DE-FOA-0002676 amendment 000001.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE)

OFFICE OF SCIENCE (SC)

BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES (BES)

CHEMICAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCES TO ADVANCE CLEAN

ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND LOW-CARBON

MANUFACTURING

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) NUMBER:

DE-FOA-0002676

FOA TYPE: AMENDMENT 000001

CFDA NUMBER: 81.049

AMENDMENT 00001 IS ISSUED TO CLARIFY THE REQUIREMENTS/CONTENTS

ON PAGE 4

FOA Issue Date: Febuary 16, 2022 Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications: March 16, 2022, at 5:00 PM Eastern

A Pre-Application is required Pre-Application Response Date: April 13, 2022 Submission Deadline for Applications: May 17, 2022, at 11:59 PM Eastern

Table of Contents

SECTION I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION

A. TYPE OF AWARD INSTRUMENT

B. ESTIMATED FUNDING

C. MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM AWARD SIZE

D. EXPECTED NUMBER OF AWARDS

E. ANTICIPATED AWARD SIZE

F. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

G. TYPE OF APPLICATION

SECTION III – ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING

C. ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS

D. LIMITATIONS ON SUBMISSIONS

SECTION IV – APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. LETTER OF INTENT (LOI) AND PRE-APPLICATION

C. GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND RECEIPT PROCEDURES

D. CONTENT AND APPLICATION FORMS

E. SUBMISSIONS FROM SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS

F. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

SECTION V - APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

C. ANTICIPATED NOTICE OF SELECTION AND AWARD DATES

SECTION VI – AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

C. REPORTING

D. REPORTING OF MATTERS RELATED TO RECIPIENT INTEGRITY AND

PERFORMANCE (DECEMBER 2015)

E. INTERIM CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

SECTION VII - QUESTIONS/AGENCY CONTACTS

A. QUESTIONS

B. AGENCY CONTACTS

SECTION VIII – SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

A. HOW-TO GUIDES

B. POLICY PROVISIONS

C. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

D. REFERENCE MATERIAL

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UPDATES AND REMINDERS

RECOMMENDATION

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) encourages you to register in all systems as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to submit letters of intent (LOIs), pre-applications, and applications well before the deadline.

INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR

BES plans to hold an informational webinar about this FOA. Details about timing and registration will be posted at https://science.osti.gov/bes/Funding-Opportunities.

CURRENT AND PENDING SUPPORT AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

The instructions for the content of current and pending support and biographical sketches (biosketches) have changed. Please read the instructions carefully and follow them.

REPORTING AND ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

DOE is implementing enhanced reporting requirements for applications and awards. Reporting and administrative requirements, including but not limited to those pertaining to other sources of support and potential conflicts of interest or commitment, are subject to change before the Federal award date. The terms and conditions of award will specify changed requirements:

Applicants have the right to reject any proposed awards. Terms and conditions may be modified at the time of an award modification: Recipients have the right to reject such modifications and allow an award to expire.

UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI)

The Federal Government is transitioning from the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), assigned by Dun and Bradstreet at https://fedgov.dnb.com/ to the UEI, assigned by the System for Award Management at https://www.sam.gov. Information systems including SAM.gov, Grants.gov and PAMS (https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov) are being updated: Please follow the on-screen instructions or contact each system’s Help Desk for additional information.

Detailed information about the transition is available at https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FEDERAL SUPPORT

SC guidance about how its support should be acknowledged is published at https://science.osti.gov/funding-opportunities/acknowledgements/.

PUBLIC ACCESS

https://science.osti.gov/bes/Funding-Opportunities https://fedgov.dnb.com/ https://www.sam.gov/ https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/ https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://science.osti.gov/funding-opportunities/acknowledgements/ ii

Awards made under this FOA are subject to DOE’s Public Access Plan (https://www.energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). Full-text version of scientific publications must be made publicly accessible at no charge to readers.

SC STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT

The DOE SC is fully and unconditionally committed to fostering safe, diverse, equitable, and inclusive work, research, and funding environments that value mutual respect and personal integrity. Discrimination and harassment undermine SC’s ability to achieve its mission by reducing productivity, discouraging, or inhibiting talent retention and career advancement, and weakening the integrity of the SC enterprise overall. SC does not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, including sexual or non-sexual harassment, bullying, intimidation, violence, threats of violence, retaliation, or other disruptive behavior in the federal workplace, including DOE field site offices, or at national laboratories, scientific user facilities, academic institutions, other institutions receiving SC funding, or other locations where activities funded by SC are carried out. All applicants and collaborators should familiarize themselves with the SC Statement of Commitment available at https://science.osti.gov/sc-2/Research-and-Conduct- Policies/Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion/SC-Statement-of-Commitment.

