Voucher Opportunity 4 - Commercialization Support (EERE)

Are you a company (for-profit entity) in the research and development stage seeking support to commercialize your technology? This opportunity is designed to provide additional support in the form of a voucher for help with market assessment, business plan formulation, fundraising road-mapping (from both public and private sources), and commercialization strategy. See below for additional info about eligibility and timeline.

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As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Technology Commercialization Fund, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), in collaboration with ENERGYWERX, is offering its Commercialization Support Voucher Opportunity (VO-4) to eligible companies to increase adoption readiness (with a focus on value proposition and market acceptance) of clean energy technologies.

The DOE Voucher Program builds bridges between U.S. entrepreneurs, businesses, technology developers or other relevant partners and third-party voucher providers to advance commercialization of innovative energy technologies. Voucher Opportunity (VO-4) includes support activities such as:

• Market analysis/research
• Marketing Materials development
• Go to Market strategy
• Product Scale up
• Patent landscape analysis
• Intellectual Property legal support
• Business Plan development,
• Fundraising road-mapping (from both public and private sources)
• Commercialization strategy assistance

The first submission window solicits proposals from potential voucher providers. A second submission window will be open soon to solicit requests from potential voucher recipients. Pending availability of funds, additional submission windows may open in the future.

Voucher Projects: Expected max voucher value up to $50,000 of work (actual values vary depending on the details of the provider’s capability statement). As part of the application form, potential providers will submit the details of their capability statement, including the technical scope, deliverables, price, and throughput of the capability. Each voucher provider may submit up to three unique capabilities per voucher opportunity. To do so, please submit the application form once per capability, no more than three separate times. Any additional submissions beyond the three newest capabilities will not be reviewed. Vouchers will be distributed as in-kind support, meaning that ENERGYWERX will directly reimburse the voucher provider for the work they have completed on behalf of the voucher recipients. Only work related to specific technology areas will be eligible to receive a voucher under this opportunity. List of eligible technology areas:

• Clean hydrogen
• Industrial decarbonization‍
• Advanced materials and Manufacturing Technologies‍‍
• ‍Building efficiency
• ‍Geothermal‍
• Solar‍
• Water
• Wind
• Bioenergy
• ‍Vehicle technologies

DOE anticipates issuing up to 10 vouchers.

Voucher Providers: Including but not limited to independent engineering and consulting firms, and national laboratories.

Voucher Recipients: Limited to for-profit companies with a product prototype that fits a specific technology area of interest for DOE EERE and is nearly ready for pilot scale or large-scale demonstration, or commercialization. DOE is particularly interested in supporting companies who have won DOE prize competitions or completed DOE funded R&D projects (from any DOE office including but not limited to Office of Science, EERE, FECM, Nuclear Energy, ARPA-E) and need a boost to get to the next level.

Voucher Providers: How to Participate in VO-4

• Watch the Informational Webinar/Objective Strategic Session recording: Click Here to Watch
• Submit questions into Slido to be answered during the live Office Hours session
• Review the resources from the Informational Office Session on June 18, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET‍
• Complete the Provider Submission Form: Click Here to Submit for VO-4 (Submissions are due NLT July 9, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET)

This is not the only voucher opportunity currently available through ENERGYWERX. See here for additional information related to other voucher opportunities.

Informational Webinar/Objective Strategic Session (IW/OSS): DOE will provide further details about Voucher Opportunities. Potential voucher providers can better understand the scope, scale, and intent of the Voucher Program. The virtual IW/OSS will be pre-recorded and can viewed here.

Information Office Hours [June 18, 2024 at 3:00PM ET]: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host Office Hours on Voucher Opportunities 1, 2, 4, and 5 on June 18, 2024 to answer any remaining questions from potential applicants before the submission deadline.

Voucher Provider: Submissions are due NLT July 9, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET

Voucher Provider Timeline

Phase 1 – Voucher Provider Capability Statement Submissions Open [June 3, 2024 – July 9, 2024]: Interested potential voucher providers should complete the application  includ background information on the provider as well as technical scope, deliverables, price, and through of the capability.

Phase 2 – DOE Selection [July 2024]: DOE will review submissions based on relevance to the program objectives and will notify selected entities for next steps.

NOTE:  DOE may choose to meet with submitters or ask additional clarifying questions prior to selection.

Phase 3 – Negotiations [August – September 2023]: Subsequently, selected organizations will meet with ENERGYWERX to negotiate the scope of work, budget, timing, and impact.

Complete Provider Submission Form: Click Here to Submit for VO-4 (NLT July 9, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET)

Can multiple voucher providers from different parts of the same company/institution submit up to three capabilities each?

Yes, each individual voucher provider can submit up to three capabilities.

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Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact ENERGYWERX:  info@energywerx.org