Aspiring entrepreneurs aim to tackle the world’s greatest energy challenges. Selected innovators’ core technologies align with NREL’s research mission of leading research, innovation, and strategic partnerships to deliver integrated solutions for an affordable and secure energy future.

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.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced $3.7 million is now available to support hydrogen fuel cell-based design for power generation and industrial process in two phases. The funding will advance innovative hydrogen fuel cell-based solutions for dispatchable zero-emission peaking power plants or to support industrial manufacturing processes in New York State.

The Maine Governor’s Energy Office is seeking applications to test innovative BlueTech and monitoring approaches, leveraging the unique opportunity of a deployed floating offshore wind turbine in state waters. Innovations will inform responsible floating offshore wind and coexistence with existing ocean users, support U.S. BlueTech supply chain and workforce development, and reduce costs for a domestic energy source.

The DOE SC program in Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) hereby announces its interest in receiving proposals from eligible DOE National Laboratories to establish an integrated team to lead the development and deployment of The American Science Cloud (AmSC)…These AI Model teams are expected to span at least the areas described in Section 50404 of the OBBB Act: discovery science and engineering accelerating innovation in next-generation microelectronics and new energy technologies.

The Climatetech Testing and Demonstration Assets (TDA) Program provides capital grants between $1.5M and $5M to Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) in Massachusetts to develop shared infrastructure, equipment, and other capital assets that advance climatetech R&D, innovation, manufacturing, commercialization, and deployment in the state.

The program focuses on bridging gaps in the state’s climatetech ecosystem—from testing and demonstration capacity to market access—to improve the rate of commercialization, ensure long-term economic growth, and strengthen Massachusetts’ position as a leader in climatetech innovation. TDA is MassCEC’s first program launched under the Mass Leads Act (2024) and supports the goals outlined in the Massachusetts Climatetech Economic Development Strategy and Implementation Plan (2025).

Hydropower provides Americans with reliable, affordable, and secure electricity and storage. The industry creates jobs in communities across the country, but nearly a quarter of the current U.S. hydropower workforce is eligible or approaching eligibility for retirement.

Launched in 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office’s (WPTO’s) Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC) invites interdisciplinary teams of postsecondary, undergraduate, and graduate students from a variety of academic programs to solve complex hydropower challenges. Through the competition, WPTO intends to offer students direct industry experience, valuable exposure to hydropower career pathways, and greater knowledge of hydropower’s potential to contribute to a reliable and affordable energy future.

The Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC) invites interdisciplinary teams of postsecondary, undergraduate, and graduate students from a variety of academic programs to solve marine energy challenges in the blue economy. Through the competition, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies OfficeU.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) hopes to inspire students to innovate in and accelerate the emerging marine energy industry. The competition will enable students to network with marine energy professionals, learn about marine energy careers, develop professional skills, and gain insights into marine energy’s potential to contribute to a reliable and affordable energy future.

The Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) program supports research to increase our understanding of the behavior of atmospheric regions from the middle atmosphere upward through the thermosphere and ionosphere into the exosphere. Projects explore coupling, energetics, chemistry, and dynamics on regional and global scales. The research topics include investigations of upper atmosphere responses due to a) processes driven by the lower atmospheric perturbations and (b) solar radiation and particle inputs from above

The ROCKS program seeks technologies that improve the characterization of critical mineral resources, with an emphasis on REEs. Technologies of interest are grouped into three main categories: (1) drilling technology to increase penetration rates and core recovery; (2) sensing and analysis technologies to provide higher-resolution mineralogical and geochemical information, in situ or at a distance; and (3) other unique concepts that disrupt the current state of resource characterization for hard rock settings as well as REE-enriched clays, placer deposits, and seafloor resources. Apply by September 25th.

The objective of the Magnetic Acceleration Generating New Innovations and Tactical Outcomes SBIR/STTR (MAGNITO SBIR/STTR) program is to support the discovery, synthesis, and characterization of new, more powerful magnets with either a saturation magnetization or maximum energy product higher than that of any known material. This entails finding entirely new physics, chemistries, and structure for ultra-powerful soft and/or hard magnets. The discovery of Nd2Fe14B, with its complex structural chemistry and extraordinary properties, suggests that other complex magnetic materials with three or more distinct elements, and similar chemical and structural features, are waiting to be discovered.

The FY 25 competition is now open. Approximately $9.5M in competitive funding is available under this opportunity for eligible applicants seeking funding for eligible project activities identified in the NOFO. The application period is open until October 6, 2025, and can be found on www.grants.gov under opportunity number EPA-OW-OGWDW-25-01, assistance listing number 66.488. Applicants will have 60 days to apply.

The USDA SBIR/STTR programs focus on transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial potential and/or societal benefit. Unlike fundamental research, the USDA SBIR/STTR programs support small businesses in the creation of innovative, and/or disruptive technologies and enable application of research advancements from conception into the market. The STTR program aims to foster technology transfer through formal cooperative research and development (R&D) between small businesses and partnering research institutions.