Lab MATCH Prize
The DOE Office of Technology Transitions Lab MATCH (Laboratory Making Advanced Technology Commercialization Harmonized) Prize is a $620K, three-phase competition aimed to accelerate national laboratory intellectual property (IP) licensing and commercialization.
Lab MATCH, which is funded by the Technology Commercialization Fund, is part of the American-Made Challenges suite of prizes. It provides an opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to work directly with national labs and their researchers to accelerate technology commercialization.
Participating national labs include:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Prize Phases
The Lab MATCH Prize offers a total prize pool of $620,000 in cash prizes across three phases.
Phase 1 (Commitment)
Each competing team will provide details about:
- The team as whole
- Member background and skillset
- Information describing a strong plan for licensing/commercialization.
Teams will also select the available national lab IP from one of the three participating labs, agree to the basic terms and conditions of the lab agreements, and will work with the national lab associated with the selected IP.
Up to 20 winning teams will receive $2,500 each in cash and will be eligible to compete in Phase 2.
Phase 2 (Plan)
Winning teams from Phase 1 will work to create a deep and comprehensive engagement plan that describes their commercialization intentions, past experiences, and specific plans of actions.
Teams will complete a submission that provides relevant information describing their skills and qualifications that will ensure that the commercialization process will be successful and details the plan of action, partners, timelines, and more.
Up to 9 winning teams will receive $30,000 each in cash and be eligible to compete in Phase 3.
Phase 3 (Action)
Winning teams from Phase 2 will make significant progress on licensing/commercialization by working closely with the national lab Technology Transfer Office and the relevant researcher.
The Phase 3 prizes will be awarded based on level of effort and commercialization advancement as assessed by DOE. The submission form will give teams the ability to describe their progress made throughout the prize, describe the additional action steps that need to happen to fully commercialize the technology, and provide other useful information including further details about progress made, partnerships, etc.
Three winning teams will receive $100,000 each in cash prizes.
Competitor Eligibility
This competition is only open to private, for-profit entities (for-profits).
Private entities must be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States.
Individuals, or groups of individuals, that wish to compete must incorporate in the United States as a private entity and maintain a primary place of business in the United States. It is expected that any manufacturing component of anticipated commercialization occur in the United States.
Read the Official Rules for full eligibility requirements.
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 LabMatch@nrel.gov.
Note the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is evaluating all funding opportunities, including prize challenges, to ensure appropriate resources are allocated efficiently, and that the Department's initiatives are in line with the statutory mission of DOE and the policies and priorities of the Administration and DOE. DOE is undertaking this evaluation in accordance with all laws, regulations, and fiscal responsibility, as efficiently as possible.
