U.S. department of Energy has announced that it will award 219 grants totaling $34 million to 183 small businesses in 41 states for Phase I research and development which is funded through DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
The Phase I grants allow small businesses to research technical feasibility of innovations that advance the mission of the Department of Energy. Phase I grants are 6-12 months in duration with a median award amount of $150,000.
Successful Phase I grantees will be eligible to compete for Phase II awards in fiscal year 2019 that will allow them to develop novel prototypes or processes to validate their Phase I research findings. Phase II grants have a median award amount of $1,000,000 and duration up to 2 years.
The SBIR and STTR programs were created by Congress to advance the mission of federal agencies by utilizing innovative small businesses.