Administered and managed by OTT, this summer-long program matches students with technologies and mentors from DOE’s National Labs to develop strategies for commercialization.

• Interns will earn $850 per week and no relocation is required. 
• Students will learn about cutting edge technologies in fields spanning machine learning and artificial intelligence, computing, data science, biofuels, energy, materials and more.
• While working with the National Labs, the students also undergo intensive training in commercialization through an Energy I-Corps curriculum.
• At the end of the summer, students will travel to a National Lab to present their individual work, which will be judged by a panel of technology commercialization experts. Travel arrangements and reimbursement will be provided.
• The program benefits students by enhancing their education, training them in entrepreneurship and energy technology related fields, and increasing their future marketability in these disciplines.
• OTT strongly believes in a diverse workforce for the next generation of technology commercialization professionals and therefore encourages students from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Applications are now closed for the Summer 2023 internship. Stay tuned for more information on future cohorts when applicants will be asked to submit a resume, transcript, recommendation, and answers to the following program-specific questions: 

• Goals: Describe your personal, educational, and professional goals and interests and explain how this opportunity may enable you to achieve those. Describe any experiences or situations that you feel have influenced your interest.
• Skills: List your professional/technical skills and abilities that are relevant to this opportunity, including knowledge/skills related to specialized laboratory equipment or techniques, computer hardware, software, or computer languages and/or applications.
• Professional Experience: Detail any research, technical and/or professional experience that was focused on technology development, technology commercialization, and/or entrepreneurship.
• Personal Experience: Tell us about how your life’s experiences and beliefs, background, and interests have shaped who you are, led you to your current academic/career path, and contributed to a unique perspective for impacting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in technology commercialization. 

OTT recognizes that diversity is a critical element in the development and advancement of new concepts and ideas, and that students’ potential for success goes beyond academic background and experiences. As part of the next generation of thought leaders and researchers, interns will have a unique opportunity to influence the impact of technology commercialization may have in our nation.

The 2022 program welcomed 19 students from various backgrounds, universities, geographical locations, and majors across the United States. Over 60% of the interns represented disadvantaged communities. Within a month of program completion, nearly 20% of the interns received internship extensions or offers, and another 15% of interns are in process of receiving offers from Labs. Furthermore, six of the interns expect to participate in the 2023 EnergyTech University Prize to continue their energy entrepreneurship journey.

"I learned a great deal about the necessity that a product or service meet a real and established need in order to create a viable business, and I learned a great deal about performing market research, networking, and developing the interpersonal skills and relationships necessary to help a budding business find success." – Brett Reamon 

"Energy I-Corps taught me some important things to consider when thinking about commercializing a product and the detailed ways to build an efficient business ecosystem. With this course, I was able to apply it to the multiple projects I worked on allowing me to become more comfortable and familiar with the process." – Kadijat Alakiu 

"I learned so much about entrepreneurship via the Energy I-Corps curriculum as well as the fireside chats. I think the main takeaway that I got was that to understand your market, you really need to go out and see what problems potential customers are having. That is the only way to know for sure if your product really is going to be desirable and useful." – William Rong