New relationship between North Central and Argonne promotes sustainable technology innovation

North Central College and Argonne National Laboratory have entered into a memorandum of understanding that enables both entities to work together to encourage and promote energy and sustainability technology innovations in Chicago and surrounding areas.

The cooperation will be carried out through ConVerge, the branded name for North Central College’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Argonne’s Chain Reaction Innovators, an incubator-like program within its facility.

“Collaboration between Argonne’s Chain Reaction Innovators and North Central College’s business accelerator ConVerge will support new venture creation and implementation activities that will make change work throughout the region,” said Martha Carney, executive director of ConVerge. “We are honored that the College and its newly dedicated Dr. Myron Wentz Science Center are part of the regional ecosystem that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Participants plan to develop mechanisms and processes to promote research and academic exchange, enabling a regional ecosystem to support growth of innovation and entrepreneurship in the hard sciences.

“Argonne is excited to build strong relationships with North Central College’s entrepreneurial programs, such as ConVerge, and its new Wentz Science Center to help further the science-based entrepreneurship focus in the region,” said John Carlisle, interim director of Chain Reaction Innovations. “Both North Central College and Chain Reaction Innovations have goals of increasing the economic impact that innovators and disruptive technology can have on the region.”

Planned cooperation also includes opportunities for mentoring and workshops; outreach activities to promote entrepreneurship; STEM resources and energy research; meetings and/or conferences to discuss specific technical topics and cooperative activities; and exchange of published scientific and technical information and more.