The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) has announced 19 Phase 1 winners for the Making Advanced Technology Commercialization Harmonized (Lab MATCH) prize, which encourages entrepreneurs to find actionable pathways that bring groundbreaking National Laboratory intellectual property (IP) to market. For their work in Phase 1, the Commitment Phase, winning teams will each receive $2,500 in cash prizes and are eligible to compete in Phase 2 of the prize.
Office of Technology Transitions
March 29, 2024
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) has announced 19 Phase 1 winners for the Making Advanced Technology Commercialization Harmonized (Lab MATCH) prize, which encourages entrepreneurs to find actionable pathways that bring groundbreaking National Laboratory intellectual property (IP) to market. For their work in Phase 1, the Commitment Phase, winning teams will each receive $2,500 in cash prizes and are eligible to compete in Phase 2 of the prize.
The three-phase Lab MATCH prize, funded by the Technology Commercialization Fund, identified 20 articles of IP from researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories, while also encouraging applicants to find their own National Laboratory IP highlighted on the Lab Partnering Service.
Applicants had the opportunity to select their project focus from a variety of National Laboratory developed IP, including grid cybersecurity, selective carbon capture, solar energy, hydrogen technology, and building efficiencies.
“The National Labs are treasure troves of IP and ideas. The Lab MATCH prize is another example of the ways that our Labs, and OTT are helping bring those ideas to market.” said DOE Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of OTT, Dr. Vanessa Chan. “I am so excited that these teams now have more resources to support the commercialization of these ideas.”
The prize is also part of the DOE’s American-Made program, which fast-tracks clean energy innovation through prizes, training, mentoring, and cross-sector collaboration.
Lab MATCH Phase 1 Winners
In Lab MATCH Phase 1, the Commitment Phase, competitors selected specific available IP, secured impactful team members, and crafted a viable licensing and commercialization plan. OTT received an impressive variety of submissions that proposed specific go-to-market goals and strategies for unique, problem-solving energy technologies.
Phase 1 winners were chosen for their commitment to the technology transfer process for National Lab IP licensing and commercialization. Each is listed below along with their National Laboratory partner and IP topic area.
| Active Surfaces Inc. (Woburn, MA) National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Photovoltaic (PV) | Liquidmetal (Chattanooga, TN) Sandia National Laboratory – Concentrated Solar |
| All Drone Science (Gresham, OR) National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Photovoltaic (PV) | Marsan Technology (Milledgeville, GA) National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Buildings |
| ATOMIQ (Pittsfield, MA) Sandia National Laboratory – Aerospace | Maveena Energy (Frisco, TX) National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Buildings |
| Brick City Energy (City of Saint Louis, MO) National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Energy Storage | NanoSieve (Miami Beach, FL) Sandia National Laboratory – Gas Absorption |
| Diesel heads (Weston, FL) Sandia National Laboratory – Transportation | Ourobio (Indianapolis, IN) Sandia National Laboratory – Biogas |
| Expanding Frontiers (Brownsville, TX) Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Carbon Capture | Team JG (Seattle, WA) National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Photovoltaic (PV) |
| Gold Standard Radiation Detection, Inc. (Albuquerque, NM) Sandia National Laboratory – Security & Defense | TerraLoop (Durham, North Carolina) Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling |
| GridFlow (Albuquerque, NM) Sandia National Laboratory – Energy Storage | ThermoVers (Detroit, MI) Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Buildings |
| Joliet Commercialization Coalition (Joliet, MT) Sandia National Laboratory – Wind | Torpel (Charlottesville, VA) Sandia National Laboratory – Energy Storage |
| Leaf Automation (Akron, OH) National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Photovoltaic (PV) |
The 19 Phase 1 winners will now move on to compete in Lab MATCH Phase 2 (the Plan Phase) where they will create comprehensive engagement plans, including intentions, actionable steps, partners, and timeline. Up to nine teams from the Plan Phase will receive $30,000 each and be eligible to compete in Phase 3, the Action Phase. In this final phase, competitors will work closely with National Laboratory researchers and technology transfer offices to demonstrate progress toward IP commercialization. Three winning teams will each be awarded a $100,000 grand prize.
Learn More
The Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) is one of the largest supporters of technology commercialization in the federal government. Founded in 2015, OTT bolsters the technology industry's market skills and enables clean energy technologies to progress through research, development, demonstration, and deployment into the private sector to meet our nation’s climate goals. Visit energy.gov/ott to learn more, and subscribe to receive our latest opportunities and accomplishments via email. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
The American-Made program helps fast-track clean energy innovation, connecting the nation's entrepreneurs and innovators to America's National Labs and the private sector. Teams competing in the Lab MATCH prize will have access to the American-Made Network, which provides tools, resources, and support to accelerate the transition of ideas into real-world clean energy solutions.
The Lab MATCH prize is funded by OTT through the Technology Commercialization Fund, to support their mission to spur commercialization of impactful energy technologies and expand public benefit of the U.S. Department of Energy's research. This prize allows innovators from diverse backgrounds to work directly with National Labs and gain funding to help fast track energy tech commercialization. Learn more and follow along on the Lab MATCH prize page.
About the Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions
The Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) is one of the largest supporters of technology commercialization in the federal government. Founded in 2015, OTT bolsters the technology industry's market skills and enables clean energy technologies to progress through research, development, demonstration, and to deployment into the private sector to meet our nation’s climate goals. Visit us at energy.gov/ott to learn more and subscribe to receive our latest opportunities and accomplishments via email. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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