The FORGE Product Development Grant (FPDG) is non-dilutive funding awarded to a startup(s) to support the development of a physical product. This Supply Chain Disruption offering is dedicated specifically to remedying the effects of global supply chain disruptions on cleantech oriented startup companies.

The goal of the grant is to remove barriers to scale and manufacturing, providing the necessary funds for disruption driven redesigns, or to offset part markups driven by disruptions, or to build critical inventory as a guard against future disruptions, or other creative solutions to mitigating disruptions.

This grant will range between $5k-$25k, and must be used by the winning startup(s) to address a specific supply chain challenge, informed by an accompanying quote and/or work order.

This FOA will develop technologies enabling clean hydrogen production, transport, storage, and use in the energy sector, including electricity, heat, transportation, and industrial use. The development of these technologies supports the ambitious goals for a greenhouse gasneutral economy by 2050, a carbon pollution free power sector by 2035, and a fifty percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030. See Amendment 6 FOA for up-to-date information on Areas of Interest. 

The Civic Innovation Challenge is a multi-agency, federal government research and action competition that aims to fund ready-to-implement, research-based pilot projects that have the potential for scalable, sustainable, and transferable impact on community-identified priorities. It aims to flip the community-university dynamic, inviting communities to identify civic priorities ripe for innovation and to then partner with researchers to address those priorities. Teams of researchers and civic partners will submit proposals to one of two community-identified tracks by May 5th: ‘Living in a Changing Climate’ and ‘Resource & Service Equity.’

The ultimate goal of this FOA is a reduction in geothermal well costs. Because drilling costs are highly variable and sensitive to one-off events, average daily drilling penetration rate (e.g. average m/day) is the basis of performance measurement selected in this FOA. This FOA seeks to affect a 25% improvement in geothermal drilling rates by supporting multiple demonstration projects that each target this level of improvement. This metric and performance target will allow for quantitative evaluation of project impacts to support broad deployment of the most successful approaches. The Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office seeks applications from drilling services providers, well service companies, research institutions, geothermal operators and developers, and other entities that can provide real-world, immediate solutions to address the goal of increasing the average daily drilling penetration rates for geothermal wells. Entities that control well access and operations—both commercial and government-funded—are encouraged to apply. Join GTO’s Drilling Demos Teaming Partner List to connect with prospective team members. Letters of intent are due by April 4, and full applications are due June 3.

Small Innovative Projects (SIPS) in Solar 2022: Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power and Photovoltaics funding program will award up to $5 million for projects that seek to fund innovative research and development seedling projects in photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) technologies in an effort to accelerate the large-scale development and deployment of solar technology. SETO expects to make about 15 to 23 awards, each ranging between $250,000 and $400,000. Teams from universities, federally-funded research and development centers, nonprofit and for-profit companies, community-based organizations, state agencies, and local governments are encouraged to apply. Prior to submitting a full application for this opportunity, a brief 1-2 paragraph, mandatory letter of intent is due on February 28 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (CSP) Fiscal Year 2022 Research, Development, and Demonstration funding program, which will award up to $25 million for innovative projects in CSP technologies. These projects will accelerate the large-scale development and deployment of solar technology. Projects supported by this opportunity will focus on lowering the cost of CSP technologies and creating new market opportunities for the industry, with the goal of enabling substantial deployment of CSP to decarbonize the electricity grid and energy system. These projects will work to apply CSP to new industries and advance the development of components for next-generation CSP systems based on solid particle heat transfer media. SETO expects to make about 8 to 15 awards, each ranging between $750,000 and $6 million. Diverse teams from universities, federally-funded research and development centers, nonprofit and for-profit companies, community-based organizations, state agencies, and local governments are encouraged to apply. Prior to submitting a full application for this opportunity, a brief, mandatory letter of intent is due on March 16 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Venture For ClimateTech (V4C) is a program under the For ClimateTech (FCT) umbrella and is powered by NextCorps and SecondMuse and supported by NYSERDA. V4C is focused on helping to advance energy, food & agriculture, buildings, and transportation as key strategic areas for the New York State climate tech landscape.

V4C is currently looking for solutions in the following challenge areas: Future of Cities, Women in ClimateTech, and Web3 & ClimateTech

The real estate industry is the largest contributor to humanity’s most significant challenge, the global climate crisis. With buildings accounting for 40% of global energy, greenhouse gases and raw materials, real estate’s adoption of innovative technologies and Net Zero solutions will be a major catalyst to avoiding a climate disaster. The Net Zero Lab is focused on tackling the climate crisis by facilitating the successful collaboration between large, successful real estate owners, operators, vendors, and innovative startups driven to deliver energy efficient and Net Zero focused technology solutions. Upward Enterprise Partners are looking for advanced technologies that are focused on Net Zero and alternative, sustainable energy solutions that will minimize energy consumption and significantly reduce carbon footprint in the built environment under the following categories: heating & cooling, energy generation & storage, building automation, building envelope, energy efficient equipment, software & reporting.

U.S. DOT’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program awards contracts to small businesses to pursue research on and develop innovative solutions to our nation’s transportation challenges.  For the U.S. DOT SBIR Program, Phase I offers can be funded up to $200,000 unless otherwise noted in Section VIII. The period of performance of the resulting contract shall be six months. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is looking for proposed research the would explore the creation of a tool or application that can help transit agencies select the right battery electric bus for their unique systems—taking into consideration terrain, climate, length of route, etc.—and to create models to predict the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impacts of this change in transportation type. Click above to view the full list of research topics.

KickStart Venture Services, a department in Innovate Carolina’s Office of Technology Commercialization at UNC-Chapel Hill, supports research-based startup formation and growth by providing education, early-stage funding, and on-campus accelerator space.

In addition, KickStart has quarterly Commercialization Grant Awards, ranging from $5,000 – $50,000.

Selected start-ups will receive coaching and guidance from SeaAhead staff, a designated stand and presentation time at the 2022 IPF, dedicated promotions, and a deeply discounted registration cost at the IPF conference.

The AlgaePrize, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office and supported by The Algae Foundation and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), challenges students to become the next generation of bioeconomy professionals by expanding novel solutions to production, processing, and new product development on the way to gigaton-scale algae commercialization for fuel, food, products, and carbon dioxide utilization/sequestration.

The 2022–2023 AlgaePrize competition is open to teams of two or more students currently enrolled in a U.S.-based high school, community or technical college, college, university, or graduate program.