Great Lakes RENEW scales lab to accelerate commercialization of water solutions

Early-stage water technology startups will have new access to specialized laboratory space, equipment, and commercialization resources through a new partnership announced today between the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub.

The Great Lakes RENEW Scaling Lab will provide selected water technology startups with nine months of discounted laboratory and office space at the UChicago Science Incubator at Hyde Park Labs, access to more than $2.5 million in existing equipment, and connections to the technical, entrepreneurial, and commercialization networks of the Polsky Center and Great Lakes RENEW.

The program is designed for early-stage water technology companies who are looking for specialized lab space and equipment to advance their technologies. Up to five startups will be selected for the inaugural cohort, with applications closing on November 13, 2026.

“Access to affordable, specialized laboratory space and equipment remains a significant barrier for technology startups,” said Samir Mayekar, managing director of the Polsky Center. “This program is designed to lower that barrier by connecting water entrepreneurs with the facilities and resources they need to move promising technologies toward the market. By helping founders build and scale their companies in Chicago, this collaboration can accelerate solutions to some of our most urgent water challenges.”

The gap in cost for wet labs that water entrepreneurs face compared to other sectors, such as life sciences, is large, but we can overcome it.

Prof. Junhong Chen

Selected companies will be accepted as members of the UChicago Science Incubator and also receive a 20% discount on laboratory benches and office space at the incubator, a 22,000-square-foot innovation facility in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Companies will have access to the incubator’s shared laboratory infrastructure and more than $2.5 million in existing equipment for technology development.

This program will also give selected founders an opportunity to help shape up to $2 million in future equipment acquisitions based on the needs of the cohort. This flexibility is intended to help ensure that the facilities can support the specialized requirements of emerging water technologies as they move toward commercialization.

Participants will also benefit from office amenities at the UChicago Science Incubator and Hyde Park Labs, as well as a network of Polsky Center and University of Chicago office spaces in San Francisco, Paris, London, and New Delhi. 

“Our region generates about 23% of U.S. patents on water technologies, yet captures only about 4% of national venture capital in the sector,” said Alaina Harkness, chief executive officer of Current and principal investigator for Great Lakes RENEW. “The Great Lakes have the innovation. This program joins a growing suite of specialized commercialization support through Great Lakes RENEW designed to help turn that innovation into market-ready technologies and economic value here in our region.”

Beyond the physical space, participants will also tap into the combined networks and commercialization resources of Great Lakes RENEW and the Polsky Center, including their networks of mentors, university partnerships, national laboratories, industry partners, pilot opportunities, and other entrepreneurs. Events, programming, and mentorship will provide technical expertise, roadmapping assistance, market research, and commercialization support.

By locating companies together at Hyde Park Labs, the RENEW Scaling Lab will also foster a community of water innovators and increase their visibility among investors, corporate partners, and state and federal leaders.

The application is now live and closes on November 13, 2026. Selected companies will align with the Great Lakes RENEW priorities around circularity, including the material science required to recover critical minerals from waste water, eliminate harmful contaminants from drinking water sources, and other forms of waste-to-wealth innovation.

“The gap in cost for wet labs that water entrepreneurs face compared to other sectors, such as life sciences, is large, but we can overcome it,” said Junhong Chen, co-principal investigator of Great Lakes RENEW, professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and lead water strategist at Argonne National Laboratory.

Funding for the program blends support from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s GO Bond program and the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement No. 2315268.