The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced more than $35 million in funding for 42 projects aimed at advancing emerging energy technologies. The funding, provided through the DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF), will support efforts to move innovations related to grid security, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, and advanced manufacturing from DOE National Laboratories and other sites into the marketplace.
These projects will also receive over $21 million in cost share from private and public partners, bringing the total investment to more than $57.5 million.
The TCF program is managed by the Office of Technology Commercialization’s Core Laboratory Infrastructure for Market Readiness (CLIMR) Lab Call. The initiative is designed to strengthen economic and national security by supporting partnerships that aim to maximize taxpayer investments and promote American innovation.
“The Energy Department’s National Labs play an important role in ensuring the United States leads the world in innovation,” said Secretary Wright. “These projects have the potential to accelerate technological breakthroughs that will define the future of science and help secure America’s energy future.”
This year’s selected projects span 19 DOE National Labs, plants, and sites. Among them:
– Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will launch America’s Cradle to Commerce (AC2C), building on a previous program that helped startups raise over $15 million and launch five commercial pilots within 18 months.
– Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will expand its Visual Intellectual Property Search (VIPS) tool with a new version designed to make it easier to search for lab innovations available for licensing or open-source use.
– Argonne National Laboratory will work on advancing commercialization of OpenMC Monte Carlo particle transport code through the Exascale Computing Project, aiming to speed up design and licensing processes for U.S. nuclear reactor projects.
A full list of this year’s funded projects can be found on the DOE website.
