DOE SBIR/STTR Programs primarily uses the LOIs to establish the reviewer pool for the Phase I applications. The LOIs are reviewed by the Program Managers for their responsiveness to the topic/subtopic description. If the LOI is considered to be not responsive, the applicant will receive an email indicating that it was deemed non-responsive, including supporting review comments.

DOE does not send emails for LOIs that appear to be responsive to the topic/subtopic description. If you do not receive a non-responsive email, your submissions was considered responsive. 

If you receive an email from DOE that your LOI appears to be non-responsive, it does not preclude you from submitting a Phase I application for your proposed project.  However, it is suggested that you consider the comments received and return to the topic/subtopic description again to determine what the issue may be and if it can be resolved.  If you believe that your proposal does address the topic/subtopic, it may be useful to reach out with questions to the topic author or topic manager.  As noted in the “Consult a Topic Manager” section of this guide, the contact information for the topic manager is included in the topics document at the end of each topic section.  

Review the comments provided and consider the following actions: 

  1. If you still believe that the proposed project is responsive, work on providing greater clarity and strengthening the responsiveness of your Phase I application. 
  2. After careful consideration, you may agree with the assessment provided by DOE and conclude that your proposed project is not responsive and do not follow through with the Phase I application.
  3. You agree that - as proposed - it is not responsive but believe that it could be, and adjust your approach accordingly in your Phase I application. 

Helpful Tips:

  • Receiving a non-responsive LOI email does not preclude you from submitting a Phase I application.
  • Applicants will not receive an email regarding their LOI unless it is considered non-responsive.  Applicants whose LOIs are considered responsive will not be notified. 
  • As the Project Narrative and corresponding application documents will take some time to complete, do not stop working once you submit your LOI or wait for a non-responsive email.  
  • The non-responsive notification is sent to the applicant’s Principal Investigator and the Business Official is copied on the email by September 19. The email will come from PAMS.Autoreply@science.doe.gov. You should check your junk email folder and spam repository. 
  • If possible, speak with a topic author/manager prior to submitting your LOI to ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the topic/subtopic pair. 
  • If you have not been able to speak with a topic author/manager after several attempts, send a polite email to sbir-sttr@science.doe.gov to ask for assistance.

Phase 0 Resources: 

  • Phase 0 Tutorial podcast:  Apparently Non-Responsive LOIs → Click Here 
  • Phase 0 Tutorial pdf:  Apparently Non-Responsive LOIs  → Click Here


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