Argonne, Fermi National Labs Launch Inaugural Business Fair

More than 140 people from 90 local companies gathered at Argonne National Laboratory on Wednesday for the inaugural joint-business fair, "Doing Business with Argonne and Fermi National Laboratories.

The event,held at Argonne’s Theory and Computing Science Center, offered local small businesses and start-up firms an opportunity to learn about potential partnerships with the two national laboratories’ procurement groups, technology development and commercialization groups, user facility staffs and small business support staff, organizers said.

The fair was attended by Congressmen Dan Lipinski (IL-3) and Bill Foster (IL-11), whose districts include Argonne, and Congressman Randy Hultgren (IL-14), who represents Fermilab.
 
"As a senior Democrat on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the ranking member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, I am committed to strengthening these research labs and making them even stronger economic engines for the area," Lipinski said in a statement. “Unfortunately, not many people know about the business opportunities at these labs. I am hopeful that events such as this will help small business owners and start-up companies learn more about the wide array of opportunities available at both facilities. 

"Our national labs play an essential role in fulfilling the country’s science and research needs, but they can only be successful by having strong relationships with local businesses," Lipinski added.

The workshop and similar events in the future will increase awareness of the Argonne and Fermilab resources available to local entrepreneurs as they launch new products. Meanwhile, these events would also allow the labs to expand on the roughly $200 million they invest each year on contracts for goods and services from area businesses, spurring economic growth and generating new jobs in the surrounding communities. 

“The labs have not fully tapped their potential to galvanize their local economies,” U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a statement. “The labs have world-class experimental facilities and personnel that foster new technologies and can lead to new industries and new jobs.” 

Sessions held throughout the day focused on procurement, technology development, and commercialization.