SBIR & STTR Topics for Clean Energy Companies in Maryland

There are 15 open federal SBIR/STTR topics right now that match Clean Energy capabilities, across DOD, NIH, NSF, DOE, NASA, USDA, and 5 other agencies. Below: the current open topic list, recent Clean Energy winners headquartered in Maryland, the Maryland SBDC SBIR contact, and how TopicScout compares to SBIR.gov / Grants.gov / HigherGov / Instrumentl for finding the next topic to apply to.

Open Clean Energy topics (15)

1. High-performance Optimized Recycled Nuclear Isotopes for Gen IV reactors (HORNIG) — Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy · closes 2026-05-28
   NOFO Number: DE-FOA-0003623 – High-performance Optimized Recycled Nuclear Isotopes for Gen IV reactors (HORNIG) Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Ene…
2. INSPIRING GENERATIONS OF NEW INNOVATORS TO IMPACT TECHNOLOGIES IN ENERGY 2026 (IGNIITE 2026) — Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy · closes 2026-05-29
   NOFO number DE-FOA-0003624 INSPIRING GENERATIONS OF NEW INNOVATORS TO IMPACT TECHNOLOGIES IN ENERGY 2026 (IGNIITE 2026) To obtain a copy of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) please go to ARPA-E eXCHANGE at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.g…
3. Renewable Resource Extension Act National Focus Fund Projects — National Institute of Food and Agriculture-eRA · closes 2026-06-08
   The goal of RREA-NFF, Assistance Listing 10.515, is to enhance the longevity of U.S. forest and rangeland resources and enable landowners and managers to achieve their desired goals and objectives by making relevant scientific results avail…
4. ROSES25: A.11 Early Career Investigator Program in Earth Science — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-06-17
   PLEASE NOTE: this program has MANDATORY Notices of Intent, which are due via NSPIRES by May 18, 2026. See the full posting on NSPIRES for details. NOTICE: Corrected April 29, 2026. Letter D was added to Section 1.2 eligibility to sp…
5. ROSES 2025: B.3 Living with a Star Science — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-06-22
   The close date above is NOT the date for the Step-2 proposal due date as the Step-2 due date for this program will be announced at least 60 days before the Step-2 proposal due date. The Step-1 proposal due date is 01/21/2026. Step-2 proposa…
6. ROSES25: F.5 Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-07-14
   NOTICE: Amended April 14, 2026. This amendment releases final text for this graduate student research program, which was previously TBD. Neither notices of intent nor Step-1 proposals are requested nor accepted. Proposals are due July 14, 2…
7. A.12 Hemispheric Airborne Measurements of Air Quality (HAMAQ) Science Team — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-07-21
   Please note that this program requests optional Notices of Intent, which are due via NSPIRES by May 20, 2026. See the full posting on NSPIRES for details. Amended April 20, 2026. This amendment presents a new program element in ROSES-2025. …
8. Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator Notice of Funding Opportunity — Golden Field Office · closes 2026-07-23
   Modification 0002 Annoucement (04/21/26): Extended LOI due date to 4/24/2026 Extended TA1 due date to 5/29/2026 Extended TA2 due date to 6/25/2026 Extended TA3 due date to 7/23/2026 Modification 0001 Announcement (04/15/26): Corrected units…
9. ROSES 2025: C.2 Solar System Science — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-08-01
   This program element does not have a proposal due date. Proposals may be submitted at any time, pending certain eligibility timing issues related to resubmissions and duplicate proposal avoidance, see the program element text and appropriat…
10. ROSES25: D.7 Strategic Astrophysics Technology — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-08-06
    NOTICE: Amended May 8, 2026. This amendment releases final text for this program element, which was previously TBD. Notices of Intent are requested by June 25, 2026, and proposals are due August 6, 2026. This synopsis is a generic summary t…
11. ROSES25: D.6 Astrophysics Research and Analysis — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-08-06
    PLEASE NOTE: this program has MANDATORY Notices of Intent, which are due via NSPIRES by June 25, 2026. See the full posting on NSPIRES for details. NOTICE: Amended May 8, 2026. This amendment releases final text for this program element, wh…
12. Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology - Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering — U.S. National Science Foundation · closes 2026-08-07
    The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program provides support to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) as defined in this solicitation’s Eligibility section, through …
13. ROSES25: F.17 Research Initiation Awards — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-08-18
    NOTICE: Amended May 20, 2026. This amendment releases final text for this program element, which was previously TBD. Neither an NOI nor Step-1 proposal is requested. The due date for proposals is August 18, 2026. An informational webinar ab…
14. ROSES 2025: A.4 Rapid Response and Novel Research in Earth Science — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-08-31
    This program element does not have a proposal due date. Proposals may be submitted at any time, pending certain eligibility timing issues related to resubmissions and duplicate proposal avoidance, see the program element text and appropriat…
15. ROSES 2025: A.10 INNOVATE — NASA Headquarters · closes 2026-08-31
    This program element does not have a proposal due date. Proposals may be submitted at any time, pending certain eligibility timing issues related to resubmissions and duplicate proposal avoidance, see the program element text and appropriat…

How to find SBIR topics: TopicScout vs alternatives

SBIR.gov is the canonical source — every SBIR/STTR topic posts there first. TopicScout's value isn't access; it's the cap-statement scoring + weekly digest so you stop scanning portals by hand. Try the free matcher against your statement — takes a paragraph, no signup.

FAQ

How do I find open SBIR topics for a Clean Energy company in Maryland?

The canonical source is SBIR.gov, which lists every open SBIR/STTR topic across all 11 federal agencies. To filter to Clean Energy-relevant topics that match your specific tech, paste your capability statement into TopicScout's free matcher — it scores all open topics against your cap statement in ~60 seconds. Maryland SBIR firms also get help from the Maryland SBDC Network and state matching-fund programs.

What's the best SBIR matching tool for Clean Energy startups?

For solo founders: TopicScout's $29/mo plan covers all 11 agencies with weekly AI-scored digests. For consulting firms supporting multiple clients: TopicScout institutional plan ($500–2k/mo flat) or HigherGov ($500–5k/yr). For nonprofits (not SBIR-eligible): Instrumentl. SBIR.gov itself is free but requires manual scanning.

Which agencies fund the most Clean Energy SBIR/STTR work?

Based on the current open topic list, the top agencies for Clean Energy are visible in the topic list above. Historically: DARPA + AFWERX + Navy SBIR for defense-adjacent Clean Energy, NIH + CDC for health-adjacent, NSF + DOE for foundational R&D.