DOE ITO SBIR/STTR Phase I

DOE ITO SBIR/STTR Phase I

Funds U.S. small businesses (≤500 employees) developing innovative industrial energy efficiency and cross-sector manufacturing technologies through DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I feasibility grants of up to $200,000.

The DOE Industrial Technologies Office (ITO) SBIR/STTR Phase I program is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy under the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer statutory programs (15 U.S.C. § 638). ITO participates as one of DOE's program offices, submitting topics under DOE's annual SBIR/STTR Funding Opportunity Announcements. Phase I awards are non-dilutive grants for early-stage R&D feasibility work. Specific award amounts and pool sizes are set at the DOE-wide level in each annual FOA and were not stated on this program landing page — see the active FOA on the DOE Office of Science SBIR portal for current figures.

DOE releases two SBIR/STTR FOAs per fiscal year, called Release 1 and Release 2. ITO submits topics and manages projects selected through Phase I and Phase II Release 2 FOAs. Phase I covers feasibility research, typically six to twelve months in duration. Phase II is follow-on development, available to successful Phase I awardees.

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-registered for-profit small business concerns with 500 or fewer employees (SBA size standard). For STTR, a formal research partnership with a U.S. research institution (university or federal laboratory) is required. The principal investigator must be primarily employed by the small business at the time of award. All R&D must be performed in the United States. Nonprofit organizations, universities acting alone (without an SBC prime), and individuals are not eligible as prime applicants under SBIR.

Applicants respond to specific topic areas published in the DOE FOA. The application is submitted via the DOE SBIR/STTR Exchange portal (exchange.sbir.gov). Proposals are evaluated on scientific and technical merit, commercialization potential, and qualifications of the team. ITO program managers oversee topic-specific review for their submitted topics.

Note: this program page is a landing/overview page. No specific deadlines, award amounts, or apply URLs for the FY2025 Phase I Release 2 FOA were stated on the source page. Applicants should check exchange.sbir.gov or the DOE SBIR/STTR program page for the active FOA and current topic list.