Topics and Subtopics 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to begin reviewing the topic and subtopic pairs as soon as possible.  DOE releases topics twice a year, once in July, and again in November.  The first release in July generally involves four participating DOE Research Programs while the release in November originates with a larger set of DOE Research Programs: 

The topic and subtopic pairs are developed by the various offices to contribute to DOE’s mission to “ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.”  Therefore, it is important that applicants understand the topic/subtopic pair they are responding to and the underlying needs of the issuing office.  If the topics document references any specific research studies or prior related work, applicants should make themselves familiar with these earlier works and determine if they can offer anything to further the studies or to complement them in any way.  To write a successful SBIR/STTR proposal, applicants must respond to the needs as outlined in the Topics document and corresponding FOA.  In addition to carefully reviewing the topics document, applicants are also advised to spend time reading about the office of interest, its programs, and research.   

The Topics Document 

The table of contents within the Topics document lists the topics and subtopics by Program area.  Underneath the Program Area Overview for a particular office, applicants will see the Topics for that area listed by number, and then listed under topic and marked with a,b,c, are the subtopics.  Some topics may only have one subtopic, while others may have several.  The contact information for Topic Authors is listed at the end of each section and applicants are encouraged to contact the individuals listed should they have any questions.