Catalyst and DICES

The Challenge: Advance Research-Stage Technologies to Commercial Viability

A key step in advancing a new technology beyond the research stage is to develop and demonstrate a prototype. Funding for prototyping is often difficult to obtain.

About Catalyst

The Catalyst Program provides grants of up to $75,000 to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their climate technologies. Catalyst is jointly administered by MassCEC and MassVentures with a goal of stimulating the commercialization of climate technologies developed in the Commonwealth. Specifically, the program is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of transforming new ideas from the research stage to commercially viable technologies to increase industry and investor interest. All awardees gain access to a vast network of partners, expert local market and policy insights, and mentoring from MassCEC and MassVentures, while all finalists receive complimentary pitch coaching and business mentoring.

About DICES (Diversity in Cleantech- Early Stage)

In parallel with Catalyst, MassCEC and MassVentures will award up to three additional grants of up to $75,000 each for projects led by applicants who are underrepresented in the Climatetech industry or faced economic barriers entering the environmental or entrepreneurial landscape.

Closed

Award Potential

$75,000

Application Deadline

Application Period Closed

Apply

Questions? Contact

Funding Schedule

The Catalyst/ DICES program offers funding twice per year. After the current round, the next round will open January 2025.

Fall 2024
Process Step	Timing
Application period opens	August 19, 2024
Optional Webinar	September 4, 2024
Deadline to submit questions	September 16, 2024
MassCEC posts responses to questions (see FAQs)	September 19, 2024
Applications due	September 30, 2024, 11:59 p.m.
Applicants notified of finalist status	Early November 2024
Finalists' presentations	Early December 2024
Finalists notified of award status	Late January 2024

Who's Eligible

Catalyst and DICES are for technologies that are at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2-4, according to the TRL Calculator developed by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority.

Eligible applicants include principal investigators at Massachusetts-based nonprofit research institutions or Massachusetts-based early-stage climatetech companies.

For DICES, applicants must also fill out section II on the application form. The response to the DICES question should demonstrate how the applicant is underrepresented in the climatetech industry or has experienced economic barriers entering the environmental or entrepreneurial landscape. More information about this process can be found in Section V of the Catalyst Request For Proposals (RFP).

For full Program details, please refer to the Catalyst RFP.

Apply

Application Process

For full Program details, please refer to the Catalyst RFP.

Applications must be submitted via the MassVentures portal.

Go to MassVentures portal

For any questions, please email companycatalyst@masscec.com.

Request for Proposals

RFP Catalyst and DICES FY25 Fall

Catalyst and DICES FY25 Application Form

Learn About DICES and Catalyst

MassCEC hosted a webinar about the Catalyst and DICES programs on September 4th, 2024. The webinar includes a brief overview of MassCEC and MassVentures' programs, followed by more detail about Catalyst and DICES program and other funding opportunities.

Watch the Webinar

FAQs

Last updated
September 19, 2024

1. Is it possible to apply if I have secured funding from other sources already?

Yes, you are still eligible to apply if you have secured funding from elsewhere. Start-ups and companies are required to not receive more than Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000) in combined debt or equity financing, grant funding, and revenues over the past five (5) years. There are no financial limitations for academic institutions or non-profits.

We recommend reviewing section VI of the RFP to view full eligibility requirements.

2. Does the project or start-up have to fit within the four MassCEC focus areas?

No, the project or start-up does not have to fit within the four focus areas. We also accept projects that provide or enable significant decarbonization.

We recommend reviewing Section I of the RFP to read more.

3. How do I know if I am eligible for Catalyst funding?

An eligible applicant must be one of the following:

A Principal Investigator (“PI”) at a Massachusetts-based nonprofit research institution.
A Massachusetts-based early-stage climatetech company that has four or fewer full-time equivalent employees.
A student (or group of students) led by a faculty member or researcher who will act as the PI.

We recommend reviewing Section VI of the RFP to view full eligibility requirements.

4. How do I know if my project is eligible for Catalyst funding?

Our ability to fund your project depends on whether it meets the program's goals and eligibility requirements. The goal of the Program is to stimulate the commercialization of “Climatetech” (as defined in Section VI of the RFP) and related innovation between Technology Readiness Level 2 (technology concept and/or application formulated) and 4 (Component and/or process validation in laboratory environment). If it fits within these technological readiness levels, requires additional research and testing to fully commercialize, and meets the other eligibility requirements outlined in the RFP, we can consider it for funding. We recommend reviewing Section IV and VI of the RFP for full eligibility details.

5. With regard to formatting, may we eliminate the gray/bluish left column, e.g., in the Technology Overview Section?

Other than deleting italic prompts, for consistency, please use the rest of the template as is.

6. If my business is incorporated legally in a different state but all operations are in MA, do I meet the geographic eligibility requirement for the grant?

As long as the company’s primary manufacturing operations (if applicable), headquarters, primary sales and marketing, and primary research and development operations are located in Massachusetts you are eligible. We recommend reviewing Section VI of the RFP for full details.

7. Do interns count as full-time equivalent employees under the Catalyst program? Can I hire any more interns before and/or after the grant application?

Interns do not count toward the full-time equivalent employee eligibility. There are no restrictions for the program on the number of interns you can hire before or after the grant application.

8. Can I include a stipend/salary payment for interns in the budget proposal in the grant?

You can include the intern stipend/payment in the budget of the Catalyst grant proposal. We also have an internship program at MassCEC. You may not charge an intern’s internship hours to a Catalyst or DICEs grant if they are also getting paid through the separate internship funding program. Visit the Clean Energy Internship Program for more information.

9. Am I eligible to apply if I am currently not in MA but have plans to move to MA?

Yes, you are eligible to apply as an out-of-state company, however, you must make note in your proposal of your concrete plans for relocating to MA before the time of award announcement. Your award will be contingent on meeting the MA presence requirement in the RFP.

10. Must I already be spun off from my parent company to qualify or can I apply even before spinning out?

Yes, you may submit an application before being spun out, but in order to complete contracting and receive any funds, your company would have to be independently incorporated. According to the RFP: “A pre-incorporation entity may submit an Application, but proof of incorporation will be necessary in order to receive the award.”

11. Can a student-led team be considered eligible for Catalyst without being led by a faculty member or researcher? In this situation, can a student be the PI for the project?

No, student-led teams are not eligible for this grant. Per the RFP, a student (or group of students) must be "led by a faculty member or researcher who will act as the PI and will be responsible for managing the grant and reporting requirements."

12. Are the 2 pages (maximum) of an application's Project Plan included in the 11-page total maximum for the complete application?

The Project Plan, and all other parts of the 'FY25 Catalyst and DICES Application Form' posted online, are part of the 11-page maximum for the application. An Appendix is any additional attachment (resume, letter of interest, etc.) and is not considered part of the 11-page application maximum.

13. Do resumes count toward the 11-page maximum Application total length, or are they extra?

See answer to Question 12.

14. Please clarify the instructions regarding deleting prompts and retaining column formatting.

The prompts are the text sections in italics in the right-hand column of the Application. Please delete the prompts but retain the original two-column format of the Application form.

15. There is a box in the TRL/CRL sections for “notes”. What type of information are you looking for here?

TRL/CRL Notes are optional and may include information about the technology's TRL/CRL that you want to be considered in the Application.

Additional Resources

The Massachusetts Founder Network aims give Massachusetts startup founders equitable access to resources that will help their companies grow.

Learn about Incubators and Accelerators in Massachusetts.

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