The Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR), known as “America’s Seed Fund,” provides nondilutive grants to small businesses to help them develop and commercialize technology innovations. The Department of Energy’s SBIR/STTR FY24 Phase II solicitation period closed on March 12, 2024 and award notifications are anticipated around June 10, 2024.

The Clean Energy Business Network is a nationwide nonprofit that serves as the small business voice for the clean energy economy. Our team served a Power Connector on this funding opportunity to help reach new applicants and provide resources and support.

DOE releases SBIR/STTR solicitations twice per year. Learn more below about the FY24 Phase II solicitation, and visit this post to read about SBIR/STTR programs more broadly across all federal agencies, including timelines, topics, technical assistance, and how to apply.

Timeline

FY24 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 2 Timeline:

• • November 6, 2023: Topics Released
  • January 18, 2024:  Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Released
  • February 2, 2024: Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline
  • February 22, 2024: Non-Responsiveness Feedback Provided
  • March 12, 2024: Full Application Deadline
  • June 10, 2024: Award Notification

Registrations:

• If you’re contemplating applying for this or other federal programs in the future, take a few moments to complete a free registration now with SAM, Grants.gov and PAMS to ensure you’re eligible to submit.
  

  Past Events

• November 14 – DOE Webinar for Topics: 1, 10-9 & 23-28 – Recording and Slides
• November 15 – DOE Webinar for Topics : 11-22 – Recording and Slides
• November 16 – DOE Webinar for Topics: 2-8 & 29-30 – Recording and Slides
• December 20 – CEBN “Work and Learn” Session: Preparing your LOI – Recording and Slides
• February 6 & 7 – OpenSeas Lean Start-Up Orientation – Recording
• February 13 & 14 – OpenSeas Creating and Estimating Value – Recording
• February 23 – OpenSeas Outreach to Industry and Stakeholders – Recording
• February 27 & 28 – OpenSeas Commercialization & Funding – Recording
• March 4 – Mastering the SBIR Phase 1 Application Process on your First Try (ADL Ventures) – Recording
• March 6 – Start-up Essentials in the Marine Industry (ADL Ventures) – Recording

Resources

FY24 Phase I Release 2 Information:

• Topics for SBIR/STTR under the FY24 Phase I Release 2 release cover a range of offices and energy technologies.
• The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) details the application process.
• DOE provides Applicant Resources, including lists of required forms, applicant requirement checklists, and required forms. Please note a Disclosure of Foreign Relationships form is now required.
• The Water Power Technologies Office and Solar Energy Technologies Office also have separate pages with resources.

Partnering:

• The SBIR Partnering Platform facilitates partnering between DOE small business applicants and awardees (innovators) and various industry stakeholders (i.e., investors, service providers, utilities, etc.) in their representative ecosystems (partners).
• The Partnering Resources page for the DOE SBIR program also has resources and contacts broken up by needs: manufacturing, engineering design, test/certification, and commercialization services.

Technical Assistance:

• First-time applicants: Apply for free technical assistance from DOE’s Phase 0 Dawnbreaker program starting November 6 to help you prepare a winning application once topics are released. Also access their free tutorials and resources for submitting your SBIR application at any time.
• CEBN: We have been supporting applicants for SBIR/STTR over the past three years. Make sure you’re on our list for updates on office hours, webinars, and other resources.
• ADL Ventures: Sound Proposal Management and Designing your FOA Budget learning modules.
• EFN: Budgeting and writing Technical Volumes learning modules.
• Arrowhead Center Applicant Resources: New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead program has useful resources on SBIR programs at different agencies, including the DOE. View checklists, template forms, and more on the Arrowhead Resources page.
• Local programs: Reach out to your nearest Federal and State (FAST) Partnership Program and other local resources to find out what types of support they offer.