Early-Stage Technology R&D (approx. TRL 1-5)
Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics
The Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics program (MFS-SPEED) is a cross-directorate funding call in response to The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 and the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. It is supported by the NSF Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), and five industry partners: Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, BASF, Dow, and IBM. The goal of MFS-SPEED is to support fundamental research enabling the accelerated discovery and ultimate manufacturing of sustainable polymers using state-of-the-art data science, and to enhance development of a cross-disciplinary workforce skilled in this area. In particular, through this solicitation the research community is encouraged to address the discovery and elaboration of new sustainable polymers or sustainable pathways to existing polymers by the creation and use of a data-centric environment where research projects are: (1) focused on new approaches to predicting structure and properties of polymers and advanced soft materials, (2) with insights enabled by data analytics including Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning; (3) This includes more efficient, scalable preparation of monomers and polymers using existing or new synthetic routes (4) and this call aims to train a technical workforce that leverages data analytics to create sustainable polymers and soft materials. Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics (MFS-SPEED,) research grants – Awards will be supported in FY24/25 up to $2M per award for up to a three-year grant period, commensurate with the scope and team size. This program seeks to fund collaborative team research that transcends the traditional boundaries of individual disciplines to achieve the program goals.
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Advancing Technology Development for Securing a Domestic Supply of Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM)
The overall objectives of this FOA is to (1) continue to advance Critical Minerals and Materials technology development, not only in the area of new advanced recovery concepts, but also to (2) expand and improve process systems development, optimization, and efficiency, to (3) improve Critical Minerals and Materials process system economic feasibility and align production costs with existing market sectors, and to (4) produce CMM from multiple, diverse feedstocks including recycled materials. Modification 000001: The purpose of this modification is to include 2024 Revisions to Title 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and update technical language concerning Area of Interest 1.
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FLIPspace: Advanced Mobility Arkansas
FLIPspace: Advanced Mobility Arkansas offers a unique opportunity to transform transportation across the state by tapping into the power of federal intellectual property (IP). With exclusive access to innovative technologies and patents sourced from federal research labs across the U.S., you’ll work alongside other passionate innovators to solve real transportation challenges—whether that is designing reliable options for rural communities, creating eco-friendly solutions to cut emissions, or reimagining how people and goods move across urban and remote areas. FLIPspace is a seven-month program tailored for Arkansas-based postgraduates, faculty, university staff, and administrators who are driven to make an impact. You don’t need a technical background in advanced mobility—just curiosity and a willingness to tackle real-world problems. Apply solo or with colleagues, and you’ll be matched with other dedicated participants to form a three-person team.
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NAIRR Pilot Resource Requests to Advance AI Research
In the NAIRR Pilot, the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and numerous private and non-profit sector partners are providing an opportunity for the research community to request access to a set of computing, model, platform and educational resources for projects related to advancing AI research. This call for proposals will be open from May 6, 2024, until the end of the NAIRR Pilot program or until all resources have been committed to projects. Projects will be awarded for twelve (12) months duration.
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Pitch Competition – NREL 2025 Industry Growth Forum (IGF)
The IGF builds on decades of technical expertise and market analysis accumulated at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the nation’s only federal lab dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency research. We are strongly committed to our mission of connecting cutting-edge startups with motivated investors. Presenting companies are chosen from applicants vetted by a selection committee of more than 150 climate tech and cleantech investors and industry experts. This rigorous screening process provides beneficial feedback to startups that apply. The top 40 companies are invited to present.
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Breakthrough Energy Fellows
Hailing from around the world, BE Fellows are focused on technologies that have the potential to reduce greenhouse gases, at scale, by at least 500 million tons per year. Technologies supported to date include high-impact areas such as hydrogen, electrofuels, steel, cement, food and agriculture, energy storage, nuclear fusion, carbon dioxide capture, storage and sequestration. The Breakthrough Energy Fellows program has three pathways, defined as follows:
- Innovator Fellows are world-leading scientists and engineers who enter the program with a critical climate technology to commercialize.
