Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001613
The Solid State Lighting Advanced Technology R&D 2017 funding opportunity (DE FOA 0001613) is a Department of Energy program, administered through the National Energy Technology Laboratory, that supports research and development intended to move solid state lighting (SSL) forward in practical, market-relevant ways. SSL in this context includes both LED (light emitting diode) and OLED (organic light emitting diode) technologies. The central focus is not just incremental lab improvements, but work that can translate into better-performing, more affordable, and more reliable lighting products that people and organizations actually buy and use, while also strengthening the long-term competitiveness of U.S.-based manufacturing in the SSL sector.
A major goal of the opportunity is to push energy efficiency as far as possible in commercial SSL products. That means funding R&D that can increase how much useful light is produced per unit of electricity, and do so in a way that holds up under real-world operating conditions. Improving efficiency is framed as a direct pathway to reducing national energy consumption tied to lighting, lowering operating costs for buildings and infrastructure, and advancing broader energy and environmental priorities.
Another key emphasis is removing market barriers that slow adoption even when efficiency is strong. In practice, SSL adoption can be held back by concerns about lifetime, inconsistent performance over time, color quality, or how well a light source integrates into a complete lighting system. This opportunity explicitly targets those adoption friction points by encouraging improvements to durability and lifetime (so products last longer and fail less), better color quality (so lighting looks right for homes, workplaces, retail, healthcare, and outdoor environments), and stronger overall system performance (so the driver electronics, optics, thermal management, and controls work together reliably and predictably).
Cost reduction is also a stated objective, with attention to both SSL sources and luminaires. In other words, the program is interested not only in the cost of the LED or OLED emitter itself, but also in the full fixture and system-level components that determine the final price of an installed lighting solution. R&D that lowers material costs, simplifies manufacturing steps, improves yields, reduces waste, or enables easier assembly and scaling aligns with this objective, especially when it does not compromise quality.
The opportunity further highlights the importance of product consistency and quality. Variability between production lots, shifts in color or output, and uneven performance across product lines can undermine buyer confidence and make large deployments more difficult. By emphasizing consistency alongside high quality, the funding opportunity signals interest in technology and manufacturing advances that improve repeatability, tighter tolerances, better binning or characterization methods, and improved reliability assurance, all of which can help the market treat SSL products as predictable infrastructure rather than experimental technology.
Finally, the program explicitly ties technical progress to domestic industrial strength. It aims to encourage growth, leadership, and sustainability of U.S. manufacturing within the SSL industry. That typically means preference for projects that support U.S. know-how, supply chain resilience, and scalable manufacturing capability, helping ensure that advances in SSL do not only exist as research outputs but also translate into domestic economic activity and long-term industrial capacity.
From an administrative standpoint, this was a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which generally implies active involvement by the funding agency during project execution compared with more hands-off grant structures. It was open to unrestricted applicants (meaning any entity type could apply, subject to any eligibility details in the full announcement). The opportunity was posted on October 12, 2016, and originally closed on January 10, 2017. The anticipated award ceiling was $1,500,000 per award, with an expectation of about 10 awards. The program is associated with CFDA number 81.086 and falls under funding activity areas that include energy, environment, and science and technology R&D.Apply for DE FOA 0001613
- The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy, environment, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Solid State Lighting Advanced Technology R&D 2017" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 12, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 10, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
The Solid State Lighting Advanced Technology R&D 2017 funding opportunity (DE FOA 0001613) is a U.S. Department of Energy program administered through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). It supports research and development intended to move solid state lighting (SSL) forward in practical, market-relevant ways.
Which technologies are included under "solid state lighting" (SSL) for this program?
SSL includes both LED (light emitting diode) and OLED (organic light emitting diode) technologies under this opportunity.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The program is focused on advancing SSL in ways that translate into better-performing, more affordable, and more reliable lighting products that are actually adopted in the market, while also strengthening the long-term competitiveness of U.S.-based SSL manufacturing.
Is the program focused on incremental lab improvements, or market-ready impact?
