DOE is the third largest federal agency participating in SBIR/STTR behind the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). DOE issues about $300M in grants annually – roughly 350-400 Phase I awards and 160-200 Phase II awards. Awards are issued to the highest ranked, most technically meritorious applications.
13 program offices at DOE participate:
- Applied Programs: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy; Electricity; Nuclear Energy; Cybersecurity, Energy Security & Emergency Response; Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
- Office of Science: Advanced Scientific Computing Research; Basic Energy Sciences; Biological & Environmental Research; Fusion Energy Science; High Energy Physics; Nuclear Physics
- Environment Management and Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
At DOE, SBIR/STTR funding takes the form of grants.
Projects must have the potential for commercialization and meet specific DOE mission-specific R&D needs.
DOE releases solicitations twice a year designated as Release 1 and Release 2. Release 1 topics are announced in July and Release 2 topics are announced in November. These solicitations cover more than sixty technical topics and 250 subtopics, spanning research areas that support the DOE mission in: - Energy Production
- Energy Use
- Fundamental Energy Sciences
- Environmental Management
- Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
To learn more about DOE SBIR/STTR programs watch the Overview Presentation. The 3-minute overview quickly captures the purpose of the programs, the technology areas covered, and the grant application process.