UPDATING YOUR PAMS PROFILE

All applicants are encouraged to update their profiles in the PAMS website at https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov regularly, at least annually, to ensure SC has your most up to date information. The PAMS profile now requires that individuals provide responses to the demographic related fields. SC strongly encourages applicants and awardees, including Principal Investigators (PIs), Co-PIs, and other Key Personnel, to provide their demographic information.

By providing your demographic information, you are assisting with SC’s continued commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in its business practices. Alternatively, for information you wish not to disclose, please select, “Do not wish to provide.” Your individual demographic information will not be shared with peer reviewers and the information in your PAMS profile is protected by the requirements established in the Federal Privacy Act of 1974.

Aggregate, anonymized demographic information may be shared with confidential review committees who are charged to evaluate the quality and efficacy of SC’s business practices. For example, summary statistics of all applicants to or awardees selected from a particular SC FOA may be reviewed by a Committee of Visitors.

PDF GENERATION

The research narrative in an application must be one single machine-readable PDF file that contains the DOE Title Page, project narrative, all required appendices, and other attachments.

This single PDF file may not be scanned from a printed document and must be attached in Field 8 on the Grants.gov form. This must be a plain PDF file consisting of text, numbers, and images without editable fields, signatures, passwords, redactions, or other advanced features available in some PDF-compatible software. Do not use PDF portfolios or binders. The research narrative will be read by SC staff using the full version of Adobe Acrobat: Please ensure that the narrative is readable in Acrobat. If combining multiple files into one research narrative, ensure that a PDF https://www.energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan https://science.osti.gov/sc-2/Research-and-Conduct-Policies/Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion/SC-Statement-of-Commitment https://science.osti.gov/sc-2/Research-and-Conduct-Policies/Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion/SC-Statement-of-Commitment https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/ iii portfolio or binder is not created. If creating PDF files using any software other than Adobe Acrobat, please use a “Print to PDF” or equivalent process to ensure that all content is visible in the research narrative. Once a research narrative has been assembled, please submit the combined research narrative file through a “Print to PDF” or equivalent process to ensure that all content is visible in one PDF file that can be viewed in Adobe Acrobat.

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Checklist for Avoiding Common Errors:

Item Issue Page Limits Strictly followed throughout application, including particular attention to:

- Research Narrative

- Appendices to Narrative

- Biographical sketches

- Data Management Plan(s) (DMPs)

Personally Identifiable Information None present in the application Research Narrative Composed of one PDF file including all appendices Project Summary / Abstract Name(s) of applicant, PI(s), PI’s institutional affiliation(s), Co-Investigator(s), Co- Investigator’s institutional affiliation(s)

Pre-application Follow instructions closely, including required institutional signature and topic area identification on the cover page and list of individuals who should not serve as merit reviewers.

DOE Title Page Follow instructions closely Submission of Excel Table by email At the pre-application and application stage, the FOA requires submission of tables in Excel format by email to CleanEnergy.FOA@science.doe.gov (Excel template provided)

Budget Use current negotiated indirect cost and fringe benefit rates. In addition, this FOA requires that for multi-institutional applications the lead organization requests a larger percentage of the budget than each of the other institutional partners, team members, or subrecipients

Budget Justification (attached to budget) Justify all requested costs Biographical Sketches Follow page limits strictly and do not include list of individuals who should not serve as merit reviewers

Current and Pending Support Ensure complete listing of all activities, regardless of source of funding

Data Management Plans (DMP) - If referring to an experiment’s DMP, describe the relationship to the proposed research

- Include a DMP even if no experimental data is expected

PDF Files Ensure that all PDF files comply with the mailto:CleanEnergy.FOA@science.doe.gov v following standards:

- Files must be machine-readable.

- Files may not be scanned from a printed document.

- Files must be plain PDF files consisting of text, numbers, and images without editable fields, signatures, passwords, redactions, or other advanced features available in some PDF-compatible software.

- Files must not be PDF portfolios or binders.

- Files must be readable in the full version of Adobe Acrobat

- If combining multiple files into one research narrative, ensure that a PDF portfolio or binder is not created.

If creating PDF files using any software other than Adobe Acrobat, please use a “Print to PDF” or equivalent process to ensure that all content is visible.

