Competition/Prize

Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR)

The goal of the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is to prepare graduate students for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics  careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission, by providing graduate thesis research opportunities at DOE laboratories.  The SCGSR program provides supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students (US citizens or lawful permanent residents) to pursue part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE laboratory/facility in areas that address scientific challenges central to the Office of Science mission. The research opportunity is expected to advance the graduate students’ overall doctoral thesis while providing access to the expertise, resources, and capabilities available at the DOE laboratories/facilities.

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REpowering Schools: Wind Energy Seed Funding

REpowering Schools (REpS) is partnering with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to offer seed-funding up to $6,000 for universities, colleges and community colleges related to wind energy.  Project expenses could include:

  • Research materials and expenses
  • Travel to support research and engagement
  • Supplies or parts for research platforms for courses (such as simple wind tunnels or bench dynamometers for capstone classes)
  • Curricula development
  • Expenses related to the publication of research
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TechConnect Innovation Challenge

Join the world’s largest multi-sector commercialization program for emerging deep technologies. Showcase, pitch and connect your innovations for licensing and investment opportunities with leading corporate, investment and federal prospectors.

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American-Made Net Load Forecasting Prize

The American-Made Net Load Forecasting Prize is open to forecasting industry organizations that cater to utilities, system operators, and power plant owners, as well as academic teams with machine learning capabilities that are interested in forecasting. Competitors are required to submit daily day-ahead probabilistic net load forecasts, with an hourly resolution, over the course of four weeks and across multiple distinct climatic locations in the United States. The Solar Forecast Arbiter will be used to evaluate how well each competitor’s forecasts performed compared to a benchmark forecast. By using the Arbiter for comparing forecast performance, the Prize helps demonstrate the feasibility of fair, transparent, and high-quality evaluations of probabilistic net load forecasts using a publicly available open-source platform.

This prize offers up to $600,000 in cash prizes, with three anticipated winners and three anticipated runners-up.

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R&D for Wastewater Treatment from Oil and Gas Production

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) and the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announced more than $18 million in available funding for research and development projects that focus on the characterization, treatment, and management of produced water—or wastewater associated with oil and natural gas development and production—as well as management of legacy wastewater associated with coal-based thermal electric power generation facilities, primarily coal combustion residuals waste streams. Apply by April 12, 2023.

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SPARK Virginia

SPARK Virginia works to build an innovation cluster creating solutions for the entire value chain – making it safer and easier to build, generate, transmit, and consume nuclear and hydrogen energy in Virginia and beyond. SPARK Virginia kicks off in February 2023 with a set of two public innovation challenges hosted in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas that will award early commercialization grants to inventors and engineers in select hard-tech areas to develop preliminary business models exploring the commercial viability of their technology.

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Tech Connect World Innovation

TechConnect World enables you to connect with the largest science and technology funding in the world. Connect with top scientists, corporate, federal and VC prospectors and interact with research, investments, licensing, and partnering opportunities.

There are two opportunities for startups to be featured at the TechConnect World: Submit a poster by March 31 or submit your innovation by February 24.

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The Liveability Challenge (TLC)

1. Climate Change – We are looking for disruptive innovations that can decarbonise energy generation and industries, as well as capture and utilise carbon to create scalable products for global markets. We also want solutions that address ocean challenges including  innovative models that restore and regenerate coastal and marine ecosystems in Southeast Asia.

2. Food & Nutrition – We are looking for disruptive innovations that can establish a circular urban agriculture or aquaculture system, or alternative protein system.  We are seeking innovative and breakthrough technological solutions to maximise production efficiency and minimise resource requirements.

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Fourth Revolution Awards (Midwest)

The Fourth Revolution Awards celebrates regional manufacturing and hardtech entrepreneurs for their leadership and innovation as the industry stands on the
brink of a new technological revolution. Winners receive:

  • Two 6-month shared workspace memberships to mHUB
  • Recognition to mHUB’s network of more than 50,000 manufacturing and innovation influencers
  • Opportunities to connect with local leadership
  • Local and national visibility
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Buildings Upgrade Prize (Phase 1)

Buildings UP aims to build capacity to rapidly and equitably transform U.S. buildings. Teams will submit innovative concepts to leverage funding to equitably transform a wide variety of buildings across diverse geographies. As teams progress through the prize, they will receive cash prizes and technical assistance to help bring their ideas to life.

In Phase 1: “Concept”, teams may apply to one of two pathways: Equity-Centered Innovation or Open Innovation. Winners of both pathways will be eligible to advance to Phase 2 and access technical assistance.

Equity-Centered Innovation Pathway: Concepts to deliver scalable and replicable upgrades to buildings in disadvantaged communities, low- and moderate-income households, and underserved commercial, nonprofit, and public buildings. Phase 1 Equity-Centered Innovation winners will each receive a $400,000 cash prize.

Open Innovation Pathway: Concepts for replicable and scalable solutions that addresses a geographic area or building type. Phase 1 Open Innovation winners will each receive a $200,000 cash prize.

There is also an Application Support Prize, where up to 50 winning teams will be awarded $5,000 and up to 10 hours of technical support. Applicants are intended to be those who might not otherwise have the staff capacity, time, or expertise to submit a full Phase 1 submission — such as first-time applicants for BTO funding and community-based organizations (CBOs) representing or serving areas with equity-eligible buildings.

 

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Community Power Accelerator Prize (Phase 3)

The American-Made Community Power Accelerator Prize is designed to fast-track the efforts of new, emerging, and expanding solar developers and co-developers to learn, participate, and grow their operations to support multiple successful community solar projectsThe goal of this prize is to grow a robust ecosystem of community solar project developers that incorporate meaningful benefits into projects across the United States.

This prize has three phases: Ready! Set! and Grow! By the end of the prize, competitors will be ready to engage with the Community Power Accelerator online platform, which provides a place for competitors to shop their credit-ready projects around to verified project developers, investors, and philanthropic organizations.

The Community Power Accelerator Prize is open to U.S. community solar developers, including new developers, co-developers (organizations who are partnering with a project developer), or developers who are expanding their community solar operations.

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Community Power Accelerator Prize (Phase 2)

The American-Made Community Power Accelerator Prize is designed to fast-track the efforts of new, emerging, and expanding solar developers and co-developers to learn, participate, and grow their operations to support multiple successful community solar projectsThe goal of this prize is to grow a robust ecosystem of community solar project developers that incorporate meaningful benefits into projects across the United States.

This prize has three phases: Ready! Set! and Grow! By the end of the prize, competitors will be ready to engage with the Community Power Accelerator online platform, which provides a place for competitors to shop their credit-ready projects around to verified project developers, investors, and philanthropic organizations.

The Community Power Accelerator Prize is open to U.S. community solar developers, including new developers, co-developers (organizations who are partnering with a project developer), or developers who are expanding their community solar operations.

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