How to Participate

The CalNEXT team will evaluate public submissions once a quarter. Submitters with Idea or Project submissions that might be a good fit for the program, will either be paired with a program partner to prepare the submission for scoring, or will be scored directly.  All Projects will be evaluated against the same review criteria. Then the CalNEXT team will let you know if your project has been selected.

The next submission deadline is May 25, 2023. Submissions will be accepted from now until that date but will not be reviewed until after the deadline. If you submit an Idea or Project, please be prepared to meet with the CalNEXT team between June 1 and June 15, 2023. For more information on the current quarterly Request for Ideas (RFI), view the Q2 RFI here.

The CalNEXT team is accountable for implementing projects. If a submitted project is approved, the submitter will be paired with one of the program partner organizations for support. This support may range from general Program support or to direct implementation support.

Project Types

We are looking for research projects on market-ready or near market-ready technologies or products. The technology/product should be aligned with one of our six Technology Priority areas, and have the potential to generate energy savings or reduce energy consumption or demand, OR are projects that aim to reduce or eliminate barriers to deployment of these technologies. Ideal CalNEXT projects can be executed in around 18 months or less, and cost $400,000 or less.

Technology Development Research (TDR)

Early-stage technologies or products not currently available in the market — developing the commercial capability and improving their ability to generate energy savings or reduce energy consumption or demand.

Technology Support Research (TSR)

Market-ready technologies or products — addressing market barriers or developing the commercial capability to improve their ability to generate energy savings, reduce energy consumption or demand, or support new measures eligible for energy efficiency resource programs. Projects may address barriers like customer behavior, retro-commissioning, and operational efficiencies.

Focused Pilots (FP)

A comprehensive adoption barrier study looking at end-to-end market pain points with a view to building on previous solutions and adding to understanding of program interventions. Approaches may also coordinate with resource acquisition programs, the Market Transformation framework, Codes & Standards, other portfolio structures, or a combination of these programs. These projects will be selected for Focused Pilots based on the 2022 Focused Pilot TPM.

Be a Part of California's Electric Future

Submit an Idea

An idea is defined as a solution that is not yet ready for implementation. Once submitted and selected, the CalNEXT team will determine whether this idea is a good candidate for the program, provide feedback for improvement, and help you develop your idea into a project.

Submit a Project

A project is defined as an idea that has been fully vetted and is ready for implementation if selected by the CalNEXT team. It has a scope of work and business case justification with an idea of how the project will be delivered (i.e., the type of research or study that is needed), who will do the work and for how long, and how much it will cost.

Submit an Idea

For ideas that may need vetting from the CalNEXT team:

(Tip: Download this PDF of form questions to prepare your answers before using the online form, as your answers may not be saved if you leave the session and come back to it later.)

The CalNEXT team will review your idea and, if it is a good candidate for the program, will be in touch to discuss how to turn your idea into a project. When you’re ready, you can resubmit your idea as a project. If your idea is not a fit, we will be in touch to discuss why.

Submit a Project

For projects that are ready to implement:

(Tip: Download this PDF of form questions to prepare your answers before using the online form, as your answers may not be saved if you leave the session and come back to it later. Need an example? Look at this Example Project Submission to get an idea of what type of information the CalNEXT team needs to fairly evaluate your submission.)

After the listed submission deadline, the CalNEXT team will respond to you about your project, and let you know if it has been selected to move on to scoring, if they would like to pair you with a program partner to improve your submission for scoring, or if your project has not been selected to move forward. All projects for the period will be scored at the same time.

If your project has been selected for scoring where it will be evaluated against our Review Criteria, the scoring will take place approximately 6 weeks after the submission deadline. If you are paired with a partner to improve your submission, you will have approximately 3 weeks to work with the program partner on your submission before resubmitting it to be scored.

If your project is moved forward by the Scoring Committee, a program partner will reach out to you to help get you started on developing your Project Proposal. If the Project Proposal is accepted by SCE, you will be asked to create a Project Plan. Once the Project Plan is accepted, the CalNEXT team will work with you to get contracts in place and begin implementation work.  

For a more detailed description please refer to the Participant Expectations Guide.