Building Technologies Research and Integration Center: Technology Collaborations for US Building Technologies Industries

Building Technologies Research and Integration Center Technology Collaborations for US Building Technologies Industries Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking industry partners to participate in short-term, collaborative projects within the Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC) to accelerate development of new energy efficient building technologies. This opportunity will provide selected participants access to ORNL's experienced staff and unique equipment and capabilities to demonstrate advanced concepts with intent to develop and deploy innovative and energy efficient building technologies. Description UT-Battelle, LLC, acting under its Prime Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the management and operation of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, conducts research and development in support of the DOE Building Technologies Office (BTO). The DOE Building Technologies Office partners with industry, small business, universities, and other stakeholders to identify and invest in innovative technologies with the potential to improve the energy productivity of buildings without sacrificing occupant comfort or product performance, as well to enhance the global competitiveness of the United States. ORNL is requesting cost-shared proposals from industry to assess applicability of technologies that can reduce the energy intensity of U.S. buildings by 35% by 2035, and 50% by 2050 relative to 2005. The mission of the Building Technologies Office is to develop and accelerate the adoption of cost-effective technologies, techniques, tools, and services that enable high-performing, energy-efficient, and demand-flexible residential and commercial buildings in both new and existing building markets. As part of the technology collaborations conducted under this announcement, the proposer will describe the potential energy savings and novel non-energy impacts that may be realized by the targeted project. Technology areas of interest HVAC, water heating, and appliances Windows and building envelope Solid-state lighting Building energy modeling Sensors and controls Advanced building construction Thermal energy storage Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB) Residential building integration Commercial building integration Projects will be conducted during a short-time period. At least 20% cost share, which can be funds-in to ORNL or in-kind contributions (e.g., facilities, services, and staff time), is required on the part of the industrial participant. Participant cost-share cannot be met using funds from U.S. Government sources. Funds will not be provided to the industrial participant by ORNL. The intent is to increase the in-kind cost share from 20% to 50% in the future, that timing to be determined and approved by BTO. Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT REQUEST. Eligibility Eligibility is limited to industries that currently manufacture in the U.S. for commercial applications in the residential or commercial building technologies market, or to industries that will be able to do so as a direct result of these collaborative efforts. There is no restriction based on the particular building technology area, but should align with facilities, expertise, and capabilities of BTRIC. Background DOE's Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC) at ORNL offers distinctive world-leading capabilities in building technologies, characterization facilities as well as leveraging advanced manufacturing capabilities at ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF). The BTRIC provides a collaborative, shared infrastructure to help industry adopt innovative, energy efficient technologies that improve the energy productivity of buildings without sacrificing occupant comfort or product performance. ORNL’s expertise in building technologies, materials, and advanced manufacturing will assist the building industries in accelerating the developing of existing and new innovative technologies. More information about the ORNL BTRIC can be found at: https://www.ornl.gov/facility/btric From concept to commercialization, ORNL's world-leading facilities and expertise enable research focused on reducing the energy intensity of U.S. industry, supporting development of new products, and strengthening our nation's clean energy economy to meet the commercial and national security needs of tomorrow. Objective The objective of these BTRIC Technical Collaborations is to collaborate with industry to investigate, improve, develop, and deploy innovative energy efficient building technologies. In so doing, creating and preserving domestic jobs is a goal of this solicitation. The primary focus of this announcement is to target projects that will impact the following technical areas: HVAC, water heating, and appliances Windows and building envelope Solid-state lighting Building energy modeling Sensors and controls Advanced building construction Thermal energy storage Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB) Residential building integration Commercial building integration Laboratory Support It is anticipated that industrial partners will work collaboratively with members of the BTRIC staff to conduct project activities across the various areas of expertise within the BTRIC. Intellectual Property and Proprietary Data Projects will be performed with a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) or User Agreement as the contract instrument. See the announcement package for a sample CRADA agreement. DOE and ORNL respect the importance of industry's intellectual property and data security while balancing the need to document the benefits of public expenditures. Provisions relating to proprietary information and intellectual property are set forth in the CRADA. A Non-Disclosure agreement (NDA), if required, can be put into place during development of the project to facilitate discussions while protecting the partner's proprietary information. It is preferred that proprietary information NOT be included in the proposal. If company proprietary information is included in the proposal, the specific information should be marked as such, and UT- Battelle/ORNL will treat that information as business confidential. Proposal Guidelines Proposals should be completed using the attached template in the announcement package. Proposers are encouraged to consult with ORNL technical staff to develop a work scope that is technically feasible and compatible with ORNL facilities and capabilities. Proposal Deadline and Submission This announcement will remain open subject to availability of funding from the DOE Building Technologies Office. Completed proposals must be submitted in PDF file format by email to BTRICcollaboration@ornl.gov. The subject line should include: ORNL BTRIC Technology Collaborations. Receipt of proposals will be confirmed within one week of submission. Proposal Evaluation and Timeline This is an open announcement. Selection of winning proposals will be at the discretion of the DOE BTO. Proposal evaluation criteria will include compatibility with ORNL facilities and capabilities, technical feasibility and merit, the potential to commercialize new products and create US jobs, and the potential for buildings energy savings. BTO and the BTRIC reserve the right to select all, a portion, or none of the submissions. Point of Contact All questions relating to this announcement should be directed to Melissa Lapsa by email, lapsamv@ornl.gov, or by phone, (865) 576-8620. Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Information Awardees are required to enter into a short-form CRADA or User Agreement with UT-Battelle. Because of the need for accelerated placement and execution of the projects, the most favorable terms allowable within DOE guidelines have been established and will not be subject to negotiation. Failure to enter into a CRADA in a timely manner will result in termination of further project consideration. CRADAs have provisions that address the protection of the partners' existing proprietary information and intellectual property, as well as the information and intellectual property generated and made during the collaboration. More specifically, each party owns its own inventions while jointly developed inventions will be jointly owned. In all cases, U.S. Government will retain government use rights. CRADA durations are expected to be at least one year. For more specific terms and conditions, please review the model short-form CRADA and User Agreement template attached to this announcement.