DOE Awards $35M for 42 Projects Advancing AI, Grid Security, and Clean Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Thursday more than $35 million in funding for 42 projects under its Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF), aimed at accelerating the transition of emerging energy technologies from national laboratories to market. With over $21 million in cost share from public and private partners, the total investment exceeds $57.5 million.

The TCF program, managed through the Office of Technology Commercialization’s Core Laboratory Infrastructure for Market Readiness (CLIMR) Lab Call, supports public-private partnerships designed to strengthen U.S. economic and national security, maximize taxpayer investments, and bolster global competitiveness.

“The Energy Department’s National Labs play an important role in ensuring the United States leads the world in innovation,” said Energy Secretary Wright. “These projects have the potential to accelerate technological breakthroughs that will define the future of science and help secure America’s energy future.”

This year’s selections span 19 DOE National Laboratories, plants, and sites. Among the highlights:

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will launch America’s Cradle to Commerce (AC2C), expanding its Cradle to Commerce program, which has already supported startups that raised more than $15 million and launched five commercial pilots in just 18 months.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will upgrade its free-to-use Visual Intellectual Property Search (VIPS) tool with VIPS 2.0, enabling broader access to National Lab innovations available for licensing or open-source use.
• Argonne National Laboratory will advance commercialization of the OpenMC Monte Carlo particle transport code, developed through the Exascale Computing Project, to support nuclear safety and streamline design and licensing timelines for U.S. nuclear reactor projects.

DOE said the selected projects underscore the role of its labs in driving innovation in grid security, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, and advanced manufacturing.