DE-FOA-0003512_NOFO Part 1_Circular Supply Chains Accelerator.pdf

Financial Assistance Notice of Funding Opportunity

Part 1

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office

(AMMTO)

The Circular Supply Chains Accelerator

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0003512

Application due: July 18, 2025, 5 pm ET

All modifications to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are HIGHLIGHTED in the body of the NOFO.

Modifications to this NOFO will be posted on eXCHANGE and Grants.gov. Grants.gov will automatically notify applicants when a NOFO modification is processed. Applicants must be registered to this NOFO in Grants.gov to receive email notifications. See Registration Requirements in Part 2 of this NOFO.

Table of Contents

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Navigating the Notice of Funding Opportunity

I. BASIC INFORMATION

A. Key Facts

1. Funding Details

1. Period of Performance

B. Executive Summary C. Agency Contact Information

II. ELIGIBILITY

A. Eligible Applicants

2. Domestic Entities

3. Foreign Entity Participation

B. Limitation on Number of Concept Papers and Applications Eligible for Review C. Cost Sharing

4. Cost Share Requirements

5. Unallowable Cost Share Sources, NOFO Specific

D. FFRDC Eligibility Criteria

1. DOE FFRDCs as the Applicant

2. DOE and Non-DOE FFRDCs as a Subrecipient

III. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. Program Purpose B. Program Goals and Objectives C. Expected Performance Goals D. Teaming Partner List E. Topic Areas F. Applications Specifically Not of Interest G. Statement of Substantial Involvement H. Statutory Authority

IV. APPLICATION CONTENT AND FORM

A. Summary B. Concept Paper C. Application Content Requirements

1. Covered Individual Definition, Designation, and Responsibility

Version 1.0 Page 3 of 38

1. Summary of Application Requirements

2. Technical Volume

D. Funding Restrictions

1. Build America Requirement for Infrastructure Projects

V. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

A. Required Registrations

1. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

2. eXCHANGE

B. Application Package

1. eXCHANGE

C. Submission Date and Times D. Intergovernmental Review

VI. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Standards for Application Evaluation B. Responsiveness Review C. Review Criteria

1. Compliance Criteria

2. Technical Review Criteria

3. Criteria for Replies to Reviewer Comments

D. Other Selection Factors

VII. SELECTION AND AWARD NOTICES

VIII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Post-Award Requirements and Administration

1. Real Property and Equipment

2. Rights in Technical Data

3. Cost Share Payment

B. Helpful Websites C. Questions and Support

1. Questions

2. Support

IX. OTHER INFORMATION

Version 1.0 Page 4 of 38

Notice of Funding Opportunity Part 1 Before You Begin

Before You Begin

Navigating the Notice of Funding Opportunity The OMB Memorandum M-24-11 directs federal agencies to reduce the burden on applicants in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process and limit the length of the NOFO information requests.

With Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NOFOs, DOE has separated the NOFO into two parts.

The NOFO Part 1 describes the specific DOE programmatic goals and evaluation criteria, eligibility, and other components that are specific to each funding opportunity. The NOFO Part 2 includes the fixed DOE requirements that generally do not change from NOFO to NOFO, including standard information for the application phase, expectations for award negotiations, and post-award requirements. Applicants must review both the NOFO Part 1 and the NOFO Part 2 prior to applying. To facilitate navigation, you will find links throughout this document to additional information found in Part 2.

There are several required one-time actions applicants must take before applying to this NOFO. Some of these actions may take several weeks, so it is vital applicants build in enough time to complete them.

Failure to complete these actions could interfere with application or negotiation deadlines or the ability to receive an award if selected. If you have previously completed the necessary registrations, make sure your registration is active and up to date. All registrations are free. Please refer to NOFO Part 2, Get Registered, for additional information.

This announcement is published in conjunction with NOFO Part 2.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/M-24-11-Revisions-to-2-CFR.pdf

Version 1.0 Page 5 of 38

Section I: Basic Information

I. Basic Information

A. Key Facts

Issuing Agency

Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office

Funding Opportunity Title

The Circular Supply Chains Accelerator

Announcement Type Initial

Number

DE-FOA-0003512

Funding Instrument

Cooperative Agreement or a Funding Agreement with FFRDC’s

Assistance Listing Number

81.086

Description

Circular supply chains improve security and reduce environmental impacts, maximizing the lifetime of materials and products in the economy to support a robust and competitive manufacturing sector while providing economy-wide environmental benefits. Research and development (R&D) of new technologies to increase reuse, repair, recycling, remanufacturing, and repurposing of products and materials will be essential to realize these economic and environmental benefits. To maximize effectiveness, R&D must be informed by analysis of non-technical factors, including market forces, business models, and the policy landscape. Such analysis can provide a systems-level view--identifying promising technologies and deployment pathways as well as what roadblocks remain--especially when it leverages input from a wide set of connected stakeholders.

