The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy recently issued an open topic funding opportunity announcement for 2021 (OPEN21) at $100M of new support. ARPA-E supports transformational research and development across areas impacting energy and the environment. ARPA-E issues an open topic funding opportunity once every three years in order to identify and support innovative concepts not otherwise supported in topically directed funding solicitations. As a result, OPEN21 is an opportunity for new research and development support of technology ideas and concepts with high potential for impact in energy and the environment.
This seminar will focus on best practices and successful approaches for proposing ideas to ARPA-E. This begins with understanding the role of ARPA-E in the context of the broader R&D portfolio of science and applied energy programs. It will provide an overview of successful approaches in prior open solicitations in 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2018, as well as an examination of current impact priorities at DOE and ARPA-E. As a funding agency, ARPA-E supports work at universities, national laboratories, small-businesses, large businesses and not-for-profit research organizations. The impact of prior ARPA-E technology focused R&D projects have included the formation of entirely new products and markets for existing companies as well as the formation of new companies that have stimulated $10’s of billions of new funding from private sources and public markets. This seminar will be open to interested people from all sectors, with a special emphasis on attracting potential applicants who had not previously been supported by ARPA-E or the Department of Energy. The meeting will consist of an open presentation and public discussion, followed by the opportunity for individual follow-up discussion.
The seminar will be led by Prof. Mark Johnson of Clemson University. From 2009-2013, Prof. Johnson was one of the first six program directors that established ARPA-E as a new funding agency. From 2013-2017, he was the director of advanced manufacturing in the Department of Energy, where he spearheaded the establishment of the lab-embedded entrepreneurship program (ex. Cyclotron Road) as the premier entrepreneurial accelerator in energy and sustainability challenges. With a career in government, academics and the private-sector, he has a wealth of experience advising and working with innovators from laboratory teams, to start firms, to large companies.