DICES (Diversity in Climatetech- Early Stage) Program

DICES (Diversity in Climatetech- Early Stage) Program is sponsored by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and MassVentures. In parallel with the Catalyst Program, DICES awards grants for projects led by applicants who are underrepresented in the Climatetech industry or have faced economic barriers entering the environmental or entrepreneurial landscape, focusing on demonstrating initial prototypes of…

Catalyst and DICES | MassCEC MassCEC / Tech 2 Market / Funding / Catalyst & 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.

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 Climatetech- 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.

Catalyst and DICES are for technologies that are at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2-4, according to the TRL Calculator developed by several state and federal agencies. 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.

The Catalyst/ DICES program offers funding twice per year. The Spring 2026 round opens on January 14, 2026 and will close on March 13, 2026. January 28, 2026 from 12PM - 1PM Deadline to submit questions MassCEC posts responses to questions (see FAQs) March 13, 2026 at 11:59PM Applicants notified of finalist status Finalists notified of award status Applications must be submitted via the MassVentures portal.

For full Program details, please refer to the Catalyst RFP. For any questions, please email companycatalyst@masscec. com .

Catalyst and DICES FY26 Spring - Request for Proposals Catalyst and DICES FY26 Application Form 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.

Since program inception, our Catalyst Program has awarded over $13 million to 215 awardees, who have gone on to raise more than $852 million in follow-on funding and submit 455 patent applications. One out of every four university awardees has created a new company.

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Sustainable Cool Roof Coating Technology for Passive Cooling Buildings Dr. Yi Zheng at Northeastern University has created PartiCool, a sustainable cool roof coating that reflects up to 97% of sunlight and passively lowers building temperatures without relying on toxic titanium dioxide.

Analog Devices (aka Think Analog) Sustainable AI at Scale: Analog Computing to Dramatically Reduce Power Footprint Analog Devices dramatically reduces transistor count and power consumption through full-range analog computation, combined with accurate software design toolchain to meet exploding AI computational demands without proportional energy growth. Last updated February 26, 2026 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 IV. Eligibility of the RFP to view full eligibility requirements.

2. Does the project or start-up have to fit within the six MassCEC focus areas? No, the project or start-up does not have to fit within the six focus areas.

We also accept projects that provide or enable significant decarbonization. We recommend reviewing Section I of the RFP to view full eligibility requirements. 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 IV 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 I 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 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? No. Other than deleting italicized 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 is registered to do business with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and 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 IV 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 'FY26 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, graphs, figures, etc.) and is not considered part of the 11-page application maximum.

There is a 4MB file size limit. 13. Do resumes count toward the 11-page maximum Application total length, or are they extra?

See answer to Question 12. 14. Should figures (e.g. of system prototype & schematic) be placed directly in the application document, or included in an appendix and cited in the application?

This is up to you, you may include figures in your application document; and you also may include them in an appendix document and cited in the application. 15. What are the page and figure limits for the Appendix attachments?

Appendix Attachments do not count toward the 11-page limit for the application; however, there is a maximum file size limit of 4MB. 16. Please clarify the instructions regarding deleting the application form's italicized prompts and retaining column formatting.

The italicized 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. 17.

Can the application form's header guidance text be deleted? Yes, the application form's header guidance text can be deleted. Please only delete the instructional header guidance.

Do not delete the MassCEC and MassVentures logos or the document title header. 18. 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. 19.

In the Project Budget Summary, if the automatic total calculation field does not update correctly, is it acceptable to manually enter the correct total amount (as long as the line items and total are calculated correctly)? Yes, manually enter the correct total amount, and please doublecheck the math is correct. 20.

May we allocate part of the Catalyst budget to hire an external technoeconomic analysis (TEA) consultant to help with this? Yes, you may use the Catalyst budget to hire an external TEA consultant. In your application itself, please include this in the Project Budget Summary for dollar amounts, and share detail in the Team Members section.

You can also explain their role throughout other sections of the application. 21. I am applying as a PI part of a research/academic institution.

The RFP states "Indirect costs are not permissible," while the application form states, "If your research institution requires overhead, it needs to be included in this budget." Can you please confirm how my university should understand the relevant overhead cost policy for this budget? For Catalyst applicants from an academic/research institution, please identify any overhead charges in the budget section of your application.

We encourage all academic/research applicants to seek a waiver from overhead costs from their host institution, if possible. 22. How do I know if I am eligible to apply for DICES?

23. I am currently at an academic institution and am planning to spin out the technology. Should I apply to Catalyst/DICES as a company or research organization?

The RFP states, "Companies may be student-led; however, if any of the company's intellectual property ("IP") has been licensed or is to be licensed from a university, then verification of the license or option to license must be provided. A pre-incorporation entity may submit an Application, but proof of incorporation will be necessary in order to receive the award." 24.

Can an applicant submit more than one Catalyst application? Yes, but an applicant can only accept one award, if awarded. 25.

Can an applicant submit to both Catalyst and InnovateMass at the same time? Yes, but please confirm that the company and the project meets the eligibility criteria for each program. If awarded, an applicant can only accept one award.

Review Section X, subsection Interaction with Other MassCEC Programs of the RFP. 26. I have previously received a Catalyst/DICES grant; can I apply again for a new Catalyst/DICES grant?

Previous awardees may apply again for Catalyst/DICES funding, provided that the proposed technology is a completely different product line/project from the previously funded project.

MassCEC / Tech 2 Market / Funding / Catalyst & DICES Clean Energy Internship Program for Employers High Performance Buildings Renewable Energy Generation $4,320/intern for Fall or Spring session; $8,640/intern for Summer session or for Construction, Installation, and Maintenance Request For Proposals: Grants for Enhancing MA Grid Resilience & Reliability Program Area Net Zero Grid Application Deadline: September 21st, 2026 Request for Proposals: ADU Accelerator Demonstration Program Area High Performance Buildings Program Type Consulting/Services Award Potential: $500,000 Application Deadline: August 12, 2025 Program Area Community Engagement, Env.

Justice/DEI $150,000 (Implementation) $25,000 (in some cases up to $50,000) (Innovation and Capacity Building) Application Deadline: March 26, 2026