Those stakeholders can also amplify the impact of DOE investments in technologies that advance circular supply chains.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) seeks to assemble a team that will conduct analysis, connect broad groups of stakeholders within multiple application spaces, and socialize EERE-developed innovations across a variety of industries to advance those innovations. The Accelerator’s role will include advancing the entire circularity field’s understanding of emerging technologies, thereby enabling the identification of potential roadblocks to deployment and opportunities to reduce the risks of technology commercialization.

KEY DATES

Notice of Funding Opportunity Issue Date:

January 16, 2025

Concept Paper Deadline:

March 31, 2025

Application Deadline:

July 18, 2025

Anticipated Selection Notification Date:

November 2025

Anticipated Award Date:

February 2026

Estimated Period of Performance:

February 2026 – January 2031

Version 1.0 Page 6 of 38

Program Goals & Objective(s)

Circular supply chains support a robust and competitive manufacturing sector while providing economy-wide environmental benefits. AMMTO works across government, national labs, academia, and industry to address challenges and pursue high-impact opportunities in developing circular supply chains, including focusing on material streams that are growing rapidly and those with high environmental and economic impact. Critical materials are one such important area of interest.

Topic Area

Topic Area 1: The Circular Supply Chains Accelerator Establishes a team that 1) conducts system-level analysis to inform rapid advancement of circular supply chain innovations and 2) convenes and facilitates collaboration across industries and investments to catalyze learning and increase impact. To achieve these goals, the Accelerator will engage with stakeholders across technology, business, and policy expertise to forge new connections and increase coordination.

Eligible Applicants Domestic Entities The proposed prime recipient and subrecipient(s) to the application under this NOFO must be domestic entities. The following types of domestic entities are eligible to participate as a prime recipient or subrecipient of this NOFO:

1. Institutions of higher education;

2. For-profit entities;

3. Nonprofit entities; and

4. State and local governmental entities and federally recognized Indian Tribes (Indian Tribes).

To qualify as a domestic entity, the entity must be organized, chartered, or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States; have majority domestic ownership and control; and have a physical place of business in the United States.

DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are eligible to apply for funding as a prime recipient or subrecipient.

Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as a prime recipient.

Federal agencies and instrumentalities (other than DOE) are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as a prime recipient.

eXCHANGE URL and Helpdesk https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ContactUs.aspx include NOFO name and number in the subject line.

https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ContactUs.aspx

Version 1.0 Page 7 of 38

1. Funding Details

Single Topic Area

• Approximate total available funding: $7.5 – 12.5M

• Approximate number of awards: 1

• Minimum cost share required: 10%

• Approximate award project period: 3-5 Years

• Anticipated length of budget periods: 1-2 Years

1. Period of Performance DOE anticipates making awards, comprised of multiple budget periods. If applicable, project continuation will be contingent upon DOE’s Go/No-Go decision. For a complete list and more information on the Go/No-Go review, see the NOFO Part 2, Award Administration Information. Funding for all budget periods, including the initial budget period, is not guaranteed.

B. Executive Summary The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) supports the development of a globally competitive U.S. energy industrial base that drives supply chain resiliency and energy security through materials and manufacturing innovation. The development of circular supply chains that enable efficient use of materials through reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycling is important toward accomplishing these goals.1,2 Efforts to achieve a robust and competitive manufacturing sector through innovation in circular supply chains cannot be successful without: (1) a comprehensive understanding of the landscape of technical and non-technical factors that could impact the adoption of emerging technologies and (2) strong connections across the circularity field to accelerate innovations from R&D-scale to commercial practice. This NOFO seeks to establish a new accelerator which will address this need through the development of a comprehensive technical and market analysis portfolio and stakeholder engagement activities.

The Accelerator’s analysis portfolio will establish a comprehensive understanding of both technical and non-technical factors impacting the adoption of emerging technologies for circular supply chains. Technical factors of interest include the state of emerging technologies in terms of performance and cost metrics. Awareness of these technical factors requires strong understanding of the R&D landscape as well as the state of industrial practice. Non-technical factors of interest include market conditions, supply chain dynamics, policy and regulatory landscape, workforce readiness, infrastructure capabilities, among others. These non-technical market factors may be region-specific and would be critical to inform a systems-level perspective of potential barriers and pathways to widespread commercial adoption. The Accelerator will leverage understanding of technical and non-technical factors to analyze market opportunity within specific product and material market segments. This will identify specific early adopter markets and sequential pathways to more broadly scale the deployment of emerging technologies for greater impact.

