DOE selects 38 small businesses to partner with national labs
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Earth Day Texas 2017, which was observed last week, the 38 American small businesses that will partner with national lab researchers through the Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot.
The businesses will receive access to the national labs and collaborate with DOE National Laboratory researchers to aid in work related to advanced energy technologies. Eight national labs will receive funding to collaborate with the 38 businesses.
“Small businesses are the engine of our economy, and those working on advanced energy technologies play an important role in ensuring our nation’s energy security and independence,” Energy Secretary Rick Perry said. “The Small Business Vouchers program is a great example of how DOE’s innovative public-private collaborations are ensuring our investments in DOE national labs are maintaining and strengthening U.S. competitiveness long-term.”
Eleven of the projects will focus on advanced manufacturing including semiconductors and lithium ion batteries. Other projects will focus on bioenergy, buildings, fuel cells, geothermal, solar, vehicles, water and wind.
In the first two rounds of the SBV program, 12 national labs received funding to work with 76 small businesses. This most recent announcement expands the number of businesses participating in the program to 114.
The labs participating in this round of SBV collaborations are Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and Savannah River National Laboratory.