Institutions capable of being funded through the DOE Field Work System

If National Laboratories and/or DOE sites are permitted to submit under this FOA:

- Do not create new institutions in the

PAMS website

- Submit applications in Grants.gov using the name of the laboratory or site in Field 5 of the SF-424(R&R) application form, not the contractor operating the laboratory or site

Submissions under this FOA will be evaluated for technical merit, but any resulting funding, work, or awards will be made under the laboratory or site’s contract with DOE. No separate financial assistance awards will be made. No administrative provisions of this FOA will apply to the laboratory or any laboratory subcontractor.

Section I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

Technical/Scientific Program Contact:

Dr. Gail McLean, Basic Energy Sciences Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division gail.mclean@science.doe.gov

Dr. John Vetrano, Basic Energy Sciences Materials Sciences and Engineering Division john.vetrano@science.doe.gov

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

Section 646 of Public Law 95-91, U.S. Department of Energy Organization Act Section 901, et seq. of Public Law 109-58, Energy Policy Act of 2005

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS

Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, codified at 2 CFR 200 U.S. Department of Energy Financial Assistance Rules, codified at 2 CFR 910 U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Rule, codified at 10

CFR 605

SUMMARY

The DOE SC program in Basic Energy Sciences (BES) announces its interest in receiving new applications from single principal investigators (PIs) and from small teams to advance basic and fundamental chemical and materials sciences that underpin clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing. The goal is creation of foundational knowledge to support the development of approaches that will minimize climate impacts of energy technologies and manufacturing. For this FOA, clean energy technologies include approaches to capture, produce, convert, store, and use energy that reduce or eliminate unwanted emissions such as greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide, methane, etc.). These technologies also include approaches such as direct air capture (DAC) and carbon storage/sequestration to decrease emissions that have been released into the environment from energy production and use. Low-carbon manufacturing refers to manufacturing processes that minimize carbon emissions and energy consumption.

Investments from this FOA are anticipated to include awards that build foundational knowledge underpinning the Energy Earthshots Initiative.

Awards under this FOA will support basic and fundamental research. Applied research, which seeks to exploit fundamental knowledge to solve specific technical challenges, is outside the scope of this FOA.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

mailto:gail.mclean@science.doe.gov mailto:john.vetrano@science.doe.gov https://www.energy.gov/policy/energy-earthshots-initiative

Background

The mission of the BES program is to support fundamental research and capabilities to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels to provide the foundations for new energy technologies and to support DOE missions in energy, environment, and national security. Further information about BES research programs relevant to this FOA can be found at the following links:

• Basic Energy Sciences

• Materials Sciences and Engineering

• Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences

Consistent with its mission, BES has provided continuous support across a wide range of scientific areas for fundamental research underpinning clean energy applications. BES strategic planning activities, exemplified in the workshop reports issued on the BES Communities Resources website, provide the basis for continued emphasis on research in clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing. The Research Objectives section below identifies specific reports that present Priority Research Directions (PRDs) and Priority Research Opportunities (PROs) for fundamental science underpinning topics relevant to this FOA.

BES is committed to promoting the diversity of investigators and institutions it supports, as indicated by the ongoing use of program policy factors (see Section V.B.2) in making selections of awards. To strengthen this commitment, BES encourages applications led by Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), which include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs),1 that are underrepresented in the BES portfolio2 and applications led by individuals from groups historically underrepresented in STEM. In addition, applications are encouraged from multi-PI and multi-institutional teams that include the participation of MSIs that are underrepresented in the BES portfolio as well as researchers from groups historically underrepresented in STEM.

Research Objectives

This FOA solicits new applications for fundamental research to discover, understand, and design new materials and chemical systems that will enable innovations in clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing. Applications should emphasize advances in the understanding of fundamental chemical and materials mechanisms that control both energy efficiency and atom efficiency (creation of desired products without unwanted byproducts) in energy capture, production, conversion, storage, and use processes important for clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing. This FOA also requests applications for fundamental chemical and materials sciences research on critical materials and minerals, which play essential roles in many clean energy technologies and manufactured products.

1 US Department of Education lists of MSIs and HBCUs in 2021 can be found at:

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/2021eligibilitymatrix.xlsx and https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/.

2 Information about Office of Science awards can be found in the Portfolio Analysis and Management System – https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/WebPAMSExternal/Interface/Awards/AwardSearchExternal.aspx.

https://science.osti.gov/bes https://science.osti.gov/bes/mse https://science.osti.gov/bes/csgb https://science.osti.gov/bes/Community-Resources/Reports https://science.osti.gov/bes/Community-Resources/Reports https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/2021eligibilitymatrix.xlsx https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/WebPAMSExternal/Interface/Awards/AwardSearchExternal.aspx?controlName=ContentTabs

This FOA seeks fundamental research to provide the understanding needed for advances in current technologies and for innovations that could lead to new technological approaches, including efforts to advance the objectives of the Energy Earthshots Initiative. Research is encouraged that seeks understanding of the relationships between the chemical mechanisms and the properties of complex materials that underlie clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing. For team efforts, interdisciplinary approaches that combine experimental with theoretical, computational and data science approaches are encouraged.