1 Ellen MacArthur Foundation. 2023. “What is a Circular Economy?” Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview.

2 Ellen MacArthur Foundation. 2019. “Circular Economy Systems Diagram.” Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-diagram.

Version 1.0 Page 8 of 38

Opportunities to leverage advancements in emerging technologies and market tools (e.g., standards, offtake agreements, verification frameworks, data systems, etc.) across product and material segments will also be identified.

The Accelerator’s stakeholder engagement activities will cultivate a range of stakeholders that are critical to both supporting the analysis portfolio and to facilitating the coordination needed for technology adoption for circular supply chains. These stakeholder engagement activities will strengthen relationships with industry members to support increased sharing of data and best practices as there are many synergistic technology needs across different product and material segments. These programs will enable enhanced diffusion of advancements in emerging technologies, business models and market tools throughout the circularity field. Most importantly, these stakeholder engagement activities will establish and cultivate relationships between potential performer groups that will strengthen the innovation ecosystem needed to deliver on other funded programs focused on building circular supply chain technologies.

The target audience of this NOFO includes entities or collections of entities that incorporate expertise in circular supply chains across technology development and market transformation factors. All applicants who meet the eligibility criteria described in Section II may apply. Applicants should have demonstrated experience in the activities described in the topic description.

C. Agency Contact Information Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave SW Washington, D.C. 20585

For questions relating to this specific NOFO, please send emails to Circularity.NOFO.FY25@ee.doe.gov.

DISCLAIMER: Applicants are discouraged from submitting information considered proprietary unless it is deemed essential for proper evaluation of the application. If the application contains information that the applicant organization considers to be trade secrets, information that is commercial or financial, or information that is privileged or confidential, the pages containing that information must be identified as specified in the application instructions. When such information is included in the application, it will be withheld from public disclosure to the extent permitted by law, including the Freedom of Information Act, with the understanding that the information will be used or disclosed only for evaluation of the application. The information contained in the application will be protected by DOE from unauthorized disclosure, consistent with the need for merit review of applications of financial assistance awards to assure the integrity of the competitive process and the accuracy and completeness of the information. If a federal financial assistance award is made as a result of or in connection with an application, the federal government has the right to use or disclose the information to the extent authorized by law. This restriction does not limit the federal government’s right to use the information if it is obtained without restriction from another source.

mailto:Circularity.NOFO.FY25@ee.doe.gov

Version 1.0 Page 9 of 38

Section II: Eligibility

II. Eligibility

To be considered for substantive evaluation, an applicant’s submission must meet the criteria set forth below. If the application does not meet these eligibility requirements, it will be considered ineligible and removed from further evaluation and ineligible for any award. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this NOFO must be submitted. The decision whether to apply in response to this NOFO lies solely with the applicant. The information included here is specific to eligibility requirements for this NOFO. For eligibility requirements applicable to all NOFOs, please consult the NOFO Part 2, Eligibility.

A. Eligible Applicants To be considered for substantive evaluation, an applicant’s submission must meet the criteria set forth below. If the application does not meet these eligibility requirements, it will be considered ineligible and removed from further evaluation.

2. Domestic Entities Domestic entities are eligible to apply as recipients or subrecipients. The following types of domestic entities are eligible to participate as a recipient or subrecipient of this NOFO:

• Institutions of higher education;

• For-profit organization;

• Nonprofit organization;

• State and local governmental entities; and

• Indian Tribes, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance

Act, 25 U.S.C. § 53043

To qualify as a domestic entity, the entity must be organized, chartered, or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States or under the laws of the United States; have majority domestic ownership and control; and have a physical place of business in the United States.

Participant Limitations Participation of the following entities are limited as follows.

• DOE FFRDCs4 are eligible to apply for funding as a recipient or subrecipient.

3 “Indian Tribe,” for the purposes of this NOFO and as defined in in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. § 5304), means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (85 Stat. 688) [43 U.S.C. § 1601, et seq.], which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians. Federally Recognized Indian Tribes are also considered disadvantaged communities for the purposes of Justice40 requirements in this NOFO per https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf.

