The Letter of Intent (LOI) is due approximately 3 weeks after the release of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). 

The LOI is mandatory, and DOE will not accept an SBIR or STTR award application if the letter has not been submitted by the deadline. The purpose of the LOI is to provides DOE with an idea of what type or proposals will be submitted and allows officials sufficient time to secure reviewers with the appropriate technical expertise to evaluate the incoming proposals.  Secondly, this early review allows DOE officials to advise prospective applicants if their proposed R&D is inconsistent with the intentions of the topics/subtopics.  If an applicant submits an LOI that suggests that the project direction is inconsistent with the vision of the topic author, DOE reviewers will notify the prospective applicant, who then has the opportunity to take corrective actions. In addition, feedback to responsive applicants will be provided for a limited number of topics.

The technical description of the proposed research may not exceed 500 words and two pages, when printed using standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The body text font must not be smaller than 11 point. Figures and references, if included, must fit within the two-page limit.

The PI and Business Official must each be registered in PAMS. 

Requirements 

Instructions 

Project Title

The LOI must include a descriptive title of the planned R&D. This title should be the same title that you use when you submit the application in Grants.gov. 

Principal Investigator 

The LOI must include the name, title and contact information of the Principal Investigator 

Institution

Include the small business name

NOFO Number

The LOI must include the NOFO number indicated on the NOFO cover page

Topic Number and Subtopic Letter

The LOI must include the topic number and subtopic letter as provided in the corresponding FOA Topics document.  

All senior/key personnel

Include the names of all senior/key personnel at both the applicant and team member institutions

Subcontractors/Consultants 

The LOI must include the names of any proposed subcontractors or consultants if any. 

Technical Abstract 

  • Do NOT include proprietary information. 
  • Begin with a short paragraph that describes the proposed project and its importance. 
  • Include a section that clearly and concisely describes how the proposed project addresses the problem/opportunity identified in the topic/subtopic.  
  • Include sufficient detail so that DOE personnel can determine what kinds of disciplines and expertise will be required among the reviewers. 
  • If space allows, include a few sentences on the potential commercialization aspect of the project and the possible market opportunity.   

 


Helpful Tips: 

  • The Letter of Intent is not a letter.  It is a technical abstract. 
  • Do not include proprietary data. 
  • Include specific statements that address how the proposed project is directly related to the DOE topic/subtopic problem/opportunity presented by the Topic Document. 
  • Complete the PAMS registration as early as possible.   
  • DOE will not provide feedback in response to an LOI unless the proposed R&D described appears to be nonresponsive to the selected topic and subtopic.   
  • You can change your consultants and subcontractors between the time of submission of the LOI and the application.

Phase 0 Resources: