Funder: Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E)
Due Dates: April 15, 2025 (Full Applications & Replies to Reviewer Comments) | Open continuously until amended or closed
Funding Amounts: Awards range from $5M–$20M per project; total program funding ~$50M/year; project period ~36 months
Summary: Supports pre-commercial scaling of innovative energy technologies previously funded by ARPA-E to enable commercial viability and U.S. manufacturing.
Key Information: Eligible projects must scale inventions or software developed under prior ARPA-E awards; cost share required (20–33.3% after year 1); standalone applicants not eligible.
Description
This funding opportunity from ARPA-E is designed to bridge the gap between early-stage energy technology development and commercial deployment. The program supports the scaling and pre-pilot demonstration of high-risk, potentially disruptive energy technologies that have already achieved proof-of-concept under a previous ARPA-E award. The goal is to validate performance, manufacturability, and reliability at a scale that will attract private investment and enable U.S.-based commercialization, thereby preventing promising U.S.-funded intellectual property from being stranded or lost to foreign competitors.
Projects must focus on translating bench-scale results to commercially scalable systems, integrating with broader systems, providing extended performance data, and validating domestic manufacturability. The program is open to a wide range of energy technology areas, including grid, transportation, building efficiency, power generation (fossil, nuclear, renewable), bioenergy, and advanced manufacturing.
Due Dates
- Full Applications & Replies to Reviewer Comments: April 15, 2025 (applications accepted any time while the NOFO remains open)
- NOFO Close Date: Open continuously until otherwise amended or closed (anticipated annual updates)
- Finalist Notification: ~80 days after submission
- Final Selection Notification: ~80 days after finalist notification
Funding Amount
- Award Range: $5,000,000 to $20,000,000 per project
- Total Program Funding: Approximately $50 million per fiscal year (subject to appropriations)
- Project Duration: ~36 months
- Cost Share:
- 33.3% of total project cost (after year 1)
- Reduced to 20% for small businesses or consortia led by small businesses
- Cost share is deferred for the initial portion (~first year) of the award
Eligibility
- Eligible Applicants:
- Project Teams (standalone applicants are not eligible)
- U.S. for-profit entities, consortia (must include at least one U.S. for-profit business), and other organizations that own or have exclusive rights to subject inventions or software developed under a prior ARPA-E award
- Applicants do not need to have been the original ARPA-E awardee (licensees or purchasers of relevant IP are eligible)
- Foreign entities may apply if they designate a U.S.-incorporated subsidiary or affiliate to receive funding
- Project Requirements:
- Must scale a “subject invention” or software conceived or first reduced to practice under a prior ARPA-E award, with a filed U.S. patent application or issued patent (or, for software, reported to ARPA-E)
- Must include at least one Commercialization Partner (e.g., customer, manufacturer, investor) with a Letter of Intent
- Standalone applicants are not eligible; all applications must be submitted by a Project Team
Application Process
- Submission Platform: ARPA-E eXCHANGE
- Required Components:
- Technical Volume (project summary, objectives, technology status, IP strategy, commercialization plan, project plan, team, impacts, budget)
- Project Plan Workbook (Excel)
- Letters of Intent from Commercialization Partner(s) (required) and Financial Partner(s) (optional)
- SF-424 and Budget Justification Workbook/SF-424A
- Summary for Public Release (250 words)
- Summary Slides (3 PowerPoint slides)
- Business Assurances & Disclosures Form
- Optional: Pre-submission discussion with an ARPA-E Technology-to-Market Advisor (ARPA-E-SCALEUP@hq.doe.gov)
- Review Process:
- Applications are reviewed for technical merit, commercial viability, and team qualifications
- Finalists may be invited for oral presentations and additional clarification
- Written feedback is provided before the deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments
Additional Information
- Technical Categories: Projects may address any major energy sector, including grid, transportation, buildings, power generation (fossil, nuclear, renewable), bioenergy, advanced manufacturing, and more. See the NOFO for a full list of technical and scaling categories.
- Cost Share: Cost share is deferred for the first year; after that, 33.3% (or 20% for qualifying small businesses/consortia) is required. Cost share can be cash or in-kind and must be allowable under federal cost principles.
- U.S. Manufacturing Requirement: Products embodying subject inventions must be substantially manufactured in the U.S., unless a waiver is granted.
- Intellectual Property: Applicants must have or secure rights to the subject invention/software and report all relevant IP to DOE via iEdison or ePIC.
- Foreign Participation: Foreign entities must have a U.S. subsidiary/affiliate; foreign nationals from countries of concern require ARPA-E approval.
- Limitation on Submissions: The same subject invention cannot be used in more than one concurrent application; resubmission is allowed after 6 months if not selected.
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