SPURRING PROJECTS TO ADVANCE ENERGY RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE SWIFTLY (SPARKS)
Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy
About the Grant
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides a continuing opportunity for the rapid support of early-stage applied research to explore innovative new concepts with the potential for transformational and disruptive changes in energy technology. Spurring Projects to Advance Energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly (SPARKS) awards are intended to be flexible and may take the form of analyses or exploratory research that provides the agency with useful information for the subsequent development of focused technology programs. SPARKS awards may also support proof-of-concept research to develop a unique technology concept, either in an area not currently supported by the agency or as a potential enhancement to an ongoing focused technology program. Applications must propose concepts that are not covered by open ARPA-E focused FOAs and that do not represent incremental improvements over existing technology.
SPARKS awards are defined as single-phase efforts of durations of 18 months or less with a total project cost of $500,000 or less and will be issued through Grants. ARPA-E expects to make approximately $10 million per fiscal year available for new awards, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
This announcement is purposely broad in scope to encourage the submission of the most innovative ideas in energy technology to support transformative energy R&D that complements ARPA-E’s primary mechanism, which is through the solicitation of research projects in focused technology programs.ARPA-E’s focused programs target specific areas of technology that the agency has identified through extensive interaction with the appropriate external stakeholders. The focused programs have significant potential impact on one or more of the statutory goals described in Section I.A of the FOA. Awards made in response to the solicitation for focused programs support the aggressive technical targets established in that solicitation. Taken in total, ARPA-E’s focused programs cover a broad swath of energy technologies and applications.
Notes
Related Grants
Algorithms for Modern Power Systems
U.S. National Science Foundation
The Algorithms for Modern Power Systems (AMPS) program will support research projects to develop the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms for improvement of the security, reliability, and efficiency of the modern power grid. The program is a partnership between the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Ben Franklin Technology Partners Challenge Grant
PA Department of Commerce & Economic Development
Provides funds to businesses through the four Ben Franklin Technology Partners for access to capital, business expertise, technology commercialization services to advance the development of new technologies and for the generation, conservation, and transportation of alternative and clean energy.
Combustion and Fire Systems
U.S. National Science Foundation
The Combustion and Fire Systems program is part of the Transport Phenomena cluster, which also includes 1) th eFluid Dynamics program; 2) the Particulate and Multiphase Processes program; and 3) the Thermal Transport Processes program. The goal of the Combustion and Fire Systems program is to create new knowledge to support advances in clean energy, climate change mitigation, a cleaner environment and public safety. The program endeavors to create fundamental scientific knowledge that is needed for safe, clean and useful combustion applications and for mitigating the effects of fire. The program aims to identify and understand the controlling basic principles and to use that knowledge to create predictive capabilities for designing and optimizing practical combustion devices and understanding fire. Important outcomesfor this program include: -broad-based tools — experimental, theoretical, and computational — that can be applied to a variety of problems in combustion technologies and fire; -science and technology for clean and efficient generation of power; -discoveries that enable clean environments (for example, by reduction in combustion-generated pollutants); and -enhanced public safety and climate change mitigation through research on wildland and building fire growth, inhibition, and suppression.
Fiscal Year 2026 Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research
Office of Nuclear Energy
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) mission is to advance nuclear energy science and technology to meet U.S. energy, environmental, and economic needs. NE has identified the following goals to address challenges in the nuclear energy sector, help realize the potential of advanced technology, and leverage the unique role of the government in spurring innovation: - Enable continued operation of existing U.S. nuclear reactors - Enable deployment of advanced nuclear reactors - Develop advanced nuclear fuel cycles - Maintain U.S. leadership in nuclear energy technology NE strives to promote integrated and collaborative research conducted by national laboratory, university, industry, and international partners under the direction of NE’s programs, and to deploy innovative nuclear energy technologies to the market and to optimize the benefits of nuclear energy.
Fiscal Year 2026 Phase II Continuation Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research
Office of Nuclear Energy
The Office of Nuclear Energy’s (NE) mission is to advance nuclear energy science and technology to meet U.S. energy, environmental, and economic needs. NE has identified the following goals to address challenges in the nuclear energy sector, help realize the potential of advanced technology, and leverage the unique role of the government in spurring innovation: - Keep existing U.S. nuclear reactors operating; - Deploy new nuclear reactors; - Secure and sustain our nuclear fuel cycle - Expand international nuclear energy cooperation. NE conducts crosscutting nuclear energy research and development (R&D) and associated infrastructure support activities to develop innovative technologies that offer the promise of dramatically improved performance for its mission needs as stated above, while maximizing the impact of NE resources. NE strives to promote integrated and collaborative research conducted by national laboratory, university, industry, and international partners under the direction of NE’s programs; deploy innovative nuclear energy technologies to the market; and optimize the benefits of nuclear energy.
GFO-21-901 – Cost Share for Federal Clean Energy Funding Opportunities
CA Energy Commission
Purpose: To provide cost share funding to applicants that apply for and receive one of the following: An award under an eligible federal Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and meet the requirements of this solicitation, or Follow-on funding from the U.S. DOE to continue research from PON-14-308, GFO-18-902, or this GFO and the proposed project meets the requirements of this solicitation. Description: The purpose of this solicitation is to provide cost share funding to applicants that apply for and receive one of the following: An award under an eligible federal Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and meet the requirements of this solicitation, or Follow-on funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue research from a previously awarded federal grant that also received Energy Commission federal cost share funding under PON-14-308, GFO-18-902, or this GFO and the proposed project meets the requirements of this solicitation.
MassCEC Catalyst & DICES Grants
MassVentures
Catalyst provides up to seven grants of up to $75,000 to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their clean energy technologies. Diversity in Cleantech Early Stage (DICES), in parallel with Catalyst, awards three additional grants of up to $75,000 each for projects led by eligible (certified or certifiable) women-owned or minority-owned early-stage companies. The program is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of transforming new ideas from the research stage into commercially viable technologies that attract industry and investor interest. All awardees gain access to a vast network of partners, expert local market and policy insights, and mentoring from MassCEC and MassVentures, while all finalists receive complimentary pitch coaching and business mentoring.
OK Industry Innovation Grants
OCAST
OCAST awards funding of up to $500,000 to companies leading innovation projects that have the potential to create economic impact in Oklahoma. Projects must have an end user application within the targeted industries identified in the 2021-2026 Science and Innovation Strategic Plan, which includes biotechnology; aerospace, autonomous systems and defense; and energy diversification.
RI Internship Grant
Rhode Island Commerce Corporation
Experiential learning opportunities, including internships, are a key method for students to explore career possibilities, gain hands-on experience and meet people in industry in their field of study. For the company, it is a critical workforce development tool. The Innovate Rhode Island Small Business Fund (IRISBF) Internship Grant Program provides grants of up to $6,500 to assist companies in the life sciences and engineering sectors defray the costs of providing student internships and mentoring to eligible Rhode Island residents attending a college or university in Rhode Island.