DE-FOA-0003484.00002.pdf

Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC)

Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Atmospheric System Research (ASR)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number:

DE-FOA-0003484

NOFO Type: Amendment 000002

CFDA Number: 81.049

Amendment 000001 was created to include and addition Program Policy Factor on page 39.

Third bullet from the bottom was added to include EPSCoR factor.

Amendment 000002 is issued to remove references to diversity, equity, and inclusion; to remove references to PIER plans; to update regulatory requirements from Title 2 CFR; and to update research, technology, and economic security provisions.

NOFO Issue Date: November 4, 2024 Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications:

January 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET A Pre-Application is required.

Pre-Application Response Date: January 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET Submission Deadline for Applications: February 27, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET

Table of Contents

I. BASIC INFORMATION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

FUNDING DETAILS

KEY FACTS

KEY DATES

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

RECOMMENDATION

II. ELIGIBILITY

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING

C. ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS

D. LIMITATIONS ON SUBMISSIONS

III. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND PRIORITIES

C. AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

D. PERFORMANCE GOALS

E. SUBSTANTIAL INVOLVEMENT

F. PROGRAM UNALLOWABLE COSTS

G. CITATIONS TO STATUTE AND REGULATIONS

H. PROGRAM HISTORY

I. OTHER INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

A. PRELIMINARY SUBMISSIONS

B. APPLICATION

C. COMPONENT PIECES OF THE APPLICATION

D. INFORMATION THAT MUST BE SUBMITTED AFTER APPLICATION BUT

BEFORE AWARD

V. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

A. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI) AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

(SAM.GOV)

C. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

D. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

VI. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. RESPONSIVENESS REVIEW

B. REVIEW CRITERIA

C. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

D. RISK REVIEW ................................................. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

VII. AWARD NOTICES

A. TYPE OF AWARD INSTRUMENT

B. ANTICIPATED TIMELINE FOR NOTICE OF SELECTION FOR AWARD

NEGOTIATION

VIII. POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

A. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

B. REPORTING

C. REPORTING OF MATTERS RELATED TO RECIPIENT INTEGRITY AND

PERFORMANCE (DECEMBER 2015)

D. INTERIM CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

IX. OTHER INFORMATION ................................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

A. CHECKLIST FOR AVOIDING COMMON ERRORS ....... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT

DEFINED.

B. HOW-TO GUIDES ........................................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

C. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS .................. ERROR!

BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

D. REFERENCE MATERIAL .............................. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

I. Basic Information

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC)

Executive Summary

The DOE SC program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for Atmospheric System Research (ASR) within BER’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD). ASR supports research on key cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiative transfer processes that affect the Earth’s radiative balance and hydrological cycle, especially processes that limit the predictive ability of regional and global models. This NOFO solicits research grant applications for observational, data analysis, and/or modeling studies that use BER-supported Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility observations to improve understanding and model representation of: 1) Atmospheric processes from ARM’s Coast-Urban-Rural Atmospheric Gradient Experiment (CoURAGE) and

2) High latitude and Southern Ocean atmospheric processes using ARM observations. All research supported by awards under this NOFO is intended to benefit the public through increasing our understanding of the Earth system.

Funding Details Expected total available funding $6,000,000 Expected number of awards 6-9 Expected total dollar amount of individual awards

$200,000-$975,000

Expected award project period 3 years

Key Facts NOFO Title Atmospheric System Research NOFO Number DE-FOA-0003484 Announcement Type Amendment 000002 Assistance Listing 81.049 Statutory Authority The programmatic authorizing statute is:

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

Governing 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

Key Dates

Key dates are printed on the cover of this NOFO.

Agency Contact Information

Grants.gov Customer Support

800-518-4726 (toll-free) support@Grants.gov

PAMS

Customer Support

855-818-1846 (toll-free) 301-903-9610 sc.pams-helpdesk@science.doe.gov

Technical/Scientific Program Contact

Dr. Jeff Stehr Jeff.Stehr@science.doe.gov Dr. Shaima L. Nasiri Shaima.Nasiri@science.doe.gov

Recommendation

SC encourages you to register in all systems as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to submit pre-applications and applications well before the deadline.

mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:sc.pams-helpdesk@science.doe.gov mailto:Jeff.Stehr@science.doe.gov mailto:Shaima.Nasiri@science.doe.gov

II. Eligibility

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.

Non-domestic institutions may be proposed as team members in a multi-institutional team and may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.

