Deadline: 25-Oct-22
The American Made Challenges is seeking applications for its EPIC Prize Round 2, which is designed to incentivize regional incubators that implement high-impact ideas to support energy startups and entrepreneurs.
The development of regional energy innovation ecosystems is foundational to the development of clean energy jobs, a strong U.S. supply chain, and the entire innovation life cycle.
The Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) Prize recognizes the nation’s most innovative incubators. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), the EPIC Prize awards cash prizes to regional incubator teams that submit the most creative and impactful plans, then implement those plans to develop strong clusters, connections, and support for energy startups and entrepreneurs.
Technology startups often require more than just capital to launch, grow, and scale innovations. Incubators provide entrepreneurs mentorship, technology validation, business development, connections to manufacturers, and more to strengthen the America’s clean energy future. The prize seeks to address a capital gap in supporting these critical organizations by providing funds to be applied where incubators need them most. Providing capital to enable creative, forward-thinking organizations is critical to allow these groups to think more expansively about the role of incubators in the broader regional innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Prize Information
- Core to the EPIC Prize Round 2 is the incubator program:
- Design It!
- Create a plan to support energy startups & entrepreneurs. Define metrics for success.
- 20 winners: $50K each.
- Design It!
- OTT has also partnered with three other program offices to date to provide Bonus Prizes. In addition to the $4 million in Core Incubator Prize funding, $50,000 Bonus Prizes will be available for incubators supporting water power and/or the blue economy, buildings technologies, and solar technologies.
Eligibility Criteria
- OTT welcomes incubator organizations that aid in the development of new business ventures, business accelerators, co-working start-up communities, or any other organizations that self-identify as advocates for innovation and entrepreneurship to compete in EPIC.
- The competition is open to private organizations (for-profits and nonprofits), nonfederal government entities (such as states, counties, tribes, and municipalities), and academic institutions that meet all eligibility requirements.
- The competition is open to private entities (for profits and nonprofits) and academic institutions; subject to the following requirements:
- Private entities must be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States with majority domestic ownership and control. If an entity seeking to compete does not have majority domestic ownership and control, OTT may consider issuing a waiver of that eligibility requirement where
- The entity otherwise meets the eligibility requirements;
- The entity is incorporated in and maintains a primary place of business in the United States; and,
- The entity submits a compelling justification. OTT may require additional information before making a determination on the waiver request.
- Academic institutions must be based in the United States. Programming proposed by incubators must have an emphasis on supporting start-ups with a hardtech focus.
- A single competitor may only submit one submission.
- While National Laboratories are not eligible to compete, they may support teams in the competition if they are engaging the teams in compliance with lab partnership requirements.
- To be eligible, the team captain will be required to sign the following statement:
- I am providing this submission package as part of my participation in this prize. I understand that I am providing this submission to the Federal Government. I certify under penalty of perjury that the named competitor meets the eligibility requirements for this prize competition and complies with all other rules contained in the Official Rules document. I further represent that the information contained in the submission is true and contains no misrepresentations. I understand false statements or misrepresentations to the Federal Government may result in civil and/or criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 and § 287.
For more information, visit https://americanmadechallenges.org/challenges/epic/