Applications are requested for fundamental scientific research that emphasizes one of the following Topic Areas (TA) as the primary target. The TA must be identified on the covers of the preapplication and application to be responsive to this FOA. If the applicant desires, information may be included in the application showing how the research could advance other secondary TAs but the proposed research must target a single primary TA. Note that applications to TA7, Critical Minerals and Materials, are required to explain how the proposed critical materials research will advance objectives in other TAs.

TA1: Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen

Applications for this topic area should focus on fundamental research to advance hydrogen production using clean energy sources, hydrogen storage using materials or chemical systems, and hydrogen use as a chemical feedstock or as a clean-energy carrier to power processes. Applications must address PROs identified in the recent BES Roundtable report on Foundational Science for Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen Technologies. Applications focused on hydrogen production are encouraged to propose fundamental research addressing one or more of the Roundtable PROs which can provide foundational knowledge in support of the Hydrogen Shot objective “to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade.”

TA2: Solar Energy Applications for this topic area should focus on fundamental research that advances approaches to harness solar energy and convert it into chemical and electrical energy carriers.

Applications on solar-to-chemical energy conversions (including hydrogen production and nitrogen reduction) must address PROs identified in the report BES Roundtable on Liquid Solar Fuels. Applications for solar conversion to electrical energy will be considered if compelling, innovative research is proposed that will lead to transformative advances and that addresses both current scientific knowledge gaps and appropriate PRDs identified in the report Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization.

TA3: Carbon Dioxide Removal Applications for this topic area should focus on fundamental research approaches to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Removal (CDR). CDR is identified as “activities that remove CO2 from the atmosphere and durably store it in geological, terrestrial, or ocean reservoirs, or in products.”3 Although many CDR approaches

3 J Wilcox, B Kolosz, & J Freeman (2021) CDR Primer, https://cdrprimer.org/ https://www.energy.gov/policy/energy-earthshots-initiative https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2021/Hydrogen_Roundtable_Brochure.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2021/Hydrogen_Roundtable_Brochure.pdf https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-shot https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2020/Liquid_Solar_Fuels_Report.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2020/Liquid_Solar_Fuels_Report.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/files/Basic_Research_Needs_for_Solar_Energy_Utilization_rpt.pdf https://cdrprimer.org/ have been proposed for carbon dioxide removal,3,4 the scope of this topic area is limited to fundamental science that can advance the following approaches: direct capture of CO2 from dilute sources (e.g., ambient air and oceans and surface waters that concentrate CO2 from air) and durable storage of CO2 (e.g., conversion of CO2 to durable forms) which includes CO2 incorporation in earth materials (mineralization).

CO2 Capture from Dilute Sources: Applications on capture of CO2 from dilute sources should couple hypothesis-driven research on chemical mechanisms with design, synthesis, and assembly of materials with desired functionality. Applications must focus on research that will advance the ability to create capture systems that are energy efficient, rapid (e.g., promote high throughput), and durable. Research is requested to:

• Discover, understand, design, and control energy-transfer mechanisms to drive processes in separation systems, such as to regenerate capture media or to accelerate chemical-materials processes that influence capture rate (e.g., mass transport).

Mechanisms that employ electrochemical, magnetic, photo-induced, or reactive steps, or a synergistic confluence of such steps, are encouraged. Research focused solely on thermal mechanisms will not be supported.

• Understand the fundamental materials and chemical mechanisms that lead to chemical, physical, and/or structural changes of separations media and cause the degradation of performance and durability.

• Couple mechanistic studies with the design and synthesis of innovative, robust capture materials that selectively capture CO2 at high rates and require minimum energy for subsequent release of CO2. Applications focused on synthesis and assembly science must emphasize hypothesis-driven approaches that integrate data science and experimental research efforts for a mechanistic understanding and control of synthesis and assembly pathways.

BES issued two solicitations on Materials and Chemical Sciences Research for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide in FY 2020 and 2021 – a FY 2020 Lab Announcement and a FY 2021 FOA – that requested applications in this area. Follow the links to see the Awards from the FY 2020 Lab Announcement and the Awards from the FY 2021 FOA. Awards made in this Topic Area will complement, not duplicate, the FY 2020 and FY 2021 awards.