Federally affiliated1 entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below:

1. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories

DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are neither eligible to submit applications under this NOFO nor to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.

2. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs

Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are not eligible to submit applications under this NOFO 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 IX of this NOFO.

3. Other Federal Agencies

Other Federal Agencies are eligible to submit applications under this NOFO but are not eligible to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. Instead, they must submit their own application as a team member in a multi-institutional team. If recommended for funding, either as the sole applicant or in a multi-institutional team, funding will be provided through an interagency agreement. Additional instructions for providing statutory authorization are found in Section IX of this NOFO.

Notes for applicants of all types:

• Individual applicants are unlikely to possess the skills, abilities, and resources to successfully accomplish the objectives of this NOFO. Individual applicants are encouraged to address this concern in their applications and to demonstrate how they will accomplish the objectives of this NOFO.

1 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 NOFO 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.

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

Applicants may propose non-domestic entities as subrecipients in their applications. Applicants are advised that successful applications that propose non-domestic entities as subrecipients include a detailed demonstration of how the proposed non-domestic subrecipients possess skills, resources, and abilities that do not exist among potential domestic subrecipients.

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 non-DOE Federal agencies, non-DOE/NNSAFFRDCs, or their subcontractors at any tier. non-DOE Federal agencies, and non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs may impose cost-sharing requirements on their contractors subject to their policies and procedures.

Cost sharing will not be considered as a factor during merit review or award selection.

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.

SC does not require that individuals be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to be proposed as a PI or in any other role under an award, but all personnel working or proposed to work under an award must have the legal right to perform such work in the jurisdiction where the work will be performed. Individuals at any stage of their career may be proposed as a PI if they have the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research.

D. Limitations on Submissions

Applicant institutions may not submit more than one application for each PI at the applicant institution.

There is no limitation to the number of applications on which an institution appears as a subrecipient.

Should DOE receive submissions in excess of the applicable limits, DOE reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to request additional or clarifying information to ascertain the institution’s intended submissions. Otherwise, DOE will consider the latest received submissions to be the institution’s intended submissions.

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

LIMITATIONS ON PI

The PI on a letter of intent, pre-application, or application may be listed as a senior or key personnel on no more than one other submission.

PIs are not required to be in tenure-track appointments.

III. Program Description

A. Purpose

The DOE SC program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for Atmospheric System Research (ASR) within BER’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD). ASR supports research on key cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiative transfer processes that affect the Earth’s radiative balance and hydrological cycle, especially processes that limit the predictive ability of regional and global models. This NOFO solicits research grant applications for observational, data analysis, and/or modeling studies that use BER-supported Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility observations to improve understanding and model representation of 1) Atmospheric processes from ARM’s Coast-Urban-Rural Atmospheric Gradient Experiment (CoURAGE) and

2) High latitude and Southern Ocean atmospheric processes using ARM observations. All research supported by awards under this NOFO is intended to benefit the public through increasing our understanding of the Earth system.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Program Objective

The goal of ASR is to quantify the interactions among aerosols, clouds, precipitation, and radiation to improve understanding of key cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiation processes that affect the Earth’s radiative balance and hydrological cycle, especially processes that limit the predictive ability of regional and global models. ASR investments are primarily based on measurements of radiation, aerosols, clouds, precipitation, thermodynamics, turbulence, and state variables from the ARM user facility. ARM’s continuous observational datasets are supplemented with process models, laboratory studies, and shorter-duration ground-based and airborne field campaigns to target specific atmospheric processes in different atmospheric and climatic regimes and across a range of spatial and temporal scales. ASR’s four priority research areas are focused on reducing the large uncertainties in Earth system prediction that can be traced to: aerosol processes, warm boundary-layer processes, convective processes, and high-latitude processes. Specific topics solicited in ASR funding opportunity announcements vary from year to year to take advantage of new ARM data, respond to ASR-relevant workshop reports, and maintain a balanced research portfolio. Not all ASR priority research areas are solicited in any given year.

More information on ASR is available at:

https://science.osti.gov/ber/Research/eessd/Atmospheric-System-Research-Program and background material on EESSD priorities is available in the 2018 EESSD Strategic Plan at https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/workshop-reports/2018_CESD_Strategic_Plan.pdf.

