Economic Development

Cultivating a Community of Innovation

ORNL’s Economic Development team connects local, state, and national partners to ORNL technologies and know-how, creating new companies, high-tech jobs, and strong communities.

Six people wearing hard hats and high-visibility vests stand among concrete structures at a construction site, with a red crane behind them.
ORNL Industrial and Economic Development Manager Jesse Smith, right, leads a tour of the finer points of 3D printing techniques with potential industry partners following a Knoxville Chamber event.

IRIS Grant Program

The Innovation & Research for Industry Success (IRIS) grant program aims to lower the barrier for companies to pilot innovative technologies and pursue new discoveries within the state, while also demonstrating the strength of Tennessee’s research capabilities and fostering long-term corporate investment in the state’s innovation ecosystem.

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Economic Impact

ORNL operates at the center of the nation’s innovation ecosystem by translating federal research investment into scientific breakthroughs, technology commercialization, workforce development, and industry partnerships that strengthen productivity and contribute directly to long-term US economic growth.

In fiscal year 2025, the laboratory created an economic output of $6.6 billion across the United States.

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Parans Paranthaman and Jayanthi Kumar perform direct lithium extraction from brine samples in a laboratory in Building 4100 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.