AVIATION-CLASS SYNERGISTICALLY COOLED ELECTRIC-MOTORS WITH INTEGRATED DRIVES (ASCEND) SBIR/STTR | DE FOA 0002239

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002239

The ASCEND SBIR/STTR funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002239) is a Department of Energy ARPA-E program aimed at pushing electric propulsion hardware to a level that can realistically support net-zero carbon emissions for mainstream commercial aviation, specifically the single-aisle 150 to 200 passenger class (think Boeing 737-size aircraft) flying long-range missions around 2,800 nautical miles. ARPA-E is positioning this work as part of a broader decarbonized aviation push: one FOA (ASCEND) targets the electric powertrain itself, while a companion effort targets the upstream energy side, such as lightweight energy storage and fuel-to-electric conversion systems. The underlying concept is that carbon-neutral liquid fuels (CNLFs) or other carbon-neutral energy pathways can be converted efficiently into electric power, which then drives propulsors through extremely high-performance motors and integrated drives.

ASCEND specifically focuses on the all-electric powertrain, meaning the electric motor, the motor drive (power electronics), and the associated thermal management system, treated as one tightly integrated system rather than separate components. The program rationale is that current state-of-the-art electric motors and drives are not yet good enough on the metrics that matter most for narrow-body commercial aircraft: power density (how much power you can deliver per kilogram) and efficiency (how little energy you waste as heat). To break through those limits, ARPA-E is explicitly calling for co-design across electromagnetics, power electronics, and thermal management, along with the use of emerging materials, advanced manufacturing techniques, and new machine and converter topologies. The title phrase "synergistically cooled" reflects the idea that cooling is not an afterthought; it is part of the enabling design strategy to allow higher continuous power, smaller/lighter hardware, and better overall system performance.

The technical ambition is intentionally aggressive. ASCEND sets demanding integrated system figures of merit, including a target specific power on the order of 12 kW/kg and efficiency around 93 percent for the fully integrated electric powertrain. These are described as well beyond current capabilities, which is consistent with ARPA-E's mission of funding high-risk, potentially disruptive applied research and development that is too early for typical private investment. ARPA-E emphasizes that it is not looking for incremental improvements along known roadmaps; it is looking for approaches that can create a new performance "learning curve" and ultimately enable cost-competitive deployment at scale if the technology works.

The program is structured in two phases. Phase I is an 18-month effort centered on conceptual designs, detailed modeling and simulation of the motor, drive, and their integration, and any supporting subsystem or component demonstrations needed to validate key enabling ideas behind the projected performance. Teams that meet Phase I technical milestones may be invited, at ARPA-E's discretion and subject to funding availability, to move into Phase II, where the expectation is to build and test an integrated developmental prototype at roughly the 250 kW scale. That prototype is intended to include the motor, its integrated drive, and the thermal management system, demonstrating that the concepts can translate from paper and lab components into a coherent, working powertrain unit.

From an applicant and administration standpoint, this is an ARPA-E SBIR/STTR opportunity restricted to eligible small businesses, using a cooperative agreement funding instrument. ARPA-E highlights the standard SBIR goals: stimulating private-sector innovation, meeting federal R&D needs, improving commercialization outcomes from federally funded R&D, and encouraging participation by disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. The STTR angle additionally stresses formal collaboration between small businesses and research institutions. ARPA-E runs its SBIR/STTR portfolio across the typical phased structure (Phase I, Phase II, and Phase IIs), with this FOA’s technical phases mapped onto that general approach. The FOA sits under ARPA-E’s authorizing statute and standard federal assistance regulations (including 2 CFR Part 200 as amended by 2 CFR Part 910).

Key logistics included a concept paper deadline of January 31, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, with the FOA originally posted December 16, 2019. The opportunity listed an expected 12 awards and a stated award ceiling of $3,613,889. Applications had to be submitted through ARPA-E’s eXCHANGE system (ARPA-E’s submission portal), and ARPA-E noted it would not review submissions sent through other channels.

If successful, ARPA-E frames ASCEND as a potential catalyst for disruptive change in electric aviation by making high-power, lightweight, ultra-efficient electric propulsion more feasible for the most commercially important aircraft category. It also explicitly points out spillover benefits beyond aviation, since breakthroughs in power-dense motors, integrated drives, and advanced thermal management would transfer to other sectors that care about compact, efficient electrification, including electric vehicles, maritime systems, wind turbines, and certain heavy industrial applications.

• The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "AVIATION-CLASS SYNERGISTICALLY COOLED ELECTRIC-MOTORS WITH INTEGRATED DRIVES (ASCEND) SBIR/STTR" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 16, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 31, 2020 Concept Papers are due no later than January 31, 2020 at 930 a.m. Eastern Time. (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 $3,613,889.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

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