Workshop reports relevant to topics in this NOFO include:

• Atmospheric System Research Marine Low Clouds Workshop Report (2016)

• BER Absorbing Aerosols Workshop Report (2016)

• Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility ARM Mobile Facility Workshop

Report (2019) https://science.osti.gov/ber/Research/eessd/Atmospheric-System-Research-Program https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/workshop-reports/2018_CESD_Strategic_Plan.pdf https://asr.science.energy.gov/publications/program-docs/doe-sc-asr-16-001.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/workshop-reports/CESD-AbsorbingAerosol2016.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/community-resources/2019/ARM_Mobile_Facility_Workshop_Report.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/community-resources/2019/ARM_Mobile_Facility_Workshop_Report.pdf

• NOAA-DOE Precipitation Processes and Predictability Workshop Report (2021)

• DOE-NOAA Marine Cloud Brightening Workshop Report (2022)

• DOE ASR Program’s Workshop on the Future of Atmospheric Large Eddy Simulation (LES) report (2023)

• DOE ARM Future of Lasso Workshop Report (2024)

The goals of ASR are closely aligned with the long-term cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and background meteorological measurements from ARM fixed sites and mobile facility deployments. As a DOE SC user facility2, ARM provides the scientific research community with strategically located in situ and remote sensing observations that are necessary to improve the understanding and representation of relevant atmospheric processes in Earth system models. The ARM facility consists of three fixed observation sites; three mobile observatories; an aerial observation component; and infrastructure to collect, process, and deliver data to the research community.

Applicants are encouraged to review information on ARM’s fixed, mobile, and aerial observational capabilities at https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories. Detailed information on historical, recent, and upcoming ARM facility field campaigns is available at https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns. All ARM data can be accessed through the ARM Data Discovery portal at https://adc.arm.gov/discovery/.

Topics

ASR’s NOFO topics change from year to year to ensure breadth across the program and to take advantage of observations from recent ARM campaigns.

All submissions (pre-applications and applications) to this NOFO must clearly delineate knowledge gaps limiting the understanding of fundamental atmospheric processes; propose specific science questions and/or testable hypotheses to resolve these knowledge gaps; and explain how the results of the proposed research are expected to lead to improved atmospheric predictability. Priority consideration for this NOFO will be given to applications judged most likely by DOE to lead to improved understanding of processes that are both fundamental to the Earth’s radiative balance and/or hydrologic cycle and are currently poorly represented in cloud resolving, regional, and/or global models.

Proposed research in response to this NOFO is intended to fill critical knowledge gaps, including the exploration of some high-risk approaches. BER encourages the submission of innovative “high-risk” applications with potential for future high impact on cloud and aerosol research. The probability of success and the risk-reward balance will be considered when making funding decisions.

This NOFO invites applications for research grant support aligned with the ASR goal of using observations to advance fundamental understanding of cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiative

2 General information about the SC User Facilities may be found at https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities.

https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/workshop-reports/2021/EESM_0073_REPORT_NOAA-DOEworkshop-210720.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/community-resources/2022/WorkshopReport_20221109_FINAL.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/community-resources/2023/Atmospheric_System_Research_LES_Workshop_Report_Sept23.pdf https://science.osti.gov/-/media/ber/pdf/community-resources/2023/Atmospheric_System_Research_LES_Workshop_Report_Sept23.pdf https://www.arm.gov/publications/programdocs/doe-sc-arm-24-012.pdf https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns https://adc.arm.gov/discovery/ https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities transfer processes across a range of scales that are key to improving the predictability of the Earth’s radiative balance and hydrological cycle.

Requests for research support under this NOFO must address one of the following research topics. PIs should clearly indicate to which topic or topics they are responding.

1. Atmospheric processes from ARM’s Coast-Urban-Rural Atmospheric Gradient Experiment (CoURAGE): Conduct observational, data analysis, and/or modeling studies using observations from ARM’s CoURAGE field campaign to improve understanding of climate-relevant cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiation processes and interactions. The CoURAGE campaign (1 December 2024 – 30 November 2025) is being conducted in and around the extended Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan area. The focus of CoURAGE is to study the interactions among the Earth’s surface, atmospheric boundary layer, aerosols and atmospheric composition, clouds, radiation, and precipitation at each site, and examine how gradients across the region interact to create climatic conditions in and around Baltimore, with the aim of extending these results to other midlatitude coastal urban centers. The goal is to use this understanding to improve the representation of atmospheric processes in Earth system models (ESMs). Data from CoURAGE and/or related DOE-supported campaigns must be integral to the proposed research; other data may be used to augment analysis of data from ARM.

