# National Academies Assesses DOE Innovation Programs

A National Academies committee co-chaired by University of Connecticut professor Timothy B. Folta completed a roughly two-year assessment of the Department of Energy’s SBIR/STTR programs in October 2026. The study found that the programs support innovation in different ways and identified opportunities to improve their effectiveness. It may inform future program evaluation and design, including how DOE weighs mission-specific outcomes alongside commercialization. The article notes that DOE invested more than $300 million in innovation and technology programs in 2025, within $4.5 billion invested across federal SBIR/STTR programs.

- Small businesses and contractors pursuing DOE SBIR/STTR awards can use the findings to frame proposals around both commercialization potential and the programs’ support for DOE mission needs.
- The investment figures show the scale of federal SBIR/STTR funding, while the study’s findings point to varied program outcomes rather than a single measure of innovation impact.
- Organizations developing or supporting small-business research proposals may benefit from distinguishing mission-specific results from commercialization outcomes when describing project value.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Energy & Utilities
**Topics:** Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 30, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

### Sources
- [UConn Professor Co-Chairs National Academies Study of Federal Small Business Innovation Programs  - UConn Today](https://today.uconn.edu/2026/10/uconn-professor-co-chairs-national-academies-study-of-federal-small-business-innovation-programs) - UConn Today