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September 24, 2024

Reach out to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) at ammto@ee.doe.gov with any manufacturing musings.

• Sept. 26, 2024: Provide information for the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) by 5 p.m. ET.
• Sept. 30, 2024: Provide information for the Energy Efficiency Scaling for Two Decades (EES2) RFI by 5 p.m. ET.
• Oct. 22, 2024: Submit Phase 2 materials for the Re-X Before Recycling Prize by 5 p.m. ET.
• Nov. 18, 2024: Submit full applications for the advancement of smart manufacturing technologies and processes by 5 p.m. ET. 

Celebrating a Decade of Influence & Impact at the Critical Materials Innovation Hub!

For over 10 years, the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub, funded and managed by the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), has been hard at work addressing the biggest critical materials challenges facing our nation. As critical materials research needs continue to grow and evolve, the CMI Hub has been agile and adaptive to market conditions, accelerating discovery and path to market while also contributing greatly to the scientific community through its frequently cited publications and influential patents. Securing America’s critical material supply chains has become even more vital to the clean energy economy, and the CMI Hub is mission-focused on addressing the critical materials challenges of today and tomorrow.

Critical Materials Community: New Newsletter Launch!

Hot on the heels of the Critical Materials Innovation Hub’s celebration, DOE’s Critical Materials Collaborative (CMC) is launching its first-ever quarterly newsletter this October. The CMC is a network of DOE offices (including AMMTO), federal agencies, and research community members designed to enhance communication and coordination across the critical materials innovation ecosystem. With a goal of building an even larger, more impactful critical materials community over the next 10 years, this quarterly newsletter will keep you informed of the latest CMC activities, funding opportunities, key events, and more within DOE and our partner agencies. Stay tuned!

Apply Now for the 2025 Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program 📝

Application portals are now open for the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) 2025 Cohort! This is a two-year funded fellowship that helps the next generation of cleantech entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. LEEP alumni have gone on to commercialize game-changing technologies for our clean energy economy, with 153 news businesses started, 2,343 jobs created, and reaching $2.73 billion in follow-on funding. 

$12.7 Million to Support Data Collection and Analyses of Current Clean Energy Market and Technology Landscapes

AMMTO announced the selection of 20 projects across six U.S. national laboratories to advance innovation and deployment of clean energy technologies critical for climate protection. The collective objective of these projects is to ultimately develop systems of tools that inform actions to accelerate commercialization, increase circularity, address environmental justice, and/or increase resiliency in clean energy manufacturing supply chains. 

Small Businesses Receive AMMTO Funding To Advance Innovative Manufacturing and Material Technologies

AMMTO announced funding for four small businesses to take innovative manufacturing technologies and materials to the next level as part of DOE’s Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Each of the companies will receive approximately $1.15 million for Phase II SBIR awards.

Decarbonization Challenges and Priorities in the Food and Beverage Industry

Workshop: Sept. 24–25, 2024, Chicago, Illinois

Hosted by DOE’s AMMTO and Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office, this workshop will bring together industry stakeholders to identify key challenges, priorities, and opportunities surrounding sustainable packaging as part of industrial decarbonization efforts with respect to the U.S. food and beverage manufacturing sector.

Register Today! BOTTLE Consortium Webinar—Using Analysis To Guide Plastic Circularity

Webinar: Oct. 16, 2024, 2–2:45 p.m. ET, Virtual

Join DOE’s Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE^TM) consortium on Oct. 16, 2024, 2–2:45 p.m. ET, for a webinar titled, A Primer on Using Analysis To Guide Plastic Circularity. BOTTLE—supported by DOE’s AMMTO and Bioenergy Technologies Office—conducts analysis-guided R&D to change the way we recycle plastics.

2024 Secure Together Summit

Summit: Oct 16–17, 2024, San Antonio, TX

This annual event will bring together CyManII members, non-members, key partners, thought leaders, and industry stakeholders. Speakers will include AMMTO Director Chris Saldaña, DOE’s Federal Program Manager Dr. Sudarsan Rachuri, and plenty of others. We will discuss our strategic vision, offer collaborative opportunities, present the State of the Institute, and outline a vision for the path forward as we transition into CyManII 2.0.

DOE-NSF Workshop on Digital Twins for Manufacturing

Workshop: Nov. 11–14, 2024, Storrs, CT, & Virtual

Join this DOE-sponsored event where industry leaders, researchers, and practitioners come together to share insights and best practices in Digital Twin technology. We encourage early registration to secure your spot at this exclusive workshop. This workshop aims to accelerate the digital transformation of manufacturing systems through the use of Digital Twins.

• DOE awarded $125 million for research to enable next-generation batteries and energy storage.
• The 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment Report shows that the energy workforce overall added over 250,000 jobs in 2023, and 56% of those were in clean energy. ⚡
• Union helps develop wind turbine builders in America’s Heartland.
• Submit your image for National Nanotechnology Day by Sept. 25, 2024.

Job & Fellowship Openings

ORISE Fellowship Opportunities

Are you a scientist or engineer who would love to inspire researchers and industry to make materials more sustainable? AMMTO is seeking a talented and passionate individual to join our team as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow in circular economy.  

AMMTO in the News

Does food delivery have you feeling guilty? Well, maybe it shouldn’t. Check out this NPR article featuring AMMTO’s own Micaeli Rourke du Plessis that takes a lifecycle approach to highlight tradeoffs in carbon emissions from transportation and food waste. It turns out that food delivery services might be a great way to lower your carbon footprint—as long as the services mean you waste less food. 👣

EXPLORE AMMTO

Learn more about AMMTO and its efforts to advance energy-related materials and manufacturing technologies to increase domestic competitiveness and build a clean, decarbonized economy.

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