Some sub-topics of interest include:

a. How land use and land cover impact aerosol, cloud, precipitation, and boundary layer atmospheric processes.

b. Aerosol-cloud interactions such as the influence of aerosol particles on cloud microphysics, dynamics, thermodynamics, radiative properties, macrophysics, and/or precipitation.

c. The influence of clouds or precipitation on aerosol chemical and microphysical properties through aqueous-phase chemistry, vertical transport, and/or wet removal.

d. Aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions.

e. Convective cloud processes such as interactions between dynamics and microphysics; impacts of vertical transport within convective systems; initiation and organization of convective systems; precipitation formation and intensity; the transition from shallow to deep convection; and the influence of land breezes, sea breezes, and the urban heat island on these processes.

f. Boundary-layer processes that influence atmospheric composition, vertical transport of energy and moisture, and cloud formation.

2. High latitude and Southern Ocean atmospheric processes using ARM observations:

Conduct observational, data analysis, and/or modeling studies using observations supported by ARM to improve understanding of cloud processes, aerosol processes, and/or surface-atmosphere interactions that impact boundary layer structure, aerosol properties, or cloud properties in the northern or southern high latitudes, including the Southern Ocean. The goal is to use this understanding to improve the representation of high latitude and Southern Ocean atmospheric processes in Earth system models. Data https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns/amf2024courage from ARM high latitude or Southern Ocean sites or campaigns (e.g., North Slope Alaska (NSA), Cold-Air Outbreaks in the Marine Boundary Layer Experiment (COMBLE), Cloud And Precipitation Experiment at kennaook (CAPE-k), Measurements of Aerosols, Radiation, and Clouds over the Southern Ocean (MARCUS), Macquarie Island Cloud and Radiation Experiment (MICRE), and others) must be integral to the proposed research; other data may be used to augment analysis of data from ARM.

Some sub-topics of interest include:

a. Processes or factors such as seasonal or mesoscale variability in dynamics, thermodynamics, and aerosol properties that impact the micro- and macro-physical properties of high latitude or Southern Ocean clouds.

b. Interactions between dynamics and turbulence on cloud processes and cloud properties.

c. Processes controlling the formation, composition, and/or cloud-nucleating properties of high-latitude or Southern Ocean aerosol. Interactions between clouds, aerosols, and radiation.

d. Surface-atmosphere interactions and their impact on boundary-layer structure, aerosol formation and properties, or cloud formation and properties.

e. Aerosol-cloud or aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions.

Required use of ARM-supported Observations

ASR supports research that uses observations to improve understanding of atmospheric processes. Proposed research in response to this NOFO must use ARM-supported observations and those observations must be integral to the proposal research. Applicants must clearly address which ARM-supported observations will be used in the proposed research and how they are integral to the proposed research objectives in both the pre-application and the application. ARM has a very long and rich data record. Researchers are encouraged to consider using ARM observations from older sites and/or field campaigns, as well as from recent and ongoing campaigns, that are relevant to the solicited research topics. Researchers are also welcome to use DOE BER-sponsored observations from other BER programs and facilities, such as the Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory (EMSL) or BER-supported AmeriFlux sites.

Use of additional observational data from other sources (e.g., NASA or NOAA satellite observations or field campaigns sponsored by other agencies) is encouraged only to the extent that the observations complement the DOE data and that they are used to address ASR science objectives.

PI Field Campaign Data

PIs may propose to deploy their own instruments to an ARM site or use PI data taken in association with a previous ARM campaign. New guest instrument deployments requesting funding under this NOFO may be proposed only to current ARM fixed-site locations or to ARM mobile facility locations or tethered balloon system (TBS) missions that have already been approved by ARM by this NOFO’s deadline. Information about past, ongoing, and upcoming https://arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/nsa https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns/amf2019comble https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns/amf2024cape-k https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns/amf2017marcus https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns/osc2016micre

ARM field campaigns, as well as guidance for proposing small campaigns, is available at https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns.

Applicants should be aware that deploying a PI instrument to a current ARM site, an approved mobile facility deployment, or an approved TBS mission is considered a small ARM field campaign and requires a separate application to the ARM facility that must be submitted to ARM using ARM’s small field campaign request form (https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns) by this NOFO’s deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to inform the ASR program managers by email when they submit a related ARM field campaign proposal. Applicants proposing field campaign activities must include a plan for submitting their data to the ARM data center as a PI data product in their data management plan or their application may be declined without review.

