Commercialization Resources

SBIR/STTR awardees are eligible to receive an additional $6,500 during Phase I and $50,000 during Phase II. These additional funds – also known as Technical and Business Assistance or “TABA funds” – can be utilized for a wide range of activities to help your small business address critical technical and/or commercialization challenges by accessing industry and scientific experts or hiring and training staff for assistance with: product sales, intellectual property protections, cybersecurity assistance, market research, market validation, or development of regulatory plans and manufacturing plans.

These TABA funds are added on top of the baseline grant amount and will be administered through ConnectWerx. ConnectWerx is a partner intermediary for the U.S. Department of Energy and helps administer the DOE SBIR/STTR programs. 

Examples of TABA activities may include access to a network of scientists and engineers engaged in a wide range of technologies, assistance with product sales, intellectual property protections, cybersecurity assistance, market research, market validation, and development of regulatory plans and manufacturing plans, or access to technical and business literature available through on-line data bases, for the purpose of assisting such recipients in: 

1. making better technical decisions concerning such projects; 
2. solving technical problems which arise during the conduct of such projects; 
3. minimizing technical risks associated with such projects; 
4. developing and commercializing new commercial products and processes resulting from such projects, including intellectual property protections; and 
5. screening for potential foreign involvement in technology development or commercialization activities. 

TABA funds may be used to hire support vendors, or to hire, augment, or train staff to participate in the activities listed above. 

However, finding the right TABA partners can be very challenging. Therefore, DOE has partnered with the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) to help SBIR/STTR awardees decide how to best utilize these TABA funds. The Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit partner of DOE. FESI was created to help accelerate innovative solutions in support of American energy security, prosperity, and leadership. FESI will publish a list of recommended providers that are familiar with the SBIR/STTR program requirements (for both Phase I and Phase II) and have expressed interest in working with small business awardees.   

For Phase II awardees, FESI will also meet with teams to understand their specific capability gaps and make a plan for how best to use their TABA funds.

We hope you will join us at our Annual Pitch Showcase connecting SBIR/STTR awardees with buyers, investors, and other potential partners. DOE has partnered with the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) to host the annual showcase events, invite potential partners from both public and private sectors, and help Phase II awardees prepare pitch materials. More details to come!”

For all Phase I awards, DOE will host a two-day Principal Investigator (PI) Meeting to: 

• Promote a sense of community among Phase I awardees, Program Mangers, DOE staff, ConnectWerx, FESI, and others. 
• Deliver critical information to awardees for successful completion of Phase I and best practices to increase the likelihood of advancing to Phase II (and beyond). 
• Learn from the experts by attending panels focused on commercialization success strategies, such as:
  • Developing a compelling Phase II commercialization plan
  • Patent basics
  • Manufacturing resources
  • Optimal use of technical and business assistance (TABA) funding, and
  • Financing strategies.

All PI’s and their respective DOE Program Managers are expected to attend the PI Meeting. Program Managers from other DOE Programs may also attend.  Representatives from the Phase I small business other than the PI may also attend. 

The Phase I PI Meeting will be held in person in Washington, DC. In-person attendance is strongly encouraged for at least one team member, but virtual options will be available for teams unable to attend in person.  

More details to follow! 

The DOE Office of Technology Commercialization, Office of SBIR/STTR Programs is proud to offer the Phase Shift I program to help Phase I awardees reduce commercialization risk by engaging directly with customers, validating market demand, refining their business model, and identifying the most promising path to market. Through a combination of customer discovery, workshops, and coaching, participants gain the insights needed to make better commercialization decisions and strengthen future funding opportunities. 

Commercialization success requires more than technical innovation. Companies that engage directly with customers early are better positioned to identify market opportunities, avoid costly assumptions, and build solutions that customers will adopt. 

Participants are paired with experienced innovation coaches who are active entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and operators. The coaches bring firsthand experience building and scaling technology ventures and provide practical guidance throughout the customer discovery process. 

"I have run a successful 20-person business for 34 years and learned more in six weeks about venturing into a new space than I could ever have imagined." 

