Core Research Program Technology Transfer & Commercialization Advancement

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) seeks proposals to accelerate the transition of mature pipeline safety innovations from advanced prototypes to full-scale commercial deployment, with proposals due November 16, 2026 and questions due October 23, 2026. This is an unrestricted competitive solicitation with no set-aside.

The procurement targets technologies at Technology Readiness Levels 7–9 that address pipeline safety, environmental protection, or resilience challenges and demonstrate a clear, definitive path to producing deployable technology, commercial products, or integrated service systems ready for immediate market availability and pipeline operator adoption upon project completion. Place of performance is Washington, DC 20590. Eligible applicants include universities, non-profit organizations, private corporations, and other responsible entities; foreign entities and federal, state, or local governments are excluded.

All proposals require a mandatory minimum 50% non-Federal cost share in cash or direct cash-equivalent expenditures tied to technology development and commercialization activities. The total project budget is $106,200, split equally between federal funding ($53,100) and cost-sharing ($53,100), with fixed-price quarterly milestone payments over a 12-month performance period. PHMSA reserves the right to fund all, some, or none of the proposals submitted.

The NAICS code is 541330, Engineering Services; PSC code is R425, Support–Professional: Engineering/Technical. Evaluation employs six equally-weighted criteria: Technical Maturity & Baseline Validation (TRL 7 baseline), Commercialization Outcome & Transition-to-Practice (TRL 8–9 target), Market Readiness & Competitor Landscape, Implementation Strategy & Project Design, Partnership Depth & Cost-Share Commitment, and Impact Potential & ROI. All awarded projects must establish a Technical Advisory Panel comprising at least two to three active pipeline operators and a minimum of two independent academic representatives. Proposals are limited to 20 single-spaced pages, excluding title page, public summary, appendices, and attachments, and must include detailed budget justifications, letters of co-funding commitment, and required federal compliance forms.