Energy Program for Innovation Clusters

EPIC 2025

DOE's Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) is thrilled to offer another year of support for small business, incubators, and accelerators via EPIC in 2025. The 2025 program will consist of our highly regarded pitch competitions. All previous EPIC incubator and accelerator awardees will be eligible to nominate an energy technology startup. Startup finalists will be selected to pitch their ideas to a panel of DOE and industry reviewers for the chance to win cash awards at a series of pitch events throughout the year. 

As locations and dates are finalized, pitch competition details and nomination information will be communicated to eligible EPIC Prize winners.  

  • The Fall 2025 EPIC Pitch Competition will be held at the co-located 2025 Defense TechConnect and Resilience Week hosted by TechConnect, Nov 19-21 in National Harbor, MD. The Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) has informed DOE they intend to offer additional cash prizes for incubators that nominate the 2nd and 3rd prize winning startups! The total prize pool is a minimum of $105K. Finalist competitors have not yet been selected. 

    FESI is an independent, agency-related foundation, established through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to assist the Department of Energy (DOE) in carrying out its mission to ensure the security and prosperity of the United States by addressing energy and environmental challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. FESI is excited to participate with the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) to provide additional strategic investments.

  • The Spring 2025 EPIC Pitch Competition was held at the 2025 Energy Thought Summit in San Antonio, TX from May 19-22, 2025. View the official winners' announcement here. 

EPIC PRIZE Round 3

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), EPIC Round 3 was a $4 million competitive funding program for the nation’s most innovative incubators supporting energy innovation clusters. EPIC Round 3 awarded several cash prizes and five three-year cooperative agreements to regional incubator teams that submit the most creative and impactful plans, then implement those plans to develop strong programming, connections, and support for energy startups and entrepreneurs. The five projects that were awarded 3-year cooperative agreements are now in progress. 

Phase 1

In April 2024, OTC announced the Phase 1 winners of the Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) Round 3. Twenty-three incubators and accelerators from across the nation were each awarded $150,000 for programs designed to support energy startups and entrepreneurs in their communities. Applicants included traditional business accelerators and incubators, as well as innovative entrepreneurship communities and startup advocacy organizations. 

Read the official announcement.

Phase 2

In December 2024, OTC announced the Phase 2 winners of the Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) Round 3. Five teams were awarded the opportunity to negotiate an up to $1M 3-year cooperative agreement with DOE. 

Read the official announcement. 

EPIC Reports

  • This report describes the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) program progress and implementation. This report builds off the published report to Congress in June 2022, which provided an overview of the EPIC program and plans for implementation. This report provides an update to Congress on the EPIC program, in its third round of awards and fourth year of programming as of FY 2024, including an overview of its program structure, awardees, as well as key performance measures and select outcomes for the program’s first two rounds

    Read the report. 

  • During Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, Congress appropriated $5 million and tasked the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) to fund incubators that support energy technology innovation clusters. This in turn led to OTC's development of the Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC).  This report presents funding activities, award status and preliminary outcomes for EPIC through 2021.

    Read the report. 

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