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Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) Prize Round 3

The Office of Technology Transitions EPIC Round 3 incentivizes incubators that implement high-impact ideas to support energy startups.

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Energy, Environment & Resources Government
stage:
DOE Cooperative Agreement Negotiations Begin
prize:
$4,000,000

This challenge is closed

Energy, Environment & Resources Government
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Overview

EPIC Round 3 

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), EPIC Round 3 is a $4 million competitive funding program for the nation’s most innovative incubators supporting energy startups. EPIC Round 3 awards cash prizes and a three-year cooperative agreement to regional incubator teams that submit the most creative and impactful plans, then implement those plans to develop strong programming, connections, and support for energy startups and entrepreneurs. 

Technology startups require more than capital to launch, grow, and scale their innovations. Incubators provide the mentorship, technology validation, business development, connections to manufacturers, and other resources that are critical to a startup’s success. The prize seeks to address a capital gap in supporting these incubators by providing both short-term financial gains through a prize competition and a multi-year, stable funding program to be applied where domestic incubators need it most. 

The new approach to EPIC—combining a prize competition with a cooperative agreement negotiation with OTT—encourages bold and impactful ideas, while providing incubators with the long-term funding needed to scale those ideas. Together with OTT and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, who manages EPIC Round 3, these incubators will strengthen the small business ecosystem in the United States and advance our clean energy future.  

Program Structure

EPIC Round 3 is composed of three phases to support energy incubators and accelerators: 

Phase 1: Competitors will create a plan to support energy startups and entrepreneurs and define their metrics for success. Up to 20 competitors will win $150,000 each. 

Phase 2: Phase 1 finalists will begin to implement their novel programming and create a continuation plan worthy of selection for a cooperative agreement. Select Phase 2 winners will then be invited to negotiate a cooperative agreement with OTT worth up to $1 million. 

Phase 3: Winning teams will negotiate their three-year cooperative agreement with OTT. 

Phase 2 will include two pitch competitions in which all past and present EPIC incubators can nominate energy startups for a chance to win the $100,000 grand prize. 

Competitor Eligibility

OTT welcomes incubator organizations that aid in the development of new business ventures, including incubators, accelerators, co-working startup communities, or any other organizations that self-identify as advocates for innovation and entrepreneurship. We encourage these organizations, including organizations that have competed in prior rounds of the EPIC Prize, to compete in EPIC Round 3. 

This funding program is open to private entities (for-profits and nonprofits) and academic institutions that meet all eligibility requirements.  

  • Private entities must be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States. 
  • Programming proposed by incubators must have an emphasis on supporting startups with a hard-tech focus.  
  • While National Laboratories are not eligible to compete, they may support teams in the competition if they are engaging the teams in compliance with lab partnership requirements.  

For more eligibility information, review the official prize rules.

Guidelines

Please review the official rules for the complete application process and instructions for competing. 

If you want to receive updates on the prize or have any questions, please subscribe by using the contact feature on the HeroX platform, or message us directly at epicprize@nrel.gov. 

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Timeline
Updates20

Challenge Updates

Announcing EPIC Round 3 Phase 2 Winners

Dec. 5, 2024, 8:07 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Administrator

Congratulations to the five Phase 2 winners of EPIC Round 3 who will advance to negotiate a 3-year cooperative agreement with DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) worth $1 million!  

These accelerators and incubators have developed comprehensive, creative plans to support clean energy startups and entrepreneurs in their communities.  

Phase 2 Winners  

Phase 2 winners represent a range of organization types and energy technology industries, and their programs offer a range of support from coaching and mentoring to tech validation and partnership development.  