The central focus is not just incremental laboratory improvements. The opportunity emphasizes work that can translate into practical, market-relevant improvements in commercial SSL products.
What are the primary technical goals emphasized in the opportunity?
The opportunity emphasizes: (1) pushing energy efficiency in commercial SSL products, (2) removing market barriers that slow adoption, (3) reducing costs for SSL sources and luminaires, (4) improving product consistency and quality, and (5) supporting growth and sustainability of U.S. manufacturing in the SSL sector.
How does the opportunity define the energy efficiency objective?
It aims to fund R&D that increases how much useful light is produced per unit of electricity and ensures that performance holds up under real-world operating conditions. Improving efficiency is framed as a pathway to reducing national energy consumption tied to lighting and lowering operating costs.
Why is real-world operating performance important in this FOA?
The opportunity highlights that efficiency gains should hold up under real-world conditions, reflecting an interest in improvements that remain reliable and effective outside of controlled lab environments.
What market barriers to SSL adoption does the FOA specifically call out?
The FOA notes that adoption can be slowed by concerns about lifetime, inconsistent performance over time, color quality, and how well a light source integrates into a complete lighting system.
What types of improvements related to durability and lifetime are relevant?
The opportunity encourages improvements that increase durability and lifetime so products last longer and fail less, helping address adoption concerns tied to reliability over time.
What does the FOA mean by improving "color quality"?
It emphasizes better color quality so lighting looks right across applications such as homes, workplaces, retail, healthcare, and outdoor environments.
What does "system performance" mean in the context of this opportunity?
System performance includes how the driver electronics, optics, thermal management, and controls work together reliably and predictably as part of a complete lighting system.
Does the FOA support cost reduction, and at what level?
Yes. Cost reduction is a stated objective, and it explicitly includes both SSL sources and luminaires. The focus is not limited to the LED/OLED emitter; it includes the full fixture and system-level components that determine the installed solution price.
What kinds of R&D approaches align with the cost reduction objective?
Aligned approaches include lowering material costs, simplifying manufacturing steps, improving yields, reducing waste, and enabling easier assembly and scaling, particularly when these changes do not compromise quality.
Why does the FOA emphasize product consistency and quality?
Variability between production lots, color or output shifts, and uneven performance can undermine buyer confidence and make large deployments difficult. The FOA signals interest in advances that improve repeatability and reliability so SSL can be treated as predictable infrastructure.
What examples of "consistency" improvements are mentioned?
The opportunity points to concepts such as tighter tolerances, improved binning or characterization methods, and improved reliability assurance as ways to improve repeatability and confidence in product performance.
How does this opportunity connect technical R&D to U.S. manufacturing?
The program explicitly ties technical progress to domestic industrial strength by aiming to encourage growth, leadership, and sustainability of U.S. manufacturing in the SSL industry, including U.S. know-how, supply chain resilience, and scalable manufacturing capability.
What kind of award instrument is used for this FOA?
This was a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which generally implies more active involvement by the funding agency during project execution compared with more hands-off grant structures.
Who could apply for this opportunity?
It was open to unrestricted applicants, meaning any entity type could apply, subject to any eligibility details in the full announcement.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on October 12, 2016 and originally closed on January 10, 2017.
What was the maximum expected award size (award ceiling)?
The anticipated award ceiling was $1,500,000 per award.
How many awards were expected?
The opportunity indicated an expectation of about 10 awards.
What CFDA number is associated with this program?
The program is associated with CFDA number 81.086.
What funding activity areas does this FOA fall under?
The funding activity areas include energy, environment, and science and technology R&D.
What kinds of end-use settings are mentioned as relevant for SSL improvements?
Applications referenced include homes, workplaces, retail, healthcare, and outdoor environments, particularly in relation to color quality and practical performance needs.
What is the overall intended national impact of improving SSL efficiency?
Improving SSL efficiency is framed as a direct pathway to reducing national energy consumption tied to lighting, lowering operating costs for buildings and infrastructure, and supporting broader energy and environmental priorities.
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