FY 2022 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1 | DE FOA 0002554

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002554

The FY 2022 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1 opportunity (DE-FOA-0002554) is a Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science funding call that supports early-stage research and development by small businesses through competitively awarded Phase I grants. It sits within the SBIR/STTR program structure, meaning it is aimed at moving innovative scientific or technical ideas toward commercialization while also advancing research areas that align with DOE mission needs. The core purpose of Phase I under this announcement is to test and validate the scientific and technical merit of a proposed concept, focusing on whether the approach is feasible and strong enough to justify more extensive follow-on work.

Awards under this Phase I competition are capped by topic, with maximum award sizes set at either $200,000 or $250,000 depending on the specific topic area selected. Applicants have to pay close attention to the topic-specific ceiling because any proposal budget that exceeds the stated maximum for that topic will be rejected without being reviewed, regardless of technical quality. DOE anticipated making a large number of awards under this release, with an expected total of about 196 Phase I grants, emphasizing that this is a substantial, highly structured annual competition rather than a small pilot program.

The performance period for Phase I projects is flexible based on the work plan and scope, but it cannot be longer than 12 months. A key planning detail in this FOA is the timing of the Phase II application: it will be due about 9.5 months after the Phase I start date. This deadline effectively shapes how a company should design its Phase I schedule, because Phase II is the next stage of DOE support and requires a timely submission. Importantly, DOE states that this will be the only chance to apply for Phase II for companies funded under this particular Phase I announcement, so missing that window can eliminate the pathway to Phase II funding from this award.

The FOA also makes a practical distinction about how long to set the Phase I project period. If a grantee chooses a Phase I period of performance of 9 months or less, the company can complete the Phase I work and then use the finished results to inform and strengthen the Phase II application. If the Phase I period is longer than 9 months, the company can still keep working on R&D after submitting the Phase II application, but DOE will not allow those later results to be used in preparing the Phase II proposal because they occur after submission. In other words, selecting a longer Phase I period can be beneficial for completing the research, but it may reduce how much finished data you can include in the Phase II application package by the submission deadline.

From a content standpoint, DOE emphasizes that Phase I applications should concentrate on research activities that prove feasibility rather than broader product development. The expectation is that a strong Phase I proposal will clearly define the technical objective, explain the innovation, and lay out a credible R&D plan that can demonstrate whether the idea works and why it matters. The program is explicitly geared toward ideas that show commercial potential and/or meaningful application in support of DOE mission research areas, so applicants typically need to connect the technical work to real-world use cases, markets, or mission-relevant deployment pathways. DOE also notes that success in Phase I is a prerequisite for further DOE support in Phase II, reinforcing that Phase I is both a stand-alone feasibility test and the gateway to larger-scale follow-on funding.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the science and technology and other R&D category, listed under CFDA 81.049 and administered by the DOE Office of Science. The FOA was created on August 9, 2021, with an original closing date of October 12, 2021, and an overall award ceiling of $250,000 (with some topics capped at $200,000). Eligibility is geared toward small businesses, with the listing indicating that applicants should consult the FOA text for the specific eligibility rules and any SBIR versus STTR participation requirements.

• The Department of Energy - Office of Science, Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2022 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 09, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 12, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 196 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for DE FOA 0002554

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: