DOE Request for Information: Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Climate Technology

Requests for Information (RFIs) are ways to collect input from the public to shape policy and inform actions at a federal agency. When you provide input, you are shining a light on how you understand what the key issues are for you and many of those issues and interests are transferable to others. It is an opportunity to influence your sponsor organization. In almost all cases, Research Development encourages faculty to respond to RFIs.

The Department of Energy (DOE) published a request for information (RFI) on "Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Climate Technology".

From the RFI:

This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to inform the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity (ED) on enabling an inclusive and just entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem1 in climate and energy technologies.

To effectively address climate change and implement the Justice40 initiative, DOE seeks to understand the structural barriers to entry to its funding opportunities and other forms of assistance, towards ultimately eliminating those barriers and making DOE-supported projects equitable and inclusive. DOE also seeks to understand the current resources and support for innovation and entrepreneurial activities available to individuals from groups underrepresented in STEM and individuals from underserved communities, organizations that serve underrepresented communities or are located in underserved communities, the experiences of those who have received DOE funding or assistance, the barriers to DOE funding for these groups, and resources and approaches that DOE can provide and implement towards removing these barriers. Resulting measures may encompass grant application support services, incubation and acceleration services for entrepreneurship, and other measures to support a just and inclusive innovation ecosystem.

This RFI seeks information about barriers to DOE funding and support, particularly for individuals from groups historically underrepresented in STEM, underserved communities, organizations that support underserved communities, and frontline communities, in six general categories:

• Category 1: Increasing Access to, and Awareness of, DOE Funding through Effective Outreach, Engagement, and Application Support
• Category 2: Barriers to Applying for and Receiving Funding from DOE
• Category 3: Support for an Innovation Ecosystem and Place-Based Innovation
• Category 4: Regional and Local Barriers to DOE Funding
• Category 5: Barriers to Performing within the DOE Funding System
• Category 6: Open Topic

To download the RFI, click HERE.

It is due via email no later than 5pm Eastern Time on August 6, 2021.