Topic #: CW26-T09 · Branch: DOE · Status: Open
The Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) mission is to unleash the full potential of America’s hydrocarbon and geothermal resources to provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy. HGEO will only fund proposals that support the goals of the HGEO strategic plan (https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/hgeo-strategic-plan-advancing-american-energydominance-security-and-global-leadership-0) and drive technologies toward commercialization.
Posted: 10/30/2026 · Opens: 10/30/2026
This button copies the full topic as plain text: the work, the dates, the apply steps, and the readiness list. Paste it into the AI you already use. Ask it if the work fits your firm, what you are missing, and what to skip.
This call starts with a short pitch, not a full proposal. Use the copy to judge the fit and shape the pitch. The call follows SBA policy: no limit on AI help, and no disclosure is required. Your firm signs the pitch and answers for every claim in it.
The first step is a short pitch, on the ConnectWerx site.
ApplySelect Apply. The official call page opens on the ConnectWerx site. The first step is a short pitch in the ATI portal. Full proposals are by invitation only.
Send this topic to a partner. The link opens this page.
Eligibility comes first. SBIR and STTR awards go to small businesses: for-profit, based in the United States, 500 or fewer employees counting every domestic and foreign affiliate, and at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. citizens or permanent residents. A company owned by a large parent usually cannot apply on its own. It can take part as a subcontractor under an eligible small business.
An ATI portal account is set up for the person who will submit the pitch. Pitches go in through the portal, and the account takes time to set up. To pitch, the portal account is what you need.
If your pitch is invited, the full application needs SAM.gov entity registration active. Start it now: a new registration takes 10 or more business days to become active.
If your pitch is invited, the full application needs the SBA Company Registry complete. You get a SBC Control ID. Start it now: identity checks cannot be rushed.
The first step is a pitch: 4 narrative questions, 3 short-answer questions, and 7 structured selection questions, due by the date above at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Full proposals are by invitation only. Plan to submit the pitch early.
Most topics need more than one small company can give. When people join a team, the members can cover the full scope of the topic together. Your email address stays private. Other members contact you through this site first.
Fill in the form to add your name to this list. Enter your role, a short text about what you bring, and your email address.
Send this page. It is the direct route: the link opens this topic, with the apply steps on it. The official listing opens a search page, and you need the topic number to find this topic there.
The Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) mission is to unleash the full potential of America’s hydrocarbon and geothermal resources to provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy. HGEO will only fund proposals that support the goals of the HGEO strategic plan (https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/hgeo-strategic-plan-advancing-american-energydominance-security-and-global-leadership-0) and drive technologies toward commercialization.
Areas of Interest DOE/HGEO is seeking proposals that bring new cutting-edge technology to the marketplace to be applied in the recovery and use of coal, oil and gas, and geothermal resources. We are especially seeking technologies that improve the efficiency of any of these energy value chains, especially those which will extend the life of existing resources, such as real-time sensors for produced water, advanced materials, optimization methodologies and software, conformance technologies for hydrocarbon and geothermal energy extraction, or technoeconomic and/or market analysis supporting commercialization.
In the coal sector, we seek to invest in technologies that modernize existing coal mines and coal-based power plants, as well as support the growth of coal-based power and valuable coproducts. These could involve improving the efficiency of extraction, capture, processing, and power generation at any stage in the value chain. (https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/fy-2026-27- sbirsttr-additional-information) In the oil and gas sector, we seek technologies to cost-effectively improve the recovery factor in unconventional reservoirs, create value from produced water, improve the efficiency and reliability of midstream infrastructure, and provide low cost baseload power and valuable co-products. Technologies to advance the beneficial use of produced water beyond the oil field and the development of near real-time sensors are of special interest. (https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/fy-2026-27-sbirsttr-additional-information) In the geothermal sector, we seek technologies and methods to improve targeting of the most promising resources and accelerate the development of new sources of geothermal energy as well as optimization of existing systems. We also seek methods and technologies that will support the use of geothermal for storage that enhances the reliability of the electric grid. (https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/fy-2026-27-sbirsttr-additional-information) HGEO is especially seeking technologies that will make a substantial impact on the market and significantly improve the ultimate economic recovery of subsurface energy resources.
Not of Interest HGEO is NOT seeking technologies that focus solely on the separation and processing of critical minerals found in coal without a primary focus on the processing of the coal and carbon itself. HGEO is not seeking technologies whose sole purpose is to capture or store carbon from hydrocarbon-based power without associated enhanced energy recovery or beneficial product development. HGEO is not seeking proposals focused on developing or bench-scale testing of novel treatment or desalination technologies or that address standard deep-well disposal (Class II injection) or the routine recycling solely for hydraulic fracturing makeup water. HGEO is not seeking proposals focused on residential-scale or small-scale geothermal direct use systems or offshore geothermal exploration or characterization.