SBIR Phase I — Department of Energy

Who qualifies

• For-profit US small business concern with 500 or fewer employees (including all affiliates)
• More than 50% owned and controlled by US citizens or permanent resident aliens — or by another eligible US small business
• Principal Investigator must be primarily employed (>50% of working time) at the applicant firm at time of award and throughout the project
• Foreign-owned companies are not eligible (even if incorporated in the US, a >50% foreign ownership disqualifies)
• Active SAM.gov registration with a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) required before proposal submission
• Must register in the SBA SBIR Company Registry at sbir.gov before submitting
• Proposed research must align with DOE's mission areas (energy production, use, environmental management, national defense, fundamental science)
• Topics are pre-specified — you must apply to an open topic; open research proposals not accepted
• No cost-sharing required for Phase I

Hard requirements

• Must be incorporated
• 51%+ US ownership required

What it covers

How to apply

1. 1

   Register in SAM.gov and obtain your UEI

   Create or renew your System for Award Management registration at sam.gov. New registrations can take 2–3 weeks to activate — start well before the solicitation closes. Your UEI is required on every federal application.

   ~4 hrs

2. 2

   Register in the SBA SBIR Company Registry

   Create your company profile at sbir.gov — required for all SBIR applicants. Capture accurate employee count (including affiliates), ownership structure, and prior SBIR/STTR award history. Approval takes 1–3 business days.

   ~2 hrs

3. 3

   Identify the right DOE topic area and contact the program manager

   Read the active DOE SBIR FOA (posted at science.osti.gov/sbir and grants.gov) and identify 1–2 topics that match your technology. DOE topics are specific technical challenges — misalignment is the leading rejection cause. Emailing the listed topic manager before submitting is strongly encouraged and often results in informal fit feedback within 1–2 weeks.

   ~10 hrs

4. 4

   Prepare the technical proposal

   DOE Phase I proposals are submitted in Grants.gov Workspace using the SF-424 form family. The technical narrative covers: Statement of the Problem, Background and Significance, Innovation, Approach and Methodology, Related R&D, and Commercialization Plan. Phase I page limits are typically 25 pages. Include CVs/biosketches for all key personnel and letters of intent from collaborators.

   ~80 hrs

5. 5

   Prepare the budget and supporting documents

   Complete the SF-424A (budget) and budget justification. DOE allows direct costs (labor, materials, equipment, subcontracts) plus indirect costs at negotiated or de minimis rates. Include the required Commercialization Plan (1–2 pages minimum), Facilities and Resources statement, and any required certifications (small business, debarment, drug-free workplace).

   ~15 hrs

6. 6

   Submit via Grants.gov Workspace before the deadline

   Assemble the full package in Grants.gov Workspace and submit by 11:59pm ET on the published due date. Submit at least 48 hours before deadline to allow time for error correction — Grants.gov processing errors are common and cannot be fixed after deadline. Confirmation arrives via email within 1–2 business days.

   ~5 hrs

SBIR / STTR details

NAICS codes: 541715, 541714, 541330, 237110, 221113, 221122, 325412

Deadline & timing

DOE SBIR runs two solicitation releases per fiscal year. Release 1 (spring cycle): typically opens October–November and closes January–February. Release 2 (fall cycle): typically opens March–April and closes June–July. FY2025 Release 2 was announced under FOA DE-FOA-0003504 with applications due February 26, 2025. The DOE SBIR/STTR program moved from the Office of Science to the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) effective April 13, 2026 — contact addresses changed to sbir-sttr@hq.doe.gov for forward-looking questions. Award notifications typically arrive 5–6 months after the submission deadline.

Programs that stack well

• Research & Development Tax Credit (Section 41)
• SBIR Phase II — Department of Energy
• NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
• SBIR Phase I — NIH (PHS Omnibus)
• State Energy Office Grants

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