- Status
- Open
- Next deadline
- Pitches due December 16, 2026, 2 PM ET; full applications by invitation only
- Required pre-step
- Pitch on the DOE SBIR/STTR Application Hub and an invitation to apply; SAM.gov and SBA Company Registry registrations
- Award size
- Phase I requests up to $300,000 ($306,500 with TABA); about 160 awards totaling up to $50,000,000
- Official page
- sbir-sttr.connectwerx.org
A free preliminary scan of open programs that fit your company, sent by email, usually within the hour. Built for US small businesses. Prefer to talk it through? Book a 30-minute call.
The Department of Energy runs its SBIR and STTR programs through the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), which DOE says now manages both programs after consolidating them from the Office of Science. DOE also funds companies through larger funding opportunities on its DOE eXCHANGE portal and through the Office of Science open call, each with its own eligibility and cost share rules. I write DOE applications, and DOE SBIR is among the programs behind the more than $11.7M secured for clients.
Who this fits and who it does not
DOE's SBIR and STTR page states that participation is limited to for-profit US small businesses that meet Small Business Administration eligibility requirements. Other DOE opportunities set eligibility call by call: the Office of Science open call lists eligible applicants as unrestricted, and the ASPECT funding opportunity lists small businesses and for-profit organizations other than small businesses as eligible, with universities limited to a subrecipient role in one topic and federally funded research centers excluded as recipients.
It fits a US small business with an energy, materials, computing or science technology that matches a DOE topic, and the registrations in SAM.gov and the SBA Company Registry done early; DOE warns that these can be lengthy.
It fits a larger company or a company that fails the SBIR size and ownership rules when a DOE funding opportunity lists for-profit organizations other than small businesses as eligible.
It does not fit a company that cannot carry a cost share where the call requires one, or a project that belongs in a national laboratory call such as the Technology Commercialization Fund, which is open to DOE laboratories only.
How the SBIR and STTR process works
DOE describes a single application to enter the program, with progress to later phases through go or no-go decision points. The steps on its applicant resources page: give DOE an elevator pitch through the DOE SBIR/STTR Application Hub, with up to three pitches per business; wait for an invitation, since a full application cannot be submitted without one; complete the SAM.gov and SBA Company Registry registrations; and submit the full application on the Application Hub. Topics are drawn from DOE's mission areas and DOE says it offers opportunities annually.
Current status: Open. Pitches due December 16, 2026, 2 PM ET; full applications by invitation only.
Other DOE funding a company can lead
DOE consolidated its program office portals into the single DOE eXCHANGE site, and the older EERE, ARPA-E and infrastructure portals now state that they are decommissioned and redirect there. The opportunities differ from SBIR in three ways the call text makes explicit: many require cost sharing where SBIR does not; they run in stages, typically a concept paper followed by one or more full application stages, where DOE's SBIR now runs a pitch followed by an invited single application; and the award sizes are set per call, from a few thousand dollars in the Office of Science open call to tens of millions in a scale-up opportunity. Eligibility is also wider, with large companies, universities and nonprofits eligible where the call says so.
My read
The pitch decides whether DOE reads the application. I write it as a one page answer to DOE's own question: why should DOE be excited about this application.
DOE topics are specific. A company whose technology sits between two topics should contact the topic manager before pitching, not after.
Cost share is the gate on the larger opportunities. The budget has to show where the company's share comes from before the narrative is worth writing.
The Office of Science open call is basic research with an unrestricted applicant list; a company can apply, but the science has to stand on its own and a pre-application is required for some review panels.
Open DOE calls a company can apply to
DOE Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (CMEI)
| Program | Status | Next deadline | Pre-step | Award | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerating Scale-up and Pre-piloting of Emerging Chemical Technologies (ASPECT), DE-FOA-0003647small businesses and for-profit organizations other than small businesses; cost share required; concept paper stage closed October 9, 2026 | Open | Stage 1 full applications due December 1, 2026, for applicants that submitted a concept paper; Stage 2 February 12, 2027 | Concept paper (deadline passed); Stage 1 application on DOE eXCHANGE | Up to $58,000,000 total | Official page |
DOE Office of Science
| Program | Status | Next deadline | Pre-step | Award | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2027 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program, DE-FOA-0003665eligible applicants unrestricted; basic research; no cost share | Open | Open until September 30, 2027, 11:59 PM ET, or until replaced by a successor; program target dates run December 1, 2026 to February 1, 2027 | Pre-application required for certain review panels, optional otherwise | Approximately $400,000,000; $5,000 to $10,000,000 per award | Official page |
DOE Office of Technology Commercialization
| Program | Status | Next deadline | Pre-step | Award | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOE SBIR/STTR FY26 Fall Phase I Opportunitysmall business concerns; fixed price, milestone based Fast-Track awards; up to 3 pitches per company | Open | Pitches due December 16, 2026, 2 PM ET; full applications by invitation only | Pitch (required); full application by invitation | Phase I requests up to $300,000 ($306,500 with TABA); about 160 awards totaling up to $50,000,000 | Official page |
DOE Office of Electricity
| Program | Status | Next deadline | Pre-step | Award | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grid Supply Chain Alternatives to Lead Energy Dominance (Grid SCALED), DE-FOA-0003641for-profits, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, state and local governments and tribes; cost share at least 50% | Open | Concept papers due November 20, 2026, 5 PM ET; applications due February 8, 2027, 5 PM ET | Concept paper on DOE eXCHANGE | Topic 1: $2.5 million to $15 million per award (about $50 million); Topic 2: $1 million to $25 million per award (about $187 million) | Official page |
Frequently asked questions
Which DOE office runs SBIR now?
The Office of Technology Commercialization. DOE's Office of Science page states that the programs are now managed by OTC, and all Office of Science SBIR and STTR funding opportunities are closed.
Is there a letter of intent?
Not on DOE's current applicant pages. The process starts with a pitch on the Application Hub, and a full application needs an invitation.
How large is a DOE Phase I award?
DOE's current pages do not state a Phase I amount; the size and duration come with each topic release.
What does the consultant do on a DOE application?
The pitch, the topic fit, the full application narrative and budget, and for the larger calls the concept paper and the cost share plan.
A free preliminary scan of open programs that fit your company, sent by email, usually within the hour. Built for US small businesses. Prefer to talk it through? Book a 30-minute call.