Introducing Activate: Expanding Cyclotron Road’s model

An Open Letter from Ilan Gur

Friends and colleagues,

Over the last five years, Cyclotron Road has paved a new path for our brightest scientists and engineers to transform their ideas into world-changing products. 

Today, I’m excited to introduce Activate, an independent non-profit that is scaling the Cyclotron Road fellowship model to support a greater number of innovators around the world. I recently joined Activate as CEO to lead this expansion.

As a first step, Activate is launching a new fellowship site for entrepreneurial scientists and engineers in Boston, MA starting this fall. Activate Fellows in Boston will be supported by local experts and research partners while benefiting from all of the activities, insights, and infrastructure we’ve built at Cyclotron Road over the years. I’m proud to share that MIT Lincoln Lab will serve as an anchor partner for this new site.

We see this as just the beginning. Activate’s vision is to support hundreds of new fellows each year — scientists and engineers attacking the most pressing challenges of our time. In doing so, we aim to build a community of technology leaders who will improve how science serves society.  

This vision would not be possible without Berkeley Lab and DOE’s leadership in establishing Cyclotron Road, along with a multi-year partnership that allowed Activate to develop our fellowship model with an eye toward broader impact. We are also indebted to a committed and growing set of partners, including some of the world’s leading corporations, philanthropies, and government innovation agencies.

It’s been amazing to see Cyclotron Road take root and flourish with the help of this community. I invite you to stay engaged as we embark on this new journey. If you know someone who would benefit from the support of our fellowship, please refer them to us using this form or simply send them to Activate.org. 

Onward!

Ilan Gur
CEO, Activate

In Summary:

• Activate is scaling the Cyclotron Road fellowship model to support a greater number of innovators around the world to create the Activate Fellowship.

• We are excited to introduce a new fellowship location in Boston, MA, with MIT Lincoln Lab as an anchor partner.

• Activate will continue to support Cyclotron Road in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.