Michigan Announces $10 Million to Support Start-Ups and Small Businesses Advance Innovative Technologies in Clean Energy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2024
Contact: Michiganinfrastructure@michigan.gov

Michigan Announces $10 Million to Support Start-Ups and Small Businesses Advance Innovative Technologies in Clean Energy

Vision OPEN Challenge will help businesses unlock up to $150 million in federal funding

LANSING, Mich.— The Michigan Infrastructure Office today announced $10 million for the Vision OPEN Challenge made available through the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund to help start-ups and small businesses apply for and win federal funding from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) ARPA-E Vision OPEN 2024 grant opportunity. The Vision OPEN Challenge will provide matching grants to help small businesses and start-ups bring advanced clean energy and innovative technologies from the lab to the marketplace. 

The ARPA-E Vision OPEN challenges the research and business community to commercialize groundbreaking technologies aligned with three specific goals to enable a future energy landscape that protects the environment. These goals include greenhouse gas-free energy, intermodal transportation of diverse primary energy sources, and sustainable carbon transition for polymers and other materials. Investments in these core areas reduce the need to rely on other countries for energy resources and technologies, lessen the impact of energy production on the environment, and create new long-term job opportunities in the clean energy sector. 

“The Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund’s Vision OPEN Challenge is a powerful resource that will empower our small businesses to develop the innovative technologies Michigan needs to achieve the MI Healthy Climate Plan and reach carbon neutrality by 2040,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist. “These investments will help make Michigan a hub for innovation and research, positioning us as a global leader in clean energy and ensuring we continue to lead the charge in clean energy investments and jobs growth."

The DOE is making up to $150 million in federal grants available through the ARPA-E program. Under the Vision OPEN Challenge, the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund will provide half of the 10% match required by the DOE. Initial applications to the Competitiveness Fund are due by Monday, July 15, 2024, to meet the DOE’s concept paper deadline of Tuesday, July 16, 2024.

Through the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund’s Vision OPEN Challenge, these matching grants support the implementation of the MI Healthy Climate Plan while positioning the state as a hub for clean energy innovation and research. These investments will also help Michigan continue to grow its clean energy job sector. According to the 2023 Clean Jobs America Report, Michigan added more than 5,400 workers in 2022 and now employs 123,983 Michiganders. The World Resource Institute shows that by the year, 2040 Michigan could create 41,000 new jobs as it advances electric vehicle manufacturing and builds out renewable energy, like solar and wind.

The Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund is a pool of state resources intended to provide enabling funds such as match grants to unlock federally backed investments from the BIL, IRA, and CHIPS and Science Act. The fund will help Michigan deliver on its promise that federal funding investments will boost our economy, create good-paying jobs, bring new life to our communities, and improve our infrastructure all while increasing the quality of life for Michiganders. The fund supports investments in infrastructure, mobility and electrification, climate and the environment, economic development, health, and public safety. 

For more information about the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund and how to apply for funding or technical assistance, please visit the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund website.

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN INFRASTRUCTURE OFFICE

The Michigan Infrastructure Office (MIO) is responsible for organizing and executing Governor Whitmer’s vision for infrastructure, coordinating across state government, marshaling resources, and partnering with local officials, federal partners, and outside stakeholders to ensure resources sent to Michigan through BIL, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), are used efficiently and effectively.