What You'll Gain 

Phase Shift I is designed to give awardees the best chance of successfully moving towards commercialization. Key outcomes of this program include:  

• Direct feedback from customers and stakeholders 
• Evidence to validate or challenge key business assumptions 
• Greater clarity around your target market and value proposition 
• Insights into customer purchasing decisions and adoption barriers 
• A stronger commercialization strategy 
• Improved readiness for Phase II, private investment, and strategic partnerships 

Awards made under FY25 Phase I Release II Solicitation 

Program Expectations  

Participation in this program is optional but encouraged. The program includes a series of interactive workshops and 1:1 coaching sessions focused on applying customer development to the unique needs of your business. During the program, participants will be asked to conduct a minimum of 30 customer discovery interviews and will interact among their peers and their instructors to ensure the approach is addressing key business priorities. The program will conclude with a commercialization readiness showcase by participant companies to an audience of instructors and DOE program managers. Each participant will be expected to commit 4-8 hours per week during the program.  

Full engagement from the participating companies includes: 

• Weekly Workshops (virtual): Thursdays, August 6 – September 24 
• Commercialization Readiness Showcase (virtual) - October 08 
• Planning and completing a minimum of 30 documented customer interviews 
• 1:1 coaching sessions, with your assigned coach 

Additional details about program dates and other logistics will be shared with awardees.

What Past Participants Are Saying 

"The single best thing you can do for commercialization. My approach to commercialization has completely changed—and for the better." 

"When I started the program, I saw a confused mass of possible markets for our technology and a simplistic idea of what the customer needs were. By the time we finished, a simple and implementable business plan emerged. I feel optimistic about our future." 

"This program gave me confidence to take the leap into customer discovery. The outcome was insightful dialogue that helped us prove and disprove assumptions while learning what truly matters to customers." 

Upcoming FY26 Awards (Stay tuned for opportunity announcements!) 

All Phase I awardees will be expected to participate in Phase Shift I. Teams may be allowed to opt out of Phase Shift I if they submit a report documenting their customer discovery efforts that are at least as thorough as would be expected through Phase Shift I.  

Phase Shift I is designed to give awardees the best chance of successfully moving on to Phase II. Key outcomes of this program include:  

• Validate initial market applications and customer needs / expectations 
• Identify competitive advantages 
• Expose channels to access your customers 
• Identify how you will make money (i.e. direct sales, services, licensing) 
• Assess alternative approaches to improve viability of your business model 
• Increase your chances for funding 

Details about program dates and other logistics will be shared with awardees. 

Under the management of the DOE Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), SBIR/STTR awardees will receive consistent and close engagement from commercialization and technical expert DOE staff. Each SBIR/STTR awardee will have access to a dedicated SBIR/STTR Program Director that manages a portfolio of funded small businesses. The Program Directors have backgrounds and technical STEM training in fields relevant to deep-tech. Many have private sector startup, founder, and/or investor experience and all have deep interest and passion for entrepreneurship and innovative technologies. 

The Program Directors serves as a resource and diligence function for all SBIR/STTR awardees and are in regular contact and visitation with their portfolio companies to enable commercial impact and measurable outcomes.

Phase I and II awardees may be interested in pursuing Phase III awards.  Phase III is work that derives from, extends, or completes the effort performed in Phase I or II. Phase III is generally the commercialization effort of the project, which may include sale of products to the Government, but may be additional R/R&D. Additional details about Phase III awards can be found here.  

DOE has partnered with the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) to operate and manage the Phase III Consortium to provide ongoing commercialization support for DOE awardees, even after small businesses complete the core program. The goal of the Consortium will be to actively foster connections between DOE SBIR/STTR awardees and potential buyers, investors, or other partners.   

FESI will conduct targeted outreach to potential federal off takers, including DOE program offices as well as other government procurement agencies (including DOW, DHS, HHS, FEMA, EPA, USDA, DOT, and NASA) to educate contacts about DOE awardees and the potential benefits of Phase III authorities.   

FESI will identify agency technical contacts and leadership, conduct outreach to them on Phase III authority and its advantages (sole-source, no cap, rapid deployment), provide detailed portfolio context showing relevant SBIR companies in their technical areas, and make initial introductions to government agencies, private-sector buyers, investors, and other partners interested in using the Phase III to deploy SBIR/STTR-developed technologies.