Applications that propose new field campaign activities at ARM sites that have not already been submitted to the ARM Facility by this NOFO’s deadline or that propose new TBS missions not already approved by ARM by this NOFO’s deadline may not be considered.

PI Laboratory Data

PI laboratory data may be used or proposed to augment ARM observations in response to any of NOFO topics above. However, PI laboratory data alone is not sufficient to meet the requirements for use of BER-sponsored observations in response to this NOFO. Applications proposing laboratory studies must include a plan for submitting their laboratory data to the ARM data center as a PI data product as part of their DMP; those that do not may be declined without review.

Modeling

Explicit modeling components are not a requirement for projects funded under this NOFO.

However, complementary use of existing models and observational activities is encouraged if doing so provides better understanding of atmospheric processes. ASR encourages, but does not require, the use of DOE-supported models (e.g., the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF), the WRF model coupled to Chemistry (WRF-Chem), and/or the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM)). PIs may be interested in the E3SM single column model (SCM), which includes multiple cases based on ARM observations (https://github.com/E3SM- Project/scmlib/wiki/E3SM-Single-Column-Model-Case-Library). PIs proposing to run their own LES are encouraged to select the model framework that best suits their scientific questions.

Applications that include modeling activities must indicate a clear connection between the modeling activities and DOE laboratory or field data, and such efforts must focus on improved understanding and representation of specific processes in regional and/or global Earth system models.

https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns https://github.com/E3SM-Project/scmlib/wiki/E3SM-Single-Column-Model-Case-Library https://github.com/E3SM-Project/scmlib/wiki/E3SM-Single-Column-Model-Case-Library

Software development

Applicants developing software packages, retrieval algorithms, or data analysis code are encouraged to consider best practices in scientific software development, including the development of open-source software. The ARM user facility supports the development of open-source code, including the Atmospheric data Community Toolkit (ACT) and the Python ARM Radar Toolkit (Py-ART), that can make it easier for users to work with its data. ARM also encourages users to contribute their own code for use by the scientific community. The ARM- Synergy repository (https://github.com/ARM-Synergy) is available for ARM users and ASR principal investigators to host open-source software and community code.

Restrictions

Applications that focus primarily on model development without new process understanding;

that use BER observations only to drive, initialize, evaluate or validate a model simulation without any process analysis of the observations themselves; or that focus primarily on air quality standards, human or animal health effects, satellite validation, or satellite algorithm development are outside the scope of this NOFO and may be declined without review.

Large Budget Items

Applicants proposing to purchase equipment (or consumable supplies or materials worth more than $20,000) are strongly encouraged to contact the program manager before submitting the application. The ASR program generally supports acquisition of significant value equipment only when it is clearly necessary for the research proposed, to be used primarily for this research, and not available via other routes such as lease. Applicants are cautioned that requested support for equipment may be removed from budgets during award negotiation. Applicants may discuss their proposed equipment purchases with the ASR program office to explore alternative approaches for gaining access to equipment and to ensure that any proposed purchases are thoroughly justified in applications.

Pre-applications

As noted in Section IV of this NOFO, pre-applications are required and will be reviewed by DOE program managers as to their appropriateness for preparation of an application. A new pre-application format and new required elements are being introduced this year. It is the responsibility of the applicant to include the required information in the pre-application so responsiveness to the terms of this announcement can be evaluated. Required pre-application elements are listed in Section IV Part A.2.

Participation in ASR Meetings and Working Groups

To ensure that the program meets the broadest needs of the research community and the specific needs of the DOE EESSD, successful applicants are expected to attend the Joint ARM User Facility and ASR PI Meeting and to participate as ASR science team members in the ASR working group(s) relevant to their efforts.

https://arm-doe.github.io/ACT/ https://arm-doe.github.io/pyart/ https://github.com/ARM-Synergy

Costs for at least one team member to attend the annual Joint ARM User Facility and ASR Principal Investigators Meeting should be included in the budget. Estimated costs should be based on a one-week meeting in Washington, D.C. per year. Time should also be budgeted for at least one team member to attend one three-day virtual DOE workshop or virtual ASR working group meeting per year.

