The Department of Energy is accepting Phase I grant applications from qualified small businesses for the FY 2010 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Small businesses with strong research capabilities in science or engineering in any of the research areas sought in the announcement are encouraged to apply.

The FY 2010 SBIR/STTR Phase I Funding Notice is available at www.grants.gov , click on Apply for Grants, then click on Download a Grant Application Package and enter the Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0000161. The deadline for receipt of Phase I grant applications to either program is November 20, 2009, 8:00 p.m. EST. All applications must be submitted through Grants.gov. The Funding Notice and Technical Topic Descriptions are also available under Phase I Funding Opportunities at www.science.doe.gov/sbir. Download the application instructions or the technical topic descriptions pdf files. Applications will only be accepted electronically through Grants.gov.

Successful applicants (approximately 300 for SBIR and 30 for STTR) may receive up to $100,000 for a Phase I grant for a period of about nine months to develop the feasibility of the idea.
 

**** IMPORTANT ****

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov to be considered for award. You cannot submit an application through Grants.gov unless you are registered. If you are not registered, please read the registration requirements in the announcement carefully and start the process immediately. REMEMBER YOU HAVE TO UPDATE YOUR CCR REGISTRATION ANNUALLY.  

If you have any questions about your registration, you should contact the Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726 to verify that you are still registered in Grants.gov.  After you submit your application through Grants.gov, it is important for you to check the status to ensure your submission was successfully received.

DOE will not accept applications rejected by Grants.gov.

Registration Requirements: There are several one-time actions you must complete in order to submit an application through Grants.gov (e.g., obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, register with the Central Contract Registry (CCR), register with the credential provider, and register with Grants.gov). See http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted. Use the Grants.gov Organization Registration Checklist at http://www.grants.gov/assets/OrganizationRegCheck.pdf to guide you through the process. Designating an E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password called an MPIN are important steps in the CCR registration process. Applicants, who are not registered with CCR and Grants.gov, should allow at least 21 days to complete these requirements. It is suggested that the process be started as soon as possible.

Questions: Questions relating to the registration process, system requirements, how an application form works, or the submittal process must be directed to Grants.gov at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. DOE cannot answer these questions. Part VII of this announcement explains how to submit other questions to the Department of Energy (DOE).

Questions regarding the content of the announcement must be submitted through the FedConnect portal. You must register with FedConnect to respond as an interested party to submit questions, and to view responses to questions. It is recommended that you register as soon after release of the FOA as possible to have the benefit of all responses. More information is available at http://www.compusearch.com/products/fedconnect/fedconnect.asp and https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/PublicPages/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf.

DOE will try to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer have already been posted on the website.

Modifications: Notices of any modifications to this announcement will be posted on Grants.gov and the FedConnect portal. You can receive an email when a modification or an announcement message is posted by registering with FedConnect as an interested party for this FOA. It is recommended that you register as soon after release of the FOA as possible to ensure you receive timely notice of any modifications or other announcements. More information is available at http://www.fedconnect.net and http://www.compusearch.com/products/fedconnect/fedconnect.asp.