Durable Storage of CO2: Applications must focus on the chemical mechanisms of CO2 reactions at material interfaces to form solid carbonate materials that durably store CO2 or conversions of CO2 in synthetic pathways that produce durable functional materials. Studies of both natural minerals (e.g., CO2 mineralization) and synthetic materials will be considered.

Applications in this area should address current scientific knowledge gaps; research on conversion of CO2 to carbonates (mineralization) must also address the PRD on Mineral- Water Interface Complexity and Dynamics from the report Basic Research Needs for Geosciences: Facilitating 21st Century Energy Systems. Broader aspects of geological

4 Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda, The National Academies

Press, https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25259/negative-emissions-technologies-and-reliable-sequestration-a-research-agenda https://science.osti.gov/-/media/grants/pdf/lab-announcements/2020/LAB_20-2303.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/grants/pdf/foas/2021/SC_FOA_0002481.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/grants/pdf/foas/2021/SC_FOA_0002481.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/Funding/DOE_Direct_Air_Capture_Research-Awards_List.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/Funding/DOE_Direct_Air_Capture_Research-Awards_List.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/Funding/2021/FY2021_DAC_Awards_20210722.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/files/Basic_Research_Needs_for_Geosciences_rpt.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/files/Basic_Research_Needs_for_Geosciences_rpt.pdf https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25259/negative-emissions-technologies-and-reliable-sequestration-a-research-agenda https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25259/negative-emissions-technologies-and-reliable-sequestration-a-research-agenda sequestration technology such as large-scale reservoir integrity and transport, as well as seismic/mechanical reservoir response, are outside the scope of this FOA.

Applications in this topic area are encouraged to describe how the proposed fundamental research can provide foundational knowledge to advance the Carbon Negative Shot objective to “remove CO2 from the atmosphere and durably store it at meaningful scales for less than $100/net metric ton of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) in 1 decade.”

TA4: Energy Storage

Applications for this topic area should focus on fundamental research to advance efficient, carbon-neutral approaches to interconvert electrical and chemical energy. The chemical energy storage reservoir may be the electrodes of a rechargeable battery, the electrolyte storage tanks of a redox flow battery, a pure chemical compound such as a liquid fuel, or a similar approach to storing energy in chemical bonds. Approaches should be bi-directional in operation, interconverting electrical and chemical energy in both a storage and power generating mode.

Applications focused on electrochemical approaches such as batteries and fuel cells for the purposes of energy storage must address PRDs identified in the report Basic Research Needs for Next Generation Electrical Energy Storage. Applications focused on understanding the chemical and materials mechanisms underlying selective, efficient electrical-chemical energy interconversions should address the PRD “Design Catalysts for Efficient Electron-driven Chemical Transformations” from the report Basic Research Needs for Catalysis Science.

Applications in this topic area are encouraged to describe how the fundamental research can provide foundational knowledge to advance the Long Duration Storage Shot objective “to reduce the cost of grid-scale energy storage by 90% for systems that deliver 10+ hours of duration within the decade.”

TA5: Nuclear Energy Applications for this topic area should focus on fundamental research to elucidate the chemical and materials processes of key components, such as fuels, coolants, and materials, in future nuclear reactor concepts. Nuclear reactors are an option among future energy sources because they provide a continuous supply of baseload power without emitting greenhouse gases. The proposed research should focus on how fundamental atomic- and molecular-scale processes influence the behavior of key components in the extreme environments of nuclear reactors. Applications must address PRDs identified in the report Basic Research Needs for Future Nuclear Energy.

TA6: Transformative Manufacturing

Applications for this topic area should focus on fundamental research that lays the scientific foundations for novel synthesis, processing, modeling, operando characterization, and validation approaches for manufacturing. Such approaches must go beyond incremental improvements and lead to creation of new, transformative technologies for manufacturing that are energy- and atom-efficient, including sustainable and circular manufacturing approaches. Applications must address one or more PRDs from the report Basic Research https://www.energy.gov/fecm/carbon-negative-shot https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRN_NGEES_rpt.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRN_NGEES_rpt.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRN_CatalysisScience_rpt.pdf https://www.energy.gov/eere/long-duration-storage-shot https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRN-FNE_rpt.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2020/Manufacturing_BRN_Report_Combined.pdf

Needs for Transformative Manufacturing. Applications could also address relevant PROs or PRDs from the following BES reports, which complement the Transformative Manufacturing report:

• BES Roundtable on Chemical Upcycling of Polymers

• Basic Research Needs for Catalysis Science

• Basic Research Needs for Synthesis Science

TA7: Critical Minerals and Materials Applications for this topic area should focus on fundamental research in chemical and materials sciences to understand and control processes and properties associated with use of rare earth elements (REE), platinum group elements (PGE), and other critical materials. As critical elements are increasingly essential to properties of materials, catalysts, and related systems that have economic and national security roles, and as availability of critical elements becomes more restricted, it is important to ensure a stable supply chain, increase their efficient use, and identify substitutes that can provide similar or even enhanced functionalities with a reduced need for these critical elements.

