On April 27, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) announced its first funding opportunity for high-risk, high-payoff transformational energy-related R&D. ARPA-E is an organization within the Department of Energy created specifically to foster research and development of transformational energy-related technologies. ARPA-E will fund scientists and technologists to take an immature technology that promises to make a large impact on the ARPA-E mission areas and develop it beyond the "valley of death" that prevents many transformational new technologies from becoming a market reality.
Eligible lead organizations include for-profit entities, academic institutions, research foundations, and not-for-profit entities. As a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) Contractor, Sandia National Laboratories cannot be the lead organization (applicant) but can participate as a team member on another entity's application. Sandia offers scientific and engineering expertise and state-of-the-art facilities in a broad range of energy-related areas with special emphasis on energy security applications.
Sandia encourages potential lead applicants to contact arpa-e@sandia.gov if they wish to discuss the potential participation by Sandia in an ARPA-E proposal.
(1) Enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that result in-
Under this funding announcement, ARPA-E will achieve these goals by funding energy technology projects that (1) translate scientific discoveries and cutting-edge inventions into technological innovations and (2) accelerate transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is not likely to undertake because of high technical or financial risk.