Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)

In mid-September, World Nuclear News reported that the UK and U.S. signed an agreement to advance the deployment of small modular reactors, advanced reactors, and focus efforts on progress toward commercial fusion power. As a part of this agreement, former ARPA-E awardee X-energy was selected to deploy up to 6 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity, which is enough to power 14 million homes. ARPA-E has funded programs to advance nuclear power including efforts in generation, infrastructure, and converting UNF from liability to resource.  Learn more about X-energy here: https://x-energy.com/.

Congratulations to our exceptional students Yirui Yang, Qinghui Huang, and Yanwen Lai at ECE Florida for winning 1st place award at ECCE 2025, hosted by the IEEE Power Electronics Society, for their outstanding demonstration of a 3.3kV SiC power module featuring a novel self-contained electromagnetic interference (EMI) solution. This achievement, part of our ongoing Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) ULTRAFAST project, highlights the team’s remarkable collaboration (with Virginia Tech), technical ingenuity, innovation, and dedication. ECE Florida, UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering University of Florida

Delighted to present my first talk as a Research Scientist with the Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI) UL Research Institutes at the 248th ECS - The Electrochemical Society Meeting in Chicago last week! My presentation, “Mechanistic Role of Oxygen Liberation and Electrode Crosstalk on Thermal Stability of Solid-State Batteries,” focused on understanding oxygen release dynamics, gas transport, and interfacial reactions that govern the safety of next-generation solid-state batteries. Grateful to my Energy and Transport Sciences Laboratory collaborators Alvaro Miguel, Dr. Bairav Sabarish Vishnugopi, and to Prof. Partha Mukherjee for his invaluable support and guidance. I am also thankful to Vinay Premnath and Dr. Judith Jeevarajan for their constant encouragement and mentorship. This research is conducted in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, University of Maryland, Purdue University and UL Research Institutes - a joint effort toward advancing safer and higher-energy battery technologies. Funding for this work was provided by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy (Award DE-AR0001722), with program direction from Dr. Halle Cheeseman (Program Director, ARPA-E). https://lnkd.in/ghQcS_yd #ECS248 #SolidStateBatteries #BatterySafety #ThermalRunaway #EnergyStorage #ARPAE #ULResearchInstitutes #PurdueUniversity

“There is no better place than ARPA-E to understand where the frontier of energy research is and what the most pressing issues are in transitioning our economy," – Dr. Steven Singer, ARPA-E Program Director.     On the hunt for groundbreaking technologies that will shift America’s energy future? Eager to be around start-up founders, technologists, and have exclusive access to next-generation, de-risked technology? 𝐖𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 📅📱Register by December 19th, 2025, to secure a spot at the early bird rate here: https://bit.ly/4rGDIo6. https://lnkd.in/e6CsSQUv

Congratulations to Niron Magnetics, Inc. on the groundbreaking of their new facility in Sartell, MN—the world’s first commercial-scale facility for iron nitride permanent magnets. ARPA-E Deputy Director for Technology, Dr. Daniel Cunningham, spoke at the ceremony in late September: “Optimization of how critical minerals are used, and discovering viable alternatives, has long been a focus for ARPA-E. Niron Magnetics' pioneering work with iron nitride, the world's first rare-earth-free permanent magnet, set them apart from the very beginning."    We stand behind Niron Magnetics' mission to power American industry, create high-quality jobs, and ensure our nation’s energy and economic security. Learn more about our work with Niron Magnetics, Inc. here: https://lnkd.in/eGsHdjRq.

🔆 🎓 ARPA-E is now accepting applications for the 2026 Summer Scholars program. We're seeking graduate-level business students to work on commercialization-focused energy projects. The internship runs 8-12 weeks this summer in Washington, D.C. Applications will be accepted until January 19th. An information session will be hosted next Tuesday, December 9th at 4 pm ET. The application portal and link to the information session are available at https://lnkd.in/eXG56iKF. Learn more below. ⬇️

ARPA-E’s #RECOVER program is part of a DOE-wide critical minerals initiative. Congratulations to our #RECOVER awardees who will deliver energy-productive and durable technologies: Northwestern University  The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)  The Johns Hopkins University  University of Connecticut  Columbia University  University of Missouri-Columbia  Stanford University  University of California, Davis (UC Davis)  Carollo Engineers Phoenix Tailings   Let's get to work! Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eds3qvPe.

Sodium, sodium, sodium, sodium, sodium, sodium, sodium, sodium, BATMAN! 🦇 🧪 🎟️ Registration is now OPEN for the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit 2026. Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/dWxW3-h.

REGISTRATION FOR THE 2026 ARPA-E ENERGY INNOVATION SUMMIT IS NOW LIVE! The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit is where energy leaders gain early access to groundbreaking energy technologies, define new areas of scientific research, and drive the development of affordable, reliable, secure American-made energy for all.  From April 7-9, 2026, in San Diego, CA, join a collaborative community of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs from around the world who have the knowledge and passion to drive American innovation. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dWxW3-h. 

Today, ARPA-E announced nearly $25 million for 10 projects to develop technologies that recover previously discarded critical minerals from U.S. wastewaters.     In accordance with President Trump’s Executive Orders, 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 and 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, these project selections advance the Trump administration's commitment to end America’s dependence on foreign adversaries for essential materials and ensure a resilient domestic supply chain to support U.S. energy, and manufacturing. The  Realize Energy-rich Compound Opportunities Valorizing Extraction from Refuse waters (#RECOVER) program aims to reduce American dependence on critical mineral imports by establishing new, secure domestic supply chains. The project funds were committed earlier in 2025, and additional selections are expected in the future.     #RECOVER: Bring Power to Possibility. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eEtUunXG.