In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to build the American economy back better, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a plan to provide $37 million for small businesses pursuing climate and energy research and development (R&D) projects as well the development of advanced scientific instrumentation through a funding opportunity announcement (FOA). The projects typically range from atmospheric science and critical materials to quantum information sciences and accelerator technologies.
"Through this program, DOE is supporting small businesses with seed money they desperately need to develop and deploy science and energy solutions that will help create jobs and further scientific discovery," said Dr. Steve Binkley, Acting Director of DOE's Office of Science. "Investing directly in small businesses, including diverse entrepreneurs, will foster creative ideas that will transform our nation."
Small businesses are the backbones of our communities and neighborhoods, making up 99% of all firms in the U.S. and creating two out of every three new jobs in the private sector.
This funding will be administered by DOE's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, which were established to encourage participation of diverse communities in technological innovation, as well as to increase technology transfer between research institutions and small businesses.
The SBIR and STTR programs fund a diverse portfolio of startups and small businesses across technology areas and markets to stimulate technological breakthroughs, meet Federal research and development (R&D) needs, and increase commercialization to transition R&D into impact.
Previous SBIR and STTR awardees have developed technologies that enable a self-healing internet, improve nanoscale materials characterization, miniaturize DNA diagnostic tools, and enhance data center performance through robotic fiber optic interconnects.
This funding opportunity is open to small businesses that seek initial SBIR or STTR grants to establish proof of concept of their proposed innovations. Awardees will be eligible to compete for future funding to develop working prototypes of their discoveries. This is the first of four SBIR/STTR funding opportunity announcements for FY 2022.