Building EPSCoR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships | DE FOA 0002624

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002624

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science is soliciting proposals under its Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to build and strengthen research partnerships between institutions in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions and DOE National Laboratories. The central purpose of this funding opportunity is to support fundamental, early-stage energy research that advances understanding of the physical world by pairing researchers from EPSCoR states and territories with scientists and capabilities at the national labs. In practice, the program is meant to help jurisdictions that historically receive a smaller share of federal R&D dollars develop deeper, sustained connections to DOE lab expertise, specialized infrastructure, and mission-relevant research areas, while producing publishable scientific outcomes and positioning teams for larger future efforts.

A key feature of this opportunity is the emphasis on collaboration with DOE National Laboratories, including encouragement to make substantive use of DOE user facilities. Projects are expected to leverage resources that are difficult to replicate at a university, such as major scientific instruments, high-performance computing, unique materials fabrication or characterization tools, and nuclear energy research capabilities. The announcement explicitly points applicants to DOE Office of Science user facilities and to the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy user facilities (including the National Scientific User Facility), signaling that competitive proposals will often be those that clearly integrate facility access into the research plan rather than treating it as an optional add-on.

The funding priorities are framed around clean energy and climate research topics that align with DOE interests. Specifically highlighted areas include energy storage, carbon dioxide removal, hydrogen, solar energy conversion, and low-carbon manufacturing, with an example topic of polymer upcycling. While proposals are not necessarily limited to only these themes, applicants are advised that these areas are priorities, so strong proposals typically show a clear connection between the proposed fundamental research and one or more of these clean energy or climate-relevant domains.

Workforce development is not optional in this program design. Participation by undergraduate students, graduate students, or postdoctoral fellows is required, meaning proposals must include concrete roles for trainees and a plan for how their involvement supports both the research goals and their professional development. The solicitation also encourages applications from early-career faculty in EPSCoR jurisdictions, reflecting a goal of helping newer investigators build lab relationships, establish independent research directions, and develop track records that can lead to larger DOE funding opportunities.

Eligibility is restricted and tied to NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) determinations, consistent with 2 CFR 910.126. In simple terms, only applicants located in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions can apply, and DOE uses NSF’s determinations to decide which jurisdictions qualify. The eligible jurisdictions listed in the announcement are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The opportunity is limited to domestic applicants, and it excludes 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity from DOE’s Office of Science, categorized under science and technology and other research and development, with CFDA number 81.049. The funding opportunity is identified as DE-FOA-0002624. The posted award ceiling is $250,000, indicating a relatively modest budget aimed at catalyzing partnerships and producing early results rather than funding large multi-year centers. The original closing date listed for applications was April 14, 2022, and the opportunity was created on December 6, 2021.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building EPSCoR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-12-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DE FOA 0002624

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