Research & Innovation
Advancing battery innovation to strengthen American capacity, national security, and economic growth.
The Engine’s Research, Development, and Translation team brings together technical expertise, industry priorities, and shared infrastructure to solve critical battery challenges and move key technologies from lab to market.
For Corporations
Stronger partnerships.
Faster pathways to market impact.
The NSF Energy Storage Engine works with industry partners to advance battery technologies critical to U.S. manufacturing, national security, and supply chain resilience. We design pathways aligned to your needs, from co-funded R&D and pilot-scale validation to safety testing and pre-competitive consortia.
For Startups
The NSF Energy Storage Engine helps startups advance high-potential battery technologies through technical guidance, access to regional infrastructure, non-dilutive funding, and connections to partners across the innovation ecosystem.
Ready to move your technology forward?
Reach out to our team at upstateny-engine@cornell.edu
Featured Programs
Megaboost
Funding to help proven technologies scale toward production
MegaBoost provides up to $1 million to help U.S. energy storage companies scale from proven prototypes to commercial pilot operations. Designed for companies that have already demonstrated technical success in the lab, and are ready to prove performance, manufacturability, and cost at a scale that matters to customers and the market.
MegaBoost is built for projects that:
- Move proven technology into pilot plant or pilot system operations
- Demonstrate performance, manufacturability, and cost at a scale customers care about
- Show real market demand through a committed customer or industry partner
- Have a clear, credible path to near-term revenue
Awardees benefit from more than funding. Through the Engine, companies gain access to:
- State-of-the-art testbeds and pilot facilities
- A deep network of technical, industry, and capital partners
- Opportunities to participate in larger, industry-led projects with corporate and government collaborators
Customer Commitment
MegaBoost is designed for technologies that demonstrate a real customer demand and a credible path to adoption, such as:
- A commitment to purchase pilot output
- A letter of intent or memorandum of understanding from an industrial partner
- Matching capital from customers
If your company is ready to scale, we want to hear from you.
Superboost
Accelerating promising energy storage technologies towards deployment
SuperBoost provides non-dilutive funding to help startups advance promising energy storage technologies toward commercialization and real-world deployment. Designed to accelerate progress from early technical validation to commercial readiness, SuperBoost helps innovators close the gap between lab-stage development and market entry through access to regional infrastructure, partners, and targeted support.
SuperBoost awards typically range from $100,000 to $200,000 and support projects conducted in collaboration with NSF Engine partner institutions such as the RIT Battery Development Center, NECCES, CAMM, and others.
Awardees gain access to:
- World-class testbeds and pilot facilities
- Technical, industry, and capital partners
- Pathways into larger industry-led projects with corporate and government collaborators
Bring your technology further, faster. Contact us to learn more.
Manufacturing Readiness Challenge
A Long-Term R&D Program Advancing American Battery Leadership
The Manufacturing Readiness Challenge is designed to address critical challenges across the full battery life cycle — from materials and manufacturing to performance and end-of-life. In its foundational first two years, $2.7 million was deployed to 15 cross-sector projects that pioneered leapfrog advances in dry processing and the elimination of toxic solvents, reducing manufacturing energy consumption by 40%.
Manufacturing Readiness R&D Challenge by NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate NY
The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York invites U.S. based companies to apply for Manufacturing Readiness R&D Challenge, a rolling funding opportunity aimed at accelerating the scale-up of next-generation battery technologies. This program supports high-impact engineering innovations that address critical barriers to domestic battery manufacturing, with a focus on non-toxic, PFAS-free, energy-efficient, and scalable solutions.
Selected projects may receive $200,000-$600,000 over 1-3 years, with continued funding contingent on early techno-economic validation.
Awardees will gain access to the Engine’s Co-Work environment and Battery-NY facility to validate and scale their technologies, helping advance competitive, U.S. based battery manufacturing capabilities.
Interested in working with our R&D team? Let’s talk.
Explore the Other Initiatives
Provide access to shared testbeds, pilot lines, and safety infrastructure that help bring new battery technologies to market faster and more reliably.
Develop employer-aligned training programs for high-demand careers in battery manufacturing and advanced energy technologies.
