Accelerating Scale-up and Pre-piloting of Emerging Chemical Technologies (ASPECT)
This grant supports research and pre-pilot testing of new chemical technologies that use alternative and waste feedstocks, aiming to advance them toward commercial scale in the U.S. energy and manufacturing sectors.
Funder: Golden Field Office
Due Dates: October 9, 2026 (Concept Paper) | December 1, 2026 (Stage 1) | February 12, 2027 (Stage 2)
Funding Amounts: $2 million–$20 million per award over approximately 24–60 months, depending on topic area
Summary: Supports development and pre-pilot testing of technologies that produce chemicals from alternative and waste feedstocks.
Key Information: Every project team must include a for-profit industry entity.
Description
The Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (AFFO) is offering ASPECT through cooperative agreements administered by the Golden Field Office. The program supports research, development, and pre-pilot testing of technologies that convert approved biomass or waste feedstocks into chemicals. It aims to strengthen domestic chemical supply chains, improve competitiveness, and move promising processes toward commercial use.
Bench ASPECT advances technologies beyond proof of concept through bench-scale work and, in one subtopic, pre-pilot testing of unit operations. Pre-pilot ASPECT supports unit-operation testing or the design, construction, and operation of integrated pre-pilot systems. Projects must identify the target chemical’s performance, cost, trade, or national-security advantages and a path toward commercialization.