Multi-Institutional Teams

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

COLLABORATIVE APPLICATIONS

Teams of multiple institutions may submit collaborative applications if and only if federal agencies are proposed as members of a team. In such a situation, only the federal agency or agencies and the lead non-federal entity may submit collaborative applications; all other institutions must be included as subawards from the lead non-federal entity. Each submitted application in such a team must indicate that it is part of a collaborative project/group. Every partner institution not included through a subaward must submit an application through its own sponsored research office. Each multi-institutional team can have only one lead institution. Each application within the multi-institutional team, including the narrative, starting with the title page, and all required appendices and attachments, must be identical with the following exceptions:

• Each application must contain a correct SF-424 (R&R)3 cover page for the submitting institution only.

• Each application must contain a unique budget corresponding to the expenditures for that application’s submitting institution only.

• Each application must contain a unique budget justification corresponding to the expenditures for that application’s submitting institution only.

• Each application must contain a Project/Performance Site Location(s) form for the submitting institution and its subawards.

• Each application must include a list for the Identification of Merit Review Conflicts for the submitting institution’s senior/key personnel and its subawards’ senior/key personnel.

• Each application must include a Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form with the biographical sketches and current and pending support from that institution’s senior/key personnel. The applicant leading the multi-institutional team must include biographical sketches and current and pending support from each institution’s senior/key personnel.

Our intent is to create from the various applications associated with a multi-institutional team one document for merit review that consists of the common, identical materials combined with a set of detailed budgets from the partner institutions. Each team member’s application must

3 The Standard Form 424 (SF-424) family of forms is used to apply for Federal financial assistance through https://www.Grants.gov. The Research and Related (R&R) set of forms is used by the Office of Science.

https://www.grants.gov/ contain the same project title. Team members may use Grants.gov Workspace(s), webforms, and their system-to-system services in any combination.

SUBAWARDS4

Multi-institutional teams that do not include federal agencies must submit only one application from a designated lead institution with all other team members proposed as subrecipients.

Non-DOE Federal agencies, if participating in a team led by another institution, may not be proposed as subrecipients. These organizations are usually funded directly by DOE and therefore must submit their own applications as collaborative applications.

• Another Federal agency must submit its own application as part of a collaborative application in response to this NOFO in Grants.gov.

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.

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.

To be in compliance with the data policy of the U.S. Global Change Research Program of full and open access to global change research data and the Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management, the required data management plan must include a description of the researcher's data sharing plans if the proposed research involves the acquisition of data in the course of the research that would be of use to the climate research and assessment communities.

This includes data from extensive, long-term observations and experiments and from long-term model simulations of climate that would be costly to duplicate. The DMP must describe plans for sharing the data that are to be acquired during the proposed research, particularly how the acquired data will be preserved, documented, and quality assured, and where it will be archived for access by others. Data of potentially broad use in climate change research and assessments should be archived, when possible, in data repositories for subsequent dissemination. The relevant BER-funded data archive for this NOFO is the ARM archive. Additional BER requirements and guidance for digital data management is available at https://science.osti.gov/ber/Funding-Opportunities/Digital-Data-Management.

4 Subawards are made to subrecipients. Both terms are defined in 2 CFR 200.1 (https://www.ecfr.gov) https://science.osti.gov/Funding-Opportunities/Digital-Data-Management https://science.osti.gov/Funding-Opportunities/Digital-Data-Management https://science.osti.gov/ber/Funding-Opportunities/Digital-Data-Management https://www.ecfr.gov/

Appendix 4 includes links to additional open science resources that may be helpful when developing your data management plan.

B. Program Goals, Objectives, and Priorities

The Office of Science’s (SC) mission is to deliver scientific discoveries and major scientific tools to transform our understanding of nature and advance the energy, economic, and national security of the United States (U.S.). SC is the Nation’s largest Federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences and the lead Federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research for our Nation’s energy future.

SC accomplishes its mission and advances national goals by supporting:

• The frontiers of science—exploring nature’s mysteries from the study of fundamental subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules that are the building blocks of the materials of our universe and everything in it to the DNA, proteins, and cells that are the building blocks of life. Each of the programs in SC supports research probing the most fundamental disciplinary questions.

• The 21st Century tools of science—providing the nation’s researchers with 28 state-of-the-art national scientific user facilities, the most advanced tools of modern science, propelling the U.S. to the forefront of science, technology development, and deployment through innovation.

