A variety of federal funding sources are available that may be applicable to SSL. For example, DOE’s Office of Science provides basic research grants through its annual solicitation process, and supports fundamental, longer-term energy research through Energy Frontier Research Centers. Both DOE and the National Science Foundation fund Small Business Innovation Research grants to foster increased participation of small businesses in federal R&D. In addition, DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Office invest in projects related to SSL. For more information on SSL funding opportunities, see below.
| MECHANISM | PURPOSE | WHAT IT DOES |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Research | Precedes the mission of the DOE SSL R&D program | Supports basic energy science through annual solicitation by DOE’s Office of Science. |
| Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants | Increases participation of small businesses in federal R&D | Supports annual competitions among startups and small businesses. Includes topics related to SSL. Learn more about funding opportunities available through DOEand NSF. |
| Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) | Support fundamental, longer-horizon energy research | Accelerates transformative discovery and disruptive advances in the atomic and molecular fields of energy science. Visit the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) site. |
| Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) | Advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment | Focuses on transformational energy projects that can be meaningfully advanced with a small investment over a defined period of time. Visit the ARPA-E site. |
| Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) | Seeks to fill the innovation gap between research and full scale industrial production | Invests in innovative technology, shared infrastructure and facilities, and education and workforce development. Visit the AMO site. |