While the focus of this topic area is critical minerals and materials, applications must make clear connections between the proposed research and clean energy technologies or low-carbon manufacturing. Applications must specify how the proposed research on critical materials will advance objectives in one or more of the other topic areas (TA1 -TA6).

Basic research is requested to:

• Understand the role of REE, PGE, and other critical elements in the functionality of materials and molecular systems to accelerate the design and discovery of replacements that reduce or eliminate the use of critical elements without loss of functionality or performance.

• Elucidate the molecular-scale properties and processes of natural minerals responsible for migration and enrichment of REE, PGE, or other critical elements in the earth’s crust that will enable new strategies to enhance their availability.

• Characterize and understand chemical speciation of REE, PGE, or other critical elements in complex mixtures to enable new separation principles and approaches that control key aspects of separations.

• Establish hypothesis-driven materials design and synthesis approaches for enhanced functional materials that reduce or eliminate the use of REE, PGE, or other critical elements.

BES issued two recent solicitations for chemical and materials sciences research on critical materials – a FY 2020 Lab Announcement and a FY 2021 FOA – that requested applications in this area. Follow the links to see the Awards from the FY 2020 Lab Announcement and the Awards from the FY 2021 FOA. Awards made through in this topic area will complement, not duplicate, the FY 2020 and FY 2021 awards.

Cross-cutting Themes. Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to consider the following optional cross-cutting themes in the development of the research strategy for the proposed https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2020/Manufacturing_BRN_Report_Combined.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2020/Chemical_Upcycling_Polymers.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRN_CatalysisScience_rpt.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRN_SS_Rpt_web.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/grants/pdf/lab-announcements/2020/LAB_20-2304.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/grants/pdf/foas/2021/SC_FOA_0002483.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/BES_CM_Lab20_2304_Selectee_Listing_Website.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/Funding/2021/FY2021_CM_Awards.pdf project targeting one of the TAs identified above. Note that the proposed research must address one of the above TAs and cannot be limited to the following themes.

Materials Synthesis: Future clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing will depend upon advances in the science of synthesis to make new high-performance materials.

Areas of interest include detailed investigations of the fundamental dynamic mechanisms and relationships between composition, morphology, intrinsic electronic structure, chemical and environmental stability, and the deformation and failure behavior of the complex materials used as components of energy conversion systems, including materials that exhibit novel emergent phenomena or unique properties that could impact clean energy technologies.

Background information may be found in the report Basic Research Needs for Synthesis Science.

Biohybrids and bio-inspiration: Fundamental knowledge of biochemical systems as well as development of biohybrid constructs can produce unique insights into mechanisms for energy-related chemical transformations (e.g., water oxidation, carbon dioxide reduction, hydrogen production, and nitrogen reduction) and processes (e.g., light harvesting, efficient charge separation and charge transfer, and molecular systems that self-assemble, self-repair, and self-regulate). Basic research to understand the chemistry of interfaces between biochemical and inorganic components of biohybrids is needed for their development and use as new approaches in clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing. As an example, biohybrid constructs based on the water oxidation chemistry of natural photosynthesis could allow efficient use of water as an electron source for reduction of CO2 or N2 to solar fuels. Similarly, insights from the study of redox-active proteins and biological electron transport systems could inspire development of scalable, Earth-friendly catalysts and processes for electrochemistry. Recent advances such as directed evolution of proteins, accurate prediction of protein structure from amino acid sequence, and emergence of amino acid substitutes (e.g., peptoids) for construction of enzyme and protein mimics may also contribute to biohybrid and/or bio-inspired strategies for readily scalable clean energy and low-carbon manufacturing systems.

Tool and method development: New measurement techniques and data analysis tools may be needed to characterize materials and chemical processes for clean energy and low-carbon manufacturing technologies. Background information may be found in the reports Basic Energy Sciences Roundtable on Research Opportunities in the Physical Sciences Enabled by Cryogenic Electron Microscopy, Basic Energy Sciences Roundtable on Opportunities For Basic Research At The Frontiers of XFEL Ultrafast Science, and Basic Research Needs for Innovation And Discovery Of Transformative Experimental Tools.