• Science for energy and the environment―paving the knowledge foundation to spur discoveries and innovations for advancing the Department’s mission in energy and environment. SC supports a wide range of funding modalities from single principal investigators to large team-based activities to engage in fundamental research on energy production, conversion, storage, transmission, and use, and on our understanding of the earth systems.

SC is an established leader of the U.S. scientific discovery and innovation enterprise. Over the decades, SC investments and accomplishments in basic research and enabling research capabilities have provided the foundations for new technologies, businesses, and industries, making significant contributions to our nation’s economy, national security, and quality of life

C. Award Contribution to Goals and Objectives

Awards resulting from this NOFO are intended to increase our understanding of scientific phenomena.

D. Performance Goals

You will be expected to demonstrate progress toward increasing knowledge in periodic progress reports.

E. Substantial Involvement

Not applicable.

F. Program Unallowable Costs

You must apply the cost principles of 2 CFR 200, as modified by 2 CFR 910 and 10 CFR 605, to your application and any resulting award.

G. Citations to Statute and Regulations

The programmatic authorizing statutes and regulations are:

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 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

H. Program History

You can learn about SC’s history at https://science.osti.gov/About/History. You can read about our achievements at https://science.osti.gov/Science-Features/Science-Highlights. You can find information about all of our awards at https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/WebPAMSExternal/interface/awards/AwardSearchExtern al.aspx.

I. Other Information

ANTICIPATED AWARD SIZE

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

DOE anticipates making awards with a project period of three 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.

https://science.osti.gov/About/History https://science.osti.gov/Science-Features/Science-Highlights https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/WebPAMSExternal/interface/awards/AwardSearchExternal.aspx https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/WebPAMSExternal/interface/awards/AwardSearchExternal.aspx

AWARD BUDGET PERIODS

SC is committed to distributing workloads (internally and externally) across as much of the calendar as is practical. Accordingly, awards made under this NOFO will generally be made with budget periods that end between December 1 and June 30. New awards may be made with a first budget period of more than 12 months.

New applicants should prepare budgets with a first period that starts on September 1, 2025 and ends on March 1, 2026, followed by an additional 18-month period. Actual start dates and cycle dates will be negotiated if an application is recommended for award. Budget periods will generally not be made for less than 9 months or more than 18 months.

IV. Application Contents and Format

A. Preliminary Submissions

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)

Not applicable.

2. Pre-application

PRE-APPLICATION DUE DATE

The pre-application due date is printed on the cover of the NOFO.

ENCOURAGE/DISCOURAGE DATE

The pre-application response date is printed on the cover of the NOFO.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted by the date indicated on the cover of the

NOFO.

Pre-applications will be reviewed for responsiveness of the proposed work to the research topics identified in this NOFO. DOE will send a response by email to each applicant encouraging or discouraging the submission of an application by the date indicated on the cover of the NOFO.

Applicants who have not received a response regarding the status of their pre-application by this date are responsible for contacting the program to confirm this status.

If a multi-institutional team containing a Federal agency member is submitting collaborative applications, only the lead institution should submit a pre-application.

Applications that have not been encouraged by DOE may be declined without merit review.

The pre-application must begin with a title page that will not count toward the pre-application page limitation unless the text of the pre-application starts on the title page.

Include, at the top of the first page, the following information:

Title of Pre-application Principal Investigator Name, Job Title

[Lead] Institution PI Phone Number, PI Email Address

(for all senior/key personnel and unfunded collaborators, if applicable) Name, Job Title, Institution

NOFO Number: Include the NOFO Number indicated on the cover of this NOFO The research topic(s) specified in Section III, primarily addressed by the proposed work

Project Keywords [up to five descriptive keywords describing the proposed research]

The material listed here defines the minimum acceptable information on a title page. Additional information may be provided at the applicant’s discretion.

The cover page should include a list of the names and institutional affiliations of all participating investigators, including collaborators and consultants on the proposed project.

This information must be followed by a clear and concise description of the objectives and technical approach of the proposed research that addresses the following four areas:

1. Objectives/Goals – Description of the research objectives and goals along with at least one proposed testable hypothesis and/or research question that motivates the proposed effort.

2. Background/Justification – A description of the background related to the proposed research topic, knowledge gaps, and justification for the scientific need.

3. Methods/Approach/ARM data– A high-level description of the proposed technical and methodological approaches to address the proposed hypothesis/research question(s) and description of how ARM-supported observations are integral to the proposed research.

