The US Department of Transportation welcomes small businesses to participate in the U.S. DOT’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The purpose of this solicitation is to invite small businesses, with their valuable resources and creative capabilities, to submit innovative research ideas and solutions in response to the topics identified by the U.S. DOT as described in Section VIII.

This FOA will support RD&D of affordable hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, as aligned with the vision outlined in DOE’s draft national clean hydrogen strategy and roadmap targeting four topics of interest critical to enabling the use of clean hydrogen across sectors, particularly in medium- and heavy-duty (MD/HD) vehicles and other heavy-duty transportation applications. Topic areas include:

1. Hydrogen Carrier Development
2. Onboard Storage Systems for Liquid Hydrogen
3. Liquid Hydrogen Transfer/Fueling Components and Systems
4. M2FCT: High Performing, Durable Membrane Electrode Assemblies for
   Medium- and Heavy-duty Applications

The Department of Energy’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) announced a $23 million funding opportunity that will establish a regional network of Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) to help industrial facilities and other large energy users increase the adoption of onsite energy technologies.

1. Topic 1 – Regional Onsite TAPs: Funding for up to 10 entities to serve as regional Onsite Energy TAPs. Each TAP will represent a multi-state region and serve as the primary technical, market, and policy point of contact for end-users and other state and local stakeholders.
2. Topic 2 – Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center: Funding for one national entity to serve as the Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center (TASC). The TASC will centrally coordinate technical analysis and programmatic activities of the Onsite Energy TAPs.

The Low-Income Community Solar and Energy Assistance Fellowship offers energy professionals the opportunity to work with state and regional organizations to support the development of the Community Solar Subscription Tool. This tool, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with three pilot regions (District of Columbia, Illinois, New Mexico), aims to make community solar subscriptions that include verified savings and consumer protections more accessible to households participating in government-run low-income support programs, beginning with the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The fellowship will enable talented candidates from diverse backgrounds to spend up to two years working at host organizations in participating pilot regions. Fellows receive a stipend, health benefits, and an educational allowance.

The purpose of this program is to support the creation of good-paying jobs, spur economic revitalization, remediate environmental degradation, and support energy workers located in energy communities. Energy communities are defined as those that have experienced employment loss and/or economic dislocation events as a result of declines in the fossil fuel industry; and/or are disproportionately reliant on fossil fuel energy production or distribution, including coal, oil, gas, and power plants. Supported projects may include the creation or expansion of business(es) that reduce emissions of toxic substances and greenhouse gases from existing and abandoned infrastructure and that prevent environmental damage that harms communities and poses a risk to public health and safety. Supported projects may also employ individuals from energy communities but focus on a range of other industries.

The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

Renewable Energy System Grants range from $2,500 – $1 million. Energy Efficiency Grants range from $1,500 – $500,000.

The DOE SC program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in applications from the scientific community for Climate Resilience Centers (CRCs) that will improve the availability and utility of BER research, data, models, and capabilities to address climate resiliency, particularly by underrepresented or vulnerable communities. CRCs will extend DOE climate science, capabilities, and research by supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), non-R1 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) to address regional resilience needs and impacts on
natural, socioeconomic, and/or built systems and their intersections. CRCs also aim to foster capacity at regional and local scales by connecting with affected communities and stakeholders to translate basic research into actionable science to enhance climate resilience, as well as to identify research priorities for future DOE investments.

The purpose of this program is to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (Centers) that provide technical and business development assistance to Agricultural Producers seeking to engage in developing and marketing of Value-Added Agricultural Products. The maximum grant amount is $1,000,000 and there is a matching funds requirement of one-third.

Grant and matching funds may be used to operate an agriculture innovation center, and to provide the following services to agricultural producers: Business development services; Market development services; Financial advisory services; Process development services; Organizational assistance; Value chain coordination; or Product development.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) manages the DOE’s Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP). The MPP helps increase participation and maximize opportunities for small businesses to work with the Department. The DOE’s MPP seeks to foster long-term business relationships between small businesses and DOE prime contractors and to increase the overall number of small businesses that receive DOE prime contracts and subcontracts.

This program encourages DOE prime contractors to assist small disadvantaged businesses (SDB) certified by SBA under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (8(a)), other small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses (WOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB), historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone) small businesses, historically black colleges and universities (HCBUs), and other minority institutions of higher learning to enhance their capabilities and improve their abilities to perform contracts and subcontracts for the DOE and other federal agencies.

For more information about the DOE’s Mentor-Protégé Program, contact the OSDBU office at 202-586-7377 or by email at SmallBusiness@hq.doe.gov

BioMADE is now accepting submissions for projects that address research and development priorities that will have a direct impact on mitigating the causes and consequences of global climate change. Priority funding areas include:

1. Sustainable food production
2. Converting waste to bioproducts
3. Carbon capture technologies
4. Lowering the resource requirements for processing steps: innovations in scale-up production or downstream processing steps that substantially reduce energy or utility inputs to improve the net sustainability of biomanufacturing
5. Mitigating the impact of climate change: bioproducts useful in mitigating the negative impacts of climate change, either regionally or globally, are encouraged.

BioMADE periodically accepts white paper submissions for projects that contribute to building a sustainable, domestic, end-to-end bioindustrial manufacturing ecosystem. Projects that enable domestic bioindustrial manufacturing, develop technologies to enhance U.S. bioindustrial competitiveness, de-risk investment in relevant infrastructure, and expand the biomanufacturing workforce to realize the economic promise of industrial biotechnology are encouraged. BioMADE also has an Open Project Call, which provides an ongoing path for proposal submissions at any time during the year on any topic. Reach out to proposals@biomade.org with a brief description of your project to schedule a meeting.