Data science: Data science, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) methodologies, can provide tools for accelerating discovery and progress in chemical and materials sciences research. Areas of interest include the combination of standard experimental and theoretical methods with data science approaches for discovery, analysis, and modeling of chemical mechanisms and material systems with exceptional properties and dynamic behavior. Multiple reports from BES workshops and roundtables have identified the need for data science, AI, and ML to help resolve challenges associated with complexity and https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRN_SS_Rpt_web.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRN_SS_Rpt_web.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2021/CryoEM_RT_Report.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2021/CryoEM_RT_Report.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2021/CryoEM_RT_Report.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2018/Ultrafast_x-ray_science_rpt.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2018/Ultrafast_x-ray_science_rpt.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRNIDTET_rpt_print.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/reports/2017/BRNIDTET_rpt_print.pdf scalability; these reports can be found at https://science.osti.gov/bes/Community- Resources/Reports.

Coordination with other DOE activities

DOE has broad interest in the Topic Areas identified in this FOA. BES coordinates activities and funding in these areas with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, the Office of Nuclear Energy, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, and the Office of Electricity. Scientific advances from the awards from this FOA will be included in coordination discussions with other DOE offices to maximize scientific and technological impact. Information about recently announced solicitations from these offices, which are relevant to the Topic Areas, can be found in the document “Related Solicitations from other DOE Offices” linked from the BES Funding Opportunities website under the announcement for this FOA.

This FOA will also target awards that describe fundamental chemical sciences, materials sciences, geosciences, and biosciences research to advance foundational knowledge in support of the objectives of the following Energy Earthshots:

• Hydrogen Shot

• Long Duration Storage Shot

• Carbon Negative Shot

Open Science

SC is dedicated to promoting the values of openness in Federally supported scientific research, including, but not limited to, ensuring that research may be reproduced and that the results of Federally supported research are made available to other researchers. These objectives may be met through any number of mechanisms including, but not limited to, data access plans, data sharing agreements, the use of archives and repositories, and the use of various licensing schemes.

The use of the phrase “open-source” does not refer to any particular licensing arrangement, but is to be understood as encompassing any arrangement that furthers the objective of openness.

Multi-Institutional Teams

Applications for multi-institutional teams must ensure that that the lead institution requests more funding from BES than any other team member. Requests to change the institution receiving the greatest funding after an application is submitted will result in the application being declined unless the request is the result of the lead PI’s death, incapacitation, or relocation.

SC uses two different mechanisms to support teams of multiple institutions.

COLLABORATIVE APPLICATIONS

https://science.osti.gov/bes/Community-Resources/Reports https://science.osti.gov/bes/Community-Resources/Reports https://science.osti.gov/bes/Funding-Opportunities https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-shot https://www.energy.gov/eere/long-duration-storage-shot https://www.energy.gov/fecm/carbon-negative-shot

Collaborative applications (in which each team member submits its own application with a common research narrative) will not be accepted under this FOA.

SUBAWARDS5

Multi-institutional teams must submit one application from a designated lead institution with all other team members proposed as subrecipients.

DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) National Laboratories6, other Federal agencies, and another Federal agency’s FFRDCs7, if participating in a team led by another institution, may be proposed as subrecipient.

Note that the value of any such proposed subaward may be removed from any such prime award:

DOE may make separate awards to Federally affiliated institutions.

All entities submitting applications to this FOA must recognize the moral and legal obligations to comply with export controls and policies that limit the transfer of technologies with potential dual use. Applicants are reminded that international activities must comply with nonproliferation, sanction, and other protocols described at https://www.export.gov.

International activities related to special nuclear materials (SNM) are subject to additional requirements. Please see 10 CFR 810 for further information.

This FOA is to support scientific endeavors that could be described in scholarly publications. Do not submit applications containing restricted data or unclassified controlled nuclear information as defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42 USC 2011, et seq., 10 CFR 1017, 10 CFR 1045.

5 Subawards are made to subrecipients. Both terms are defined in 2 CFR 200.1, https://www.ecfr.gov.

6 The phrase “National Laboratories” is used broadly to encompass DOE/NNSA laboratories and sites capable of performing the work described in this FOA and capable of receiving funds through the DOE Field Work System.

7 An authoritative list of all Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) may be found at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/.

https://www.export.gov/ https://www.ecfr.gov/ https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/

Section II – AWARD INFORMATION

A. TYPE OF AWARD INSTRUMENT

DOE anticipates awarding grants, interagency agreements, and National Laboratory authorizations under this FOA.