4. NOFO and topic relevance – An explanation of how the proposed research addresses the scientific research needs highlighted by this NOFO’s topics and how it is likely to lead to improved atmospheric system predictability.

The pre-application may not exceed two pages, when printed using standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The body text font must not be smaller than 11 point. Figures and references, if included, must fit within the two-page limit.

Pre-applications that exceed the two-page limit may not be reviewed. It is the responsibility of the applicant to include sufficient information in the pre-application to enable evaluation of responsiveness to the terms of this NOFO.

In addition, the pre-application must include a listing of senior/key personnel and a listing of individuals who should not serve as merit reviewers of a subsequent application. Detailed instructions for whom to include in this list and how to craft the required listings are provided in Section IX of this NOFO. Note that the listing of individuals who should not serve as merit reviewers is rarely empty because the instructions contain mandatory inclusions. This listing will not count toward the pre-application’s page limit. The list of individuals must be included as an “Additional Attachment” to your pre-application in PAMS.

The pre-application may include a list of suggested reviewers (including email address and organizational affiliation) who they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal.

DOE is under no obligation to consider any suggested reviewers.

The pre-application must be machine-readable and machine-searchable. Do not submit a scanned image of a printed document.

PRE-APPLICATION REVIEW

Those pre-applications that are encouraged will be used to help SC begin planning for the application peer review process. SC’s intent in discouraging submission of certain applications is to save the time and effort of applicants in preparing and submitting applications not responsive to this NOFO.

The PI will be automatically notified when the pre-application is encouraged or discouraged. The DOE SC Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) will send an email to the PI from PAMS.Autoreply@science.doe.gov, and the status of the pre-application will be updated at the PAMS website https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/. Notifications are sent as soon as the decisions to encourage or discourage are finalized.

PRE-APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Pre-applications are created in the software system of your choice and must be submitted electronically through the DOE SC Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) website https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/. You cannot draft or edit a pre-application in PAMS. Do not submit a pre-application through FedConnect or Grants.gov.

Pre-applications may be submitted by a PI or by other users at the PI’s institution with the “Submit to DOE” privilege in PAMS.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to inform their DOE Program Manager if teaming arrangements, proposed personnel, topics, or the anticipated title change between submitting the pre-application and when an application is submitted, to ensure that their application is properly linked to their pre-application and that reviewers are properly assigned to the application.

Detailed instructions about how to submit a pre-application are in Section IX of this NOFO.

B. Application

Applications in response to this NOFO must be submitted through Grants.gov. Detailed instructions for registering in and using Grants.gov are in Section IX of this NOFO.

C. Component Pieces of the Application

LETTERS OF COLLABORATION OR ACCESS

Letters from collaborators or from institutions providing access to data, models, software, equipment and/or facilities may be appended to your Project Narrative and are not considered part of the Project Narrative’s page limit. Please ensure that letters from collaborators or from institutions providing access to data, models, software, equipment and/or facilities only describe the nature of the collaboration or the access to data, models, software, equipment and/or facilities. Letters of recommendation are not allowed in applications under this NOFO.

All letters may be addressed “To Whom It May Concern:”.

mailto:PAMS.Autoreply@science.doe.gov https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/ https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/ https://www.fedconnect.net/

Letters of collaboration or access should be placed in Appendix 7 (Other Attachments).

Applicants are encouraged to adhere to the following letter of collaboration template:

Dear <Principal Investigator Name>:

If your application entitled, “<Application Name>,” is selected for funding under the NOFO Name, it is my intent to collaborate in this research by <Complete Sentence with a Very Short Description of What the Collaborator Offers to Do or Provide>.

Thank you for the opportunity to participate.

Sincerely, <Collaborator’s Name and Signature Block>

1. SF-424 (R&R)

Complete this form first to populate data in other forms. Complete all the required fields in accordance with the pop-up instructions on the form. The list of certifications and assurances referenced in Field 17 is available on the DOE Financial Assistance Forms Page at https://energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/financial-assistance/financial-assistance-forms under Certifications and Assurances5. Applicants are bound by their representations and certifications in SAM.gov.

TYPE OF SUBMISSION (FIELD 1)

Select the checkbox for “Application” for an initial submission. Select the checkbox for “Changed/Corrected Application” if submitting an updated version of an application. Do not submit pre-applications via Grants.gov: Do not select the checkbox for “Pre-application.”

IDENTIFYING NUMBERS (FIELD 4)

For renewals and supplemental funding, enter the DOE award number in Field 4a.