The 2023 Conversion Research and Development (R&D) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will accelerate the growth of the bioeconomy by supporting the development of high-impact technologies that convert domestic biomass and waste resources into affordable biofuels and bioproducts through two topic areas:

Topic 1: Overcoming Barriers to Syngas Conversion
Topic 2: Strategic Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to increase the scale and pace of advancing discoveries made while conducting academic research into tangible solutions that benefit the public. This is the primary aim of the “Accelerating Research Translation” (ART) program. Specifically, the primary goals of this program are to build capacity and infrastructure for translational research at U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and to enhance their role in regional innovation ecosystems. In addition, this program seeks to effectively train graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in translational research, benefiting them across a range of career options.

The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI Program) is a new competitive grant program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work – urban and rural areas alike – in addition to along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). CFI Program investments will make modern and sustainable infrastructure accessible to all drivers of electric, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas vehicles. This program provides two funding categories of grants: (1) Community Charging and Fueling Grants (Community Program); and (2) Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program).

Given the pressing need for technologies that are critical for furthering several fields within FECM’s strategic vision (specifically, carbon dioxide removal, hydrogen production with carbon management, mineral sustainability, and methane mitigation), FECM has elected to fund this lab call and associated program. This solicitation offers an opportunity for private industry to partner with DOE’s National Labs to advance energy-related technologies and Lab intellectual property (IP) toward commercialization.

Through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program, NREL offers in-depth technical partnerships that support communities in developing secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable clean energy systems. These partnerships offer teams—composed of local government, community-based organizations, and electric utilities and other key organizations that can represent the community—the chance to work alongside national laboratory staff as they apply robust modeling and analysis tools and conduct hardware-in-the-loop testing of solutions adapted to the community’s unique conditions and contexts. Two to three C2C in-depth partnerships will focus on clean energy topics. There will also be two Energyshed in-depth partnerships: one focused on a rural community and one focused on a metropolitan community.

Are you an entrepreneur looking to scale a transformative climate technology? Are you invested in scaling a solution that brings both climate and social impact? Elemental Excelerator is a leading nonprofit investor focused on scaling climate solutions and social impact for all communities. Elemental provides an initial investment, usually in the form of SAFEs or convertible notes, to help complete specific milestones tied to the program. The priority application deadline is April 14 and applications will be accepted through May 31, 2023.

Through this FOA, DOE makes available up to $820 million of federal funding at a maximum of 70% federal cost share for up to ten (10) carbon capture large-scale pilot projects designed to further the development of transformational technologies that capture carbon emissions from existing coal or natural gas electric generation facilities and existing industrial facilities not purposed for electric generation. These carbon capture large-scale pilot projects must be integrated with commercial plant operations and conducted in the United States. DOE may issue additional carbon capture large-scale pilot FOAs in the future. Using multiple FOAs can help enable the validation of transformational carbon capture technologies with different maturation timelines in a large-scale pilot project once they reach the appropriate technology readiness level.

This FOA makes available up to $1,700,000,000 for approximately 6 projects at up to a 50% federal cost share. Proposed projects must demonstrate as part of the application and during the award at least 90% CO₂ capture efficiency over baseline emissions and a path to achieve even greater CO₂ capture efficiencies for power and industrial operations. Note that if the carbon capture project includes a new, on-site auxiliary system to generate power or steam for its operation, it may need to include CO₂ capture, compression, and storage from the auxiliary system if needed to achieve the minimum unit-wide 90% CO₂ capture inclusive of the power industrial facility all new systems or processes associated with the CCS project.

The REMADE Institute is seeking technology proposals for research, development and demonstration (RD&D) projects that develop and demonstrate tools and technologies consistent with REMADE’s goals to reduce energy and emissions; achieve better than cost and energy parity; and promote the widespread application of new enabling technologies across multiple industries. RD&D projects must align with one or more of the Institute’s focus areas: systems analysis and integration; design for reuse, remanufacturing, recovery and recycling (design for Re-X); manufacturing materials optimization; remanufacturing; and/or recovery and recycling.

LaunchTN is a public-private partnership with a vision to make Tennessee the most startup-friendly state in the nation. We empower Network Partners and other stakeholders by making resources accessible in order to activate sustainable economic growth in Tennessee. Our aim is to stimulate the statewide economy by facilitating capital formation, market building and nurturing Tennessee’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

LaunchTN is joining the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) as applicants to the reauthorized State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Program. There will be $70 million administered by LaunchTN for equity investments through InvestTN (formerly referenced as the BuildTN Fund).

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program will provide financial investment, technical assistance, and other resources to advance clean energy demonstrations and energy solutions in rural and remote areas that can be replicated and scaled. There are two topic areas: Community-Scale Demonstrations and Large-Scale Demonstrations.

The $15 million Energizing Rural Communities Prize challenges individuals and organizations to develop partnership plans or innovative financing strategies to help rural or remote communities improve their energy systems and advance clean energy demonstration projects. The Energizing Rural Communities Prize has two tracks, both following a two-phase timeline:

• The Partner track—with a $10 million cash prize pool—will support plans to connect rural or remote communities to government funding, technical assistance, or a network of partners that can help implement clean energy demonstration projects.
• The Finance track—with a $5 million cash prize pool—will support plans to access capital or to develop community ownership models to help finance clean energy demonstration projects in rural or remote areas.