Department of Energy Announces $121 Million for Small Business Research and Development Grants

Washington D.C. – U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry today announced that the Department of Energy will award 113 grants totaling $121 million to 103 small businesses in 29 states.  Funded through DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, today’s selections are for Phase II research and development.  Small businesses that demonstrated technical feasibility for innovations during their Phase I grants competed for funding for prototype or processes development during Phase II.  In addition, prior Phase II awardees competed for second or third Phase II awards to continue prototype and process development.  The median Phase II award is $1,050,000 for a period of two years.    

Highlighted below are selected grants for each of the research and development programs that provided funding for these projects:

• Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
  • Portable API Neutron Generator         
  • A High Performance Scintillator for Gamma Ray Spectroscopy
• Office of Electricity  
  • Application and Communication Platform for Smart Grid Automation
  • Smart GaN-Based Inverters for Grid-tied Energy Storage Systems
• Office of Environmental Management  
  • Cost-Competitive, Environmentally-Friendly Fixatives with Embedded Intelligence for Dust Management at Contaminated Sites
• Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  • Metrology-Assisted Robotic Mirror Alignment for Parabolic Trough Collectors         
  • Highly Efficient Smart Tanks for Hydrogen Storage
• Office of Fossil Energy
  • Inline Robot for Inspecting and Repairing Leaks in Pipeline and Preventing Methane Emissions
  • Coal-Core Composites for Low Cost, Light Weight, Fire-Resistant Panels and Roofing Materials
• Office of Fusion Energy Sciences
  • Direct Coupled Gyrotrons for Plasma Heating
  • Continuously Wound High-Temperature Superconducting Cable for the Central Solenoid of the DEMO Fusion Reactor
• Office of High Energy Physics
  • High Power Ceramic Disk Lasers with Gradient Doping made by Direct Ink Writing
  • Superconducting Quarter-Wave Resonator for Quantum Information Systems
• Office of Nuclear Energy
  • Real Time Non-Destructive Evaluation during 3D Manufacturing of Metal Parts
  • Wireless Sensor Platform for Dry Spent Fuel Cask Monitoring

Small businesses play a major role in spurring innovation and creating jobs in the U.S. economy.  The SBIR and STTR programs were created by Congress to leverage small businesses to advance innovation at federal agencies. Additional information on the DOE SBIR and STTR programs is available at the SBIR/STTR Programs Office:  http://science.energy.gov/sbir/.

More information about the Phase II Release 2 Awards announced today is available at the following link: https://science.osti.gov/sbir/Awards. 

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