The Energy Policy Act of 2020 authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide technology transfer programs, including small business vouchers designed to promote clean energy innovation, commercialization, and collaboration. DOE vouchers provide small businesses, technology companies, jurisdictions, and manufacturers with access to valuable support services and premier facilities across DOE National Laboratories. This support helps businesses and other non-traditional partners access testing and validation facilities or obtain third-party subject matter expertise needed to advance or accelerate their technologies, businesses, and energy commercialization projects.
The voucher mechanism operates by providing a recipient entity with in-kind support from a support provider with unique expertise or facilities. DOE funds the support provider on behalf of the recipient entity who benefits from the experience working with the support provider and any associated deliverables of the effort. Among other things, vouchers can be used for testing and validation, use of specialized equipment, software simulation or modeling, or commercialization assistance.
Active DOE Voucher Programs:
Each voucher opportunity defines specific objectives, scope, eligibility, and funding levels. The following is a list of open voucher opportunities across DOE and its National Labs:
The current submission window is open for applications from potential in-kind support recipients through Thursday, September 12 at 3pm ET at https://www.energywerx.org/vouchers/opportunities.
- Voucher Opportunity 1 - Pre-Demonstration Commercialization Support (OCED)
Addresses key adoption risk areas faced by companies leaving the research and development stage. Offered support includes bankability studies, quality assurance/control analysis, manufacturing or supply chain assessments, community benefits assessments, internal cybersecurity best practices and other technoeconomic analysis.
Eligibility: Companies with an OCED-relevant technology who are moving from the R&D stage and nearly ready for pilot scale or large-scale demonstration.
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- Voucher Opportunity 2 - Performance Validation, Modeling, and Certification Support
Enables third-party evaluation of technology performance, modeling resources, and attainment of certifications. This includes testing in real-world environments, industry-relevant certifications, system performance modeling, digital twin development, support to obtain relevant environmental and technology specific site certifications, and more.
Eligibility: Companies with an OCED-relevant technology which is ready for demonstrations and commercialization.
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- Voucher Opportunity 3 - Clean Energy Demonstration Project Siting/Permitting Support (OCED, EERE)
Helps authorities having jurisdiction like city or tribal governments and related institutions (including but not limited to first responders, utilities, and transportation authorities) understand new clean energy technology benefits and challenges, evaluate siting and permitting best practices developed by similar jurisdictions, develop streamlined permitting processes, and support community engagement on related issues.
Eligibility: Local governments, tribes, other jurisdictions and related institutions seeking to host clean energy projects in a technology area of interest for DOE OCED or EERE.
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- Voucher Opportunity 4 - Commercialization Support (EERE)
Addresses key adoption risk areas faced by companies in the research and development stage. The support includes market analysis/research, patent landscape analysis, business plan development, fundraising road-mapping (from both public and private sources), and other commercialization strategy assistance.
Eligibility: Companies in the R&D stage working to refine a proof of concept or product prototype that fits a specific technology area of interest to EERE.
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- Voucher Opportunity 5 - Commercialization Support (FECM)
Addresses key adoption risk areas faced by carbon management and resource sustainability innovators and technology developers, including for-profit firms, that are working to commercialize a prototype. The support includes life cycle analysis, technoeconomic assessment, independent assessment and validation of monitoring reporting and verification technologies/practices, and performance validation support.
Eligibility: Companies and other innovators working to commercialize a prototype / product that fits a specific technology vertical of interest to FECM.
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- Voucher Opportunity 9 - Planning and Validation of Industrial Decarbonization Projects (OCED, FECM, EERE)
Addresses key adoption risk areas faced by industrial facilities interested in decarbonizing their operations and commercialization hurdles faced by industrial decarbonization technology developers. Examples of support includes but is not limited to assessment and validation of current emissions, assessment of opportunities for decarbonization, planning for execution decarbonization projects, and performance validation support for industrial decarbonization technology developers.
Eligibility: Manufacturers with an emphasis on small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms, interested in decarbonizing operations of their facility – or – Companies and other innovators working to commercialize industrial decarbonization technologies.
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- Voucher Opportunity 10 - Manufacturing Conversion, Retooling, and Retrofitting Support
Addresses key adoption risk areas related to domestic supply chain availability and is meant to broaden the ecosystem of clean energy manufacturers through support such as feasibility studies to convert existing production lines including, but not limited to, engineering studies, equipment and process reviews; and staff qualifications and workforce needs assessments.
Eligibility: Manufacturers with an emphasis on small-and-medium manufacturing firms, already active with an existing revenue base that are interested in opening a new business line in a new market for components relative to at least one technology area of interest to DOE OCED.
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- Voucher Opportunity 1 - Pre-Demonstration Commercialization Support (OCED)
- Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear “GAIN”
GAIN seeks to accelerate the commercialization of nuclear energy technologies by providing funding and access to the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s world-class expertise and resources across its National Lab complex.
Eligibility: Open to business that are a) Majority (51%) owned by a U.S. citizen, a lawfully admitted permanent resident alien or a U.S. based corporation; b) Organized according to the laws of any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or any U.S. territory or possession; and c) Operates primarily within the U.S.
Deadline: July 31, 2024
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- Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear “GAIN”
- Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) Open Voucher Call
$2.1 million TCF Open Voucher Call was created to provide the public with opportunities to develop technologies alongside researchers at DOE National Laboratories. This single-phase competition will award up to 21 vouchers of up to $100,000 each to people with ideas for advancing clean energy, sustainability, or other key National-Lab-supported initiatives.
Eligibility: Open only to private entities (for-profits and nonprofits); non-federal government entities such as states, counties, tribes, and municipalities; academic and research institutions; and individuals.
Deadline: October 3, 2024
>More - Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements “VELOCITI”
The VELOCITI program is focused on accelerating innovation and technology improvements in the US solar sector. This voucher-based opportunity creates a streamlined process for quickly and intelligently connecting entrepreneurs and companies to expertise and facilities across all DOE National Laboratories.
Eligibility: Private innovators (for-profits and nonprofits), including American Made Challenge Prize winners and SBIR recipients; non-federal government entities such as states, counties, tribes, and municipalities; academic and researchers; and individuals.
>More - American-Made Challenge Prize Vouchers
In addition to cash prizes, ten active American-Made Prize Challenges offer vouchers as additional awards, including the CABLE, E-SCRAP, FLOWIN, Fish Protection, Geothermal Manufacturing, Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling, Perovskite Startup, Solar Desalination, Solar, and Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prizes. Offered vouchers enable prize winners to access tools, equipment, and expertise at national labs and approved organizations and facilities, allowing innovators to develop, test, and validate their innovative solutions.
Deadlines & eligibility vary by prize.
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- Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) Open Voucher Call