- Business Fellows are experienced professionals with tech commercialization skills who support the Innovator Fellows in accelerating their path to market.
- Explorers receive funding for earlier stage, higher technical risk endeavors. These projects are typically led by scientists at university labs or research entities.
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The Deployment Engine
Connecting breakthrough building decarbonization technologies with industry experts and end-users to accelerate market adoption in Appalachia. Our priority is matching startups with the industry expertise and guidance they need from mentors, not their flashy corporate logos. We focus on maximizing alignment, skills, and network depth to provide exceptional mentorship during our programming and beyond for a people first approach to decarbonization.
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Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy (IGNIITE) 2025
The Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy (IGNIITE) 2025 program is designed to support a new cohort of early-career innovators to develop the most disruptive and unconventional ideas into transformative new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications. This announcement is purposefully broad in technical scope, but eligibility is limited to early-career researchers. In addition to research efforts, awardees will engage with ARPA-E and fellow awardees through dedicated IGNIITE events, meetings, and mentorship activities. Submissions to this solicitation must propose transformational R&D that has the potential for high impact. If successful, a project could create a new class or new trajectory for an energy technology, with the potential to substantially contribute to ARPA-E’s statutory goals. Awards under this program may take the form of exploratory research that provides the agency with information useful for the subsequent development of focused technology programs. Alternatively, awards may support proof-of-concept research for a particular new technology in an area not currently supported by the agency.
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National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) Advanced Packaging Research and Development
The NAPMP seeks to drive U.S. leadership in advanced packaging and provide the technology and skilled workforce needed for packaging manufacturing in the United States. Within a decade, NAPMP-funded activities, coupled with CHIPS manufacturing incentives, will establish a vibrant, self sustaining, profitable, domestic advanced packaging industry where advanced-node chips manufactured in the United States and abroad can be packaged in appropriate volumes within the United States and innovative designs and architectures are enabled through leading-edge packaging capabilities. In combination with other CHIPS for America education and workforce efforts, NAPMP-funded activities will produce the diverse and capable workforce needed for the success of the domestic packaging sector. The objective of this NOFO is to enable, through R&D, innovative new advanced packaging flows suitable for adoption by U.S. industry
*Full applications will be due 60 days from the date of invitation.
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PowerNorth Incubator (Minnesota)
Are you an innovator? Do you have an emerging business or solution related to energy, climate, sustainability, or cleantech? Are you ready to take your innovation or business to the next level? The PowerNorth Virtual Incubator is a 10-week program tailored for early-stage energy and cleantech entrepreneurs in Minnesota.
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Innovation Crossroads (Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program)
Innovation Crossroads, a Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, Building Technologies Office, Office of Electricity, Office of Science Advanced Scientific Computing Research program, and the Tennessee Valley Authority that leverages Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s unique scientific resources and capabilities and connects the nation’s top innovators with experts, mentors, and networks in technology-related fields to take world-changing ideas from research and development to the marketplace.
Innovation Crossroads is a two-year program for fellows focusing on energy and advanced manufacturing technologies. Through an annual national call and competitive stage-gate process, top entrepreneurial-minded fellows are selected to join the program. Selected innovators receive a fellowship that includes a personal living stipend, along with health insurance and travel allowance, a substantial grant to use on collaborative R&D at ORNL, and comprehensive mentoring assistance to build a sustainable business model.
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West Gate (Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program)
The West Gate Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program offers promising entrepreneurs a career-changing opportunity to access NREL’s expertise and capabilities to speed the development of their startup’s core technologies. Aspiring entrepreneurs aim to tackle the world’s greatest challenges of fostering clean energy. Selected innovators’ core technologies align with NREL’s research mission to advance energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and renewable power to optimize energy systems.
West Gate embeds innovators at NREL and pairs them with scientists who specialize in the innovators’ technology areas. Throughout the program’s 2-year runway, innovators work with scientists in NREL’s world-class laboratories to de-risk their technologies, ready them for market, and grow their startup companies.
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