Multi-institutional teams must apply using a prime and subaward model with one application submitted by the lead institution.

B. ESTIMATED FUNDING

DOE anticipates that, subject to the availability of future year appropriations, a total of up to $150 million in current and future fiscal year funds will be used to support awards under this

FOA.

DOE is under no obligation to pay for any costs associated with preparation or submission of applications. DOE reserves the right to fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the applications submitted in response to this FOA.

C. MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM AWARD SIZE

(See B. Estimated Funding above.)

The award size will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds.

The ceiling and floor described in this FOA represent the expected range of award sizes.

Ceiling

$1,500,000 per year for multi-PI projects

$350,000 per year for single-PI projects

Applications requesting more than this amount of support may be declined without further review.

Floor

$500,000 per year for applications led by DOE/NNSA National Laboratories

$200,000 per year for applications led by other eligible applicants

Applications requesting less than this amount of support may be declined without further review.

D. EXPECTED NUMBER OF AWARDS

(See B. Estimated Funding above.)

The exact number of awards will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds.

E. ANTICIPATED AWARD SIZE

(See B. Estimated Funding above.)

The award size will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds.

F. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

(See B. Estimated Funding above.)

DOE anticipates making awards with a project period of 3 years.

Continuation funding (funding for the second and subsequent budget periods) is contingent on:

(1) availability of funds appropriated by Congress and future year budget authority; (2) progress towards meeting the objectives of the approved application; (3) submission of required reports;

and (4) compliance with the terms and conditions of the award.

G. TYPE OF APPLICATION

DOE will accept only new applications under this FOA.

Section III – ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

All types of domestic applicants are eligible to apply, except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.

Federally affiliated8 entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below:

1. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories

DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are eligible to submit applications for multi-PI efforts under this FOA and may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a lead applicant, funding will be provided through the DOE Field- Work Proposal System and work will be conducted under the laboratory’s contract with DOE.

No administrative provisions of this FOA will apply to the laboratory or any laboratory subcontractor. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward will be removed from the prime applicant’s award and will be provided to the laboratory through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System and work will be conducted under the laboratory’s contract with DOE. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section VIII of this FOA.

2. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs

Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are not eligible to submit applications under this FOA but may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement to the FFRDC’s sponsoring Federal Agency. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section VIII of this FOA.

3. Other Federal Agencies

Other Federal Agencies are not eligible to submit applications under this FOA but may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement. Additional instructions for providing statutory authorization are found in Section VIII of this FOA.

Note for All Applicants:

8 Institutions that are not DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, a non-DOE/NNSA FFRDC, or another Federal agency are not Federally affiliated, even if they receive Federal funds or perform work under a Federal award or contract.

This FOA does not support an applicant’s commercial activity. This FOA seeks to support basic research to advance understanding rather than to address commercial opportunities.

Applications that propose research related to current commercial activity or current customer needs may be declined without merit review. All for-profit applicants must include a description, not to exceed 200 words, of how their proposed work will advance scientific understanding of a basic and fundamental nature as an appendix to the research narrative.

Applications that are submitted by applicants that have not submitted a pre-application may be declined without further review.

Applicants may propose non-domestic entities as subrecipients in their applications.

B. COST SHARING

Cost sharing for basic and fundamental research is not required pursuant to an exclusion from the requirements of Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Cost sharing is not required of DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, other Federal agencies, another Federal agency’s FFRDC, or their subcontractors at any tier. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, other Federal agencies, and another Federal agency’s FFRDC may impose cost-sharing requirements on their contractors subject to their policies and procedures.

C. ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS

Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as a Principal Investigator (PI) are invited to work with their organizations to develop an application. Individuals from underrepresented groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for assistance.

D. LIMITATIONS ON SUBMISSIONS

Applicant institutions are limited to a total of no more than 3 pre-applications or applications.

• DOE/NNSA National Laboratories may submit up to 3 pre-applications or applications, which must be for multi-PI efforts.

• Institutions other than DOE/NNSA National Laboratories may submit up to 2 pre-applications or applications for multi-PI efforts and up to 3 pre-applications or applications for single-PI efforts, for a combined total of no more than 3 pre-applications or applications.

NOTE: The total number of submissions from a single institution must not exceed 3.

DOE will consider the latest received submissions to be the institution’s intended submissions.

• Pre-applications without institutional endorsement may be discouraged.

• Pre-applications in excess of the limited number of submissions may be discouraged.

• Applications in excess of the limited number of submissions may be declined without review.

Individuals are limited to be…