The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science has released its DE-FOA-0000760 funding opportunity announcement for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, seeking applicants for funding directed toward fiscal 2013 Phase I and Fast-Track (combined Phase I and Phase II) projects, starting in February 2013.

About $34m is expected to be available under this FOA for up to a total of about 162 awards. The maximum amount for individual SBIR and STTR awards will be $150,000, $225,000 or $450,000 for Phase I projects (running for up to 9 months) and $1,150,000, $1,725,000 or $3,450,000 for Fast-Track projects (running for up to 33 months), depending on the topic. 

Of the 43 topics for the funding opportunity, 14 fall under the Office of Basic Energy Sciences’ program area overview, including the following two: ‘Radio Frequency (RF) Devices and Components for Accelerator Facilities (Phase I, $150,000/Phase II, $1,000,000)’; ‘Wide Bandgap Semiconductors for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Phase I, $150,000/Phase II, $1,000,000)’.

Qualified small businesses with strong research capabilities in science or engineering in any of the research areas sought in the announcement are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must submit a letter of intent by 4 September in order to be eligible to submit a full application by 16 October. A webinar to review the SBIR/STTR programs and key fiscal 2013 changes is scheduled for 17 August at 2:00pm ET.