Entrepreneurial Training Program

September 24, 2026

Purpose

Since 2017, Brookhaven’s Office of Technology Transfer, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, has offered entrepreneurial training programs that help scientists and engineers explore the real-world potential of their research. Participants gain practical skills in customer discovery, stakeholder engagement, and communicating the value of their technologies, preparing them for future innovation and commercialization opportunities.

The workshop will be facilitated by FedTech, a deep-tech accelerator whose clients include the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, NASA, BARDA, NIST, universities, and corporations. Through a two-day, on-site workshop and four weeks of coaching, participants will connect with industry partners and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges involved in translating laboratory innovations into impact.

Why Attend?

Learn how to:

  • Identify who could benefit most from your technology and why.
  • Speak with potential customers to understand their real-world needs and challenges.
  • Articulate what makes your technology valuable compared with existing solutions.
  • Use customer feedback to identify where your technology has the strongest market potential.

Each participant will receive a $1,000 award to cover their time in the program.

Who Should Attend?

Scientists and engineers, including those conducting applied research, who are interested in exploring how their research ideas could become real-world products or applications. Participants will learn about the commercialization process and assess the market potential of their innovations.

Program Highlights

  • Two-day, on-site workshop: October 28–29, 2026
    Interactive lectures and breakout sessions will help participants frame value propositions and validate key assumptions through stakeholder discovery. Participants are strongly encouraged, though not required, to bring a product or application idea to explore; ideas at the concept stage are welcome. Up to five participant ideas will be selected for in-depth vetting during the workshop.
  • Weekly 30-minute coaching sessions: November 9, November 16, November 30, and December 7, 2026
    FedTech facilitators will support participants as they conduct market research and stakeholder interviews and provide pitch coaching in preparation for the final pitch event.
  • Pitch event: December 18, 2026
    The participant with the top idea validated through the program will receive $50,000 in technology maturation funding to further develop their innovation.

Participant Commitment

Participants are expected to:

  • Attend the two-day workshop on October 28–29, 2026.
  • Conduct stakeholder interviews and develop a pitch for either their own idea or another participant’s idea during the weeks of November 9 through December 7, 2026, requiring approximately one to two hours per week.
  • Work collaboratively in a team setting and incorporate feedback from facilitators to refine the concept.
  • Attend and present at the Brookhaven pitch event on December 18, 2026, requiring approximately one hour.

Course Facilitators

To Apply

To apply or for more information, contact Poornima Upadhya, pupadhya@bnl.gov, (631) 344-4711

Attendance is limited (maximum participants 20) and only a maximum of five top ideas (4 participants per team) will be included for the program.  Please call and apply soon.

The workshop is funded by the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) at the U.S. Department of Energy.  The primary goal of the workshop is to provide researchers with a lite entrepreneurship training program that includes training, individualized mentorship, an opportunity to participate in Energy iCorps and enhance commercial impact.

Energy I-Corps is a key initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), which sends teams of researchers and industry mentors through an immersive two-month training where the researchers define technology value propositions, conduct stakeholder discovery interviews, and develop viable market pathways for their technologies.

Researchers return to the lab with a framework for industry engagement to guide future research and inform a culture of market awareness within the labs. In this way, OTC's Energy I-Corps Program is ensuring our investment in the national labs maintains and strengthens long-term U.S. competitiveness.

2026-23177  |  INT/EXT  |  Newsroom