Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will join U.S. Senator Richard Durbin and officials from Argonne and the University of Chicago on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, to announce the first cohort of innovators to participate in Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the Midwest’s first entrepreneurship program to embed innovators in a national laboratory.

The announcement is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Central Time at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Live online access is available via Argonne’s Livestream channel.

Joining Moniz and Durbin in giving remarks will be: University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer; Eric D. Isaacs, Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation and National Laboratories, University of Chicago; and Argonne Deputy Laboratory Director and Chief Operations Officer Paul Kearns.

Innovators from four states — Colorado, North Dakota, Indiana and Ohio — have been selected to embed at Argonne for two years to access the lab’s scientific expertise, world-class facilities and mentorship in developing their innovative technologies. The cohort will also receive mentoring from two prestigious universities, which will be announced Tuesday, and will also gain access to the broader Midwest innovation ecosystem.