Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIAs) are agreements between the Federal government and non-Federal intermediaries designed to increase outreach to and engagement with non-traditional partners, such as manufacturers, startups, and small businesses. On behalf of the Department of Energy (DOE), the Office of Technology Commercialization currently maintains PIAs with with ConnectWerx, EnergyWerx, and TechWerx.
PIAs are one of many tools DOE is using to expand the public impact of the department’s research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) portfolio to advance the nation’s economic, energy and national security interests.
How do PIA's work?
Leveraging their outreach and administrative capabilities, DOE’s intermediaries strengthen the department’s ecosystem by providing a flexible and nimble mechanism to efficiently partner with new and non-traditional entities.
Since its initiation in 2023, utilization of the PIA mechanism has increased significantly. Across over 60 PIA programs spanning more than 20 program offices, DOE funded more than 840 projects addressing key DOE priorities such as U.S. manufacturing, siting and permitting, grid reliability and security, technology commercialization, and AI advancement.
For additional details on the implementation of PIAs at DOE, refer to the PIA Guide.
Example PIA program activities completed to date include:
- Supporting small and mid-sized manufacturers implementing energy modernization projects
- Engaging and partnering with local and regional stakeholders for energy technology and infrastructure deployment
- Facilitating technology testing and validation across various stages of research and development
- Advancing partnerships and consortia across public, private, academic, and nonprofit sector entities to accomplish DOE missions
For additional details on past PIA programs at DOE, refer to the PIA FY24 Annual Report.