and findings, which provided DOE leadership with valuable market insights.

A man stands at a podium on-stage with the U.S. Department of Energy seal displayed.
Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Science Shawn Whitman congratulates program graduates during the Energy I-Corps Cohort 22 graduation in Washington, D.C. Now in its 11th year, Energy I-Corps has celebrated a total of 286 graduated teams. Photo courtes

“A few months ago, you entered this program as experts in your technologies. Today, you leave with a deeper understanding of how to translate that technology into real-world results,” noted Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Science Shawn Whitman. “That combination is incredibly valuable.”

A unique highlight for Cohort 22 teams was a visit to Capitol Hill to share details about their research and experiences in the Energy I-Corps program with U.S. congressional representatives.

Seven individuals from the National Laboratory of the Rockies stand in front of flags.
As a special portion of the Energy I-Corps Cohort 22 graduation, teams gathered in Capitol Hill to share how their research has advanced in market readiness through the EIC program. Photo courtesy of Katie Woslager, NLR.

Learn more about Cohort 22’s projects and technologies. Cohort 22 is joining a select group of EIC alumni. Since 2015, EIC teams have attracted more than $234 million in post-program funding and executed 99 licenses. 

Congratulations to Cohort 22 on all your hard work! 

To explore the Energy I-Corps program, visit our homepage, subscribe to receive OTC email updates, and follow us on X and LinkedIn.

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