WPTO Announces $4.4M For Phase I Small Business Innovation Projects

As part of today’s $53M announcement by U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) research and development projects, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) announced the selection of 20 new projects across 8 states, totaling nearly $4.4M in funding.

The selected small businesses are receiving Phase I Release 2 grants for innovations that demonstrate technical feasibility during the first phase of their research. Most Phase I awards are for $200,000, covering a period of less than one year.

WPTO will fund awards under four topics:

• Innovative Sensing and Data Platforms for Water and Hydropower
• Co-Development of Marine Energy Technology at Smaller Scales
• Waterway Debris Remediation Powered by Marine Energy
• Affordable, Grid-Friendly, High-Torque Direct-Drive Generators (joint topic with the Advanced Manufacturing and Wind Energy Technologies Office)

Small businesses play a major role in spurring innovation and creating jobs in the U.S. economy. The SBIR and STTR programs were created by Congress to leverage small businesses to advance innovation at federal agencies. Information on the DOE SBIR and STTR programs is available on the Office of Science SBIR website. Additional information can be found on the EERE SBIR/STTR website. For more details about the WPTO selections, read the announcement.