The US Department of Energy (DOE) opened new funding (DE-FOA-0003504) to small businesses for innovative clean energy technologies as part of its Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs. SBIR and STTR are competitive funding opportunities that encourage US-based small businesses to engage in research and development to accelerate the commercialization of innovative technologies.

SBIR/STTR provides funding in two phases: Small businesses can receive up to $200,000 in Phase I to prove the feasibility of an idea; successful awardees can then receive up to $1 million in Phase II for further development including prototyping, validation, and testing.

As part of this funding opportunity, the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office is seeking proposals related to the following topics:

• Safety Technologies for Large-Scale Hydrogen Deployments

• Novel Concepts for Low-Energy, Low-Cost Hydrogen Loss Mitigation

• Durable, Efficient, and Low-Cost PEM Fuel Cell Cathode Catalysts for Heavy-Duty Transportation Applications

• Membranes and Separators for Alkaline Electrolyzers

• Innovative Manufacturing Concepts to Support Scale-Up of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Fuel Cell Trucks

• In-Situ Diagnostic Tools for Clean Hydrogen Production

• Power Electronics Enabling Conversion of Low-Cost Intermittent Electricity to Low-Cost Hydrogen

• Facilitate the Development and Expansion of a Robust Supply Chain for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Systems and Components