The EPIC Round 3 Phase 2 winners are:  

  • Arrowhead Center at NMSU, Las Cruces, NM - Arrowhead RenewTech Incubator will build on in-house incubator offerings, focusing on emerging energy and water technologies. Cohorts will either work with national lab technologies available for licensing or solve community/industry challenges with their own or lab technologies.  
  • ClimateHaven, Inc., New Haven, CT - ClimateHaven MVP will provide business support services to companies in Connecticut, focusing on early-stage companies, with sector-specific support in the field of green chemistry/engineering.   
  • Dominion Energy Innovation Center, Ashland, VA - DEIC Hyperscaled will focus specifically on startups related to or supporting data center energy usage, offering a trial pre-accelerator mentoring program for 3-5 former EPIC finalists.  
  • Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust (PRSTRT), San Juan, Puerto Rico - Project Switch will build on PRSTRT's success with its Parallel18 accelerator program, with the goal of centering Puerto Rico as the premier hub of energy innovation in the Americas.   
  • Spark Innovation Center, Knoxville TN - SparkShop will provide product development support, resources, and training designed to help cleantech startups accelerate market entry, validate technology, and boost investor confidence.   

 

Read the full announcement on energy.gov to get more info on the prize, the winners, and the EPIC program. 

Phase 2 Winner Announcement Postponed to December

Nov. 18, 2024, 11:43 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Moderator 2

Please note that the EPIC Round 3 Phase 2 winner announcement has been postponed to mid-December. The HeroX Timeline has been updated accordingly. 

 

Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to announcing winners soon!

 

Please visit the EPIC Round 3 HeroX page for more info.  

Phase 2 Submission Deadline Sept 30

Sept. 24, 2024, 9:20 a.m. PDT by NREL Prize Administrator

The second phase of the EPIC Round 3 Prize is closing this Monday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. ET! Phase 2 competitors, all of whom must be Phase 1 winners, will need to submit their submission materials by this date.

 

Remember – Teams can find the Phase 2 submission requirements in the Official Prize Rules and optional templates to help craft their Phase 2 submissions under the Prize "Resources" tab.

 

Phase 2 competition results are anticipated to be announced in early November, and winning teams will be offered the chance to negotiate a three-year cooperative agreement with the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT)!

 

We look forward to seeing the progress our Phase 1 winners have made. Good luck to the competitors!

Winners Announced Live at Fall 2024 EPIC Pitch Competition

Sept. 11, 2024, 6:01 p.m. PDT by NREL Prize Administrator

Three startups and have been named winners in the Fall 2024 EPIC Pitch Competition! More than $100,000 in cash prizes were awarded after startups pitched their groundbreaking energy technologies to a crowd of professionals and panel of experts at the RE+ Convention in Anaheim, CA. 

 

The six finalists presented their technology, market strategy, business model, and team as reviewers scored their presentation skills, content, and investment potential. Winning teams were then selected before being announced in front of a live audience at the conference.  

 

Read the full announcement on energy.gov.  
 
Meet the Fall 2024 EPIC Pitch Competition Winners 

  • First Place - $50,000: Safire Technology Group, Inc. (Knoxville, TN)
  • Second Place - $20,000: Helix Earth Technologies (Houston, TX)
  • Third Place - $10,000: AtmosZero, Inc. (Fort Collins, CO) 

  First Place Nominating Incubator - $25,000: Spark Innovation Center

 

The prize team would like to thank and recognize all of the competition finalists for presenting their innovative technologies that are driving our nation’s sustainability efforts forward. Stay tuned for news on future EPIC opportunities!     

Announcing the Finalists for the Fall 2024 EPIC Pitch Competition in Anaheim!

Aug. 1, 2024, 12:42 p.m. PDT by NREL Prize Moderator

Six cleantech startups nominated by past EPIC winners have been selected as finalists to compete in the upcoming Fall 2024 EPIC Startup Pitch Competition in Anaheim, CA! These teams will pitch theirideas on September 11 at the national RE+ Energy Conference – the largest clean-tech conference in North America - in the hopes of capturing the $50,000 grand prize! Winners will be announced live at the conference on the same day. 

Congratulations and good luck to the finalists: 

We look forward to seeing which innovative team will take home the top prize. 

Good luck, finalists! 

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