SBIR/STTR FY 2016 Phase I Release 2 | DE FOA 0001417

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001417

The SBIR/STTR FY 2016 Phase I Release 2 opportunity (DE-FOA-0001417) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science funding announcement that offers Phase I grant support to small businesses working on early-stage research and development with clear potential to move toward commercialization in energy-related areas. It is a discretionary grant program under CFDA 81.049 and is structured as two parallel tracks: the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. While the announcement text in your excerpt does not spell out the technical topics, it signals that DOE is seeking innovative R and D concepts that can be developed into commercially viable technologies aligned with DOE mission needs.

A key point of this announcement is that it is strictly limited to eligible U.S. small business concerns. DOE emphasizes that SBIR/STTR rules are designed to ensure awards go to small, independent U.S. businesses with a real economic stake in developing and commercializing the proposed innovation. Eligibility is not just about being a small company in a general sense; the FOA notes that regulations include restrictions on (1) the type of firm, (2) the company ownership structure, and (3) the firm size as measured by number of employees. In other words, applicants must fit the formal SBIR/STTR definitions and compliance rules, and the FOA directs applicants to the Part III Eligibility Information section of DE-FOA-0001417 for the specific requirements that govern who can apply and under what conditions.

From a funding and competition standpoint, the announcement lists an award ceiling of $150,000 for Phase I, with an expectation of about 110 awards. Phase I funding in the SBIR/STTR context is generally intended to support feasibility and proof-of-concept work, helping a small business demonstrate that a technical approach is credible and worth further development. This Phase I effort is typically the front end of a larger pipeline where successful projects may later pursue Phase II funding to expand R and D, build prototypes, validate performance, and reduce technical risk on the way to commercialization.

Administratively, the opportunity is run as a grant competition managed by DOE Office of Science, with the full Funding Opportunity Announcement text hosted on FedConnect. Applicants are expected to rely on the official FOA for the detailed instructions needed to complete and submit the Grant Application Package, including required forms, formatting, registrations, submission steps, and the program-specific rules that apply to SBIR versus STTR applications. The excerpt points to the FedConnect location of the full FOA, which is where applicants would find definitive guidance on how proposals will be evaluated, what documents must be included, and any topic areas or other constraints tied to this specific FY 2016 Phase I Release 2 round.

Timing details included in the source data indicate the FOA was created on 2015-11-30 and had an original closing date of 2016-02-19. The eligible applicant category is listed as small businesses, reinforcing that this is not an open solicitation for universities, nonprofits, or large firms as prime applicants (though collaborations can be part of SBIR/STTR structures, and STTR in particular is built around formal small business and research institution partnerships, as described in the full FOA). Overall, DE-FOA-0001417 is a Phase I SBIR/STTR funding opportunity meant to seed high-potential energy innovations in small U.S. businesses, with relatively modest initial awards and an emphasis on compliance with the SBIR/STTR eligibility and ownership/size rules to ensure the funding reaches the intended community of independent small firms.

• The Office of Science in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SBIR/STTR FY 2016 Phase I Release 2" 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 2015-11-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-02-19. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 110 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for DE FOA 0001417

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