2018 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1 | DE FOA 0001770

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001770

The 2018 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1 opportunity (DE-FOA-0001770) is a Department of Energy Office of Science funding announcement that provides Phase I grant awards to eligible small businesses to explore early-stage research and development ideas with strong technical merit and clear commercial promise. The program sits in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category (CFDA 81.049) and is structured to help companies test whether an approach is scientifically and technically feasible before larger Phase II investments are considered. In practical terms, the application is expected to focus tightly on the key experiments, prototypes, analyses, or proof-of-concept work that can credibly demonstrate feasibility, rather than attempting a full product development effort.

Awards under this competition are made in FY 2018, with an overall Phase I award ceiling listed as $225,000, though applicants are directed to the specific topic descriptions on the DOE SBIR/STTR funding opportunities website to confirm the maximum award amount for the particular topic they are targeting. The DOE anticipated making about 134 awards, indicating a sizable cohort of Phase I projects across multiple technical areas aligned with DOE mission needs. The funding instrument is a grant (not a contract), and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary, meaning DOE selects projects based on competitive review and program priorities rather than distributing funds by formula.

The period of performance for Phase I is flexible based on what the proposed work reasonably requires, but it cannot exceed 12 months. A critical scheduling detail is built into the program: the Phase II application deadline occurs approximately 9.5 months after the Phase I grant start date, and DOE states there are no exceptions to that timing. This creates an important planning tradeoff. If a company chooses a Phase I project duration of 9 months or less, it can complete the entire Phase I effort before submitting its Phase II application and can use the final Phase I results to strengthen the Phase II proposal. If a company proposes a Phase I effort longer than 9 months, it may continue R&D work after the Phase II application is submitted, but any results generated after submission cannot be incorporated into that Phase II application, which can affect how convincingly the Phase II plan is supported by data.

From a program purpose standpoint, Phase I is explicitly framed as a feasibility and merit evaluation stage. DOE expects applicants to show that the underlying concept is sound, that the technical approach is credible, and that there is a pathway to commercialization and/or significant application in support of DOE mission research. The intent is not to fully solve the problem in Phase I, but to reduce key technical risks and generate enough evidence that a larger Phase II effort is justified. The announcement also makes clear that success in DOE Phase I is a prerequisite for additional DOE support in Phase II, reinforcing that Phase I is the gateway stage in the SBIR/STTR pipeline.

Key administrative details included in the source information are: the opportunity was created on October 16, 2017, with an original closing date of December 4, 2017. Eligible applicants are limited to small businesses, consistent with SBIR/STTR rules. Overall, this FOA is best understood as DOE Office of Science seed funding for high-impact, innovation-driven R&D where Phase I is used to prove feasibility quickly, on a defined budget, with a timeline that is intentionally aligned to the next-step Phase II submission window.

• The Department of Energy - Office of Science, Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2018 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 16, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 04, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $225,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 134 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for DE FOA 0001770

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