4 FFRDCs are public-private partnerships that conduct research for the U.S. government. A listing of FFRDCs can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:25%20section:5304%20edition:prelim) https://uscode.house.gov/statutes/pl/92/203.pdf#:%7E:text=688%20PUBLIC%20LAW%2092-203-DEC.%2018%2C%201971%20%5B85%20STAT.,and%20for%20other%20purposes.%20Alaska%20Native%20Claims%20Settlement https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:43%20section:1601%20edition:prelim) https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/

Version 1.0 Page 10 of 38

• Non-DOE FFRDCs are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as a recipient.

• Federal agencies and instrumentalities (other than DOE) are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are typically not eligible to apply as a recipient.

3. Foreign Entity Participation In general, foreign entities are not eligible to apply as either a recipient or subrecipient. In limited circumstances, DOE may approve a waiver to allow a foreign entity to participate as a recipient or subrecipient.

A foreign entity may submit an application to this NOFO, but the application must be accompanied by an explicit written waiver request. Likewise, if the applicant seeks to include a foreign entity as a subrecipient, the applicant must submit a separate explicit written waiver request in the application for each proposed foreign subrecipient. Please see NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements for the requirements for submission of a foreign entity waiver request. The applicant does not have the right to appeal DOE’s decision concerning a waiver request.

Prime recipients and subrecipients must be legally formed in the United States, have majority domestic ownership and control, and have a physical location for business operations in the United States.

Foreign Entity Participation A foreign entity is eligible to apply for funding as a recipient if it designates in the application a subsidiary or affiliate incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a state or territory of the United States to be the recipient. The application must state the nature of the corporate relationship between the foreign entity and domestic subsidiary or affiliate.

Foreign entities may request a waiver of the requirement to designate a subsidiary in the United States as the recipient in the application (i.e., a foreign entity may request that it be the recipient). To do so, the applicant must submit an explicit written waiver request in the application.

NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements lists the information that must be included in a request to waive this requirement. The applicant does not have the right to appeal DOE’s decision concerning a waiver request.

Performance of Work in the United States All work for the awards under this NOFO must be performed in the United States. To request a waiver of this requirement, the applicant must submit an explicit waiver request in the application. Absent an approved waiver, such costs will not be allowable under the award. The NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements lists the requirements for submission of a foreign work waiver request.

Ineligible Participants The following entities are ineligible for participation in this NOFO as a recipient, subrecipient, or subcontractor.

Version 1.0 Page 11 of 38

• In accordance with 2 CFR 200.214, entities banned from doing business with the U.S.

government such as entities debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participating in federal programs.

• Entities identified on Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control Treasury’s Sanctions Program Specially Designated Nationals list are prohibited from doing business with the United States government and are not eligible. See OFAC - Sanctions List Service (treas.gov).

• Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995, are not eligible to apply for funding.

Entity of Concern Prohibition Entities of Concern are prohibited from participating in projects selected under this NOFO (see NOFO Part 2, Eligibility, Other Eligibility Information, Entity of Concern Prohibition section for details and definitions).

B. Limitation on Number of Concept Papers and Applications Eligible for Review

An entity may submit only one concept paper and one associated application to this NOFO. The concept paper and application must address no more than one topic area identified in Key Facts section above. If an entity submits more than one concept paper the DOE will only review the last submission. This limitation does not prohibit an applicant from collaborating on other applications (e.g., as a potential subrecipient or partner) so long as the entity is listed as the applicant on only one concept paper and one associated application submitted under this NOFO.

C. Cost Sharing Applicants are expected to follow through on estimated cost share commitments proposed in their applications if selected for award negotiations. Please refer to the NOFO Part 2, Eligibility for more information on Cost Sharing.

4. Cost Share Requirements

The cost share must be at least 10% of the total project costs5 for applications submitted under this

NOFO.

Applications that do not meet the minimum required cost share will be deemed ineligible during the initial compliance review and will not be further reviewed. The cost share must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law.

The cost share percentage is calculated by dividing the cost share by the total allowable project costs for the award where the total allowable project costs include government share (including FFRDC costs if applicable) and cost share. To help applicants calculate proper cost share amounts, DOE has included a

5 Total project costs are the sum of the government share, including FFRDC costs if applicable, and the recipient share of project costs.

https://sanctionslist.ofac.treas.gov/Home/SdnList

Version 1.0 Page 12 of 38 cost share information sheet and sample cost share calculation in the NOFO Part 2, Eligibility—Cost Sharing, Cost Share Calculation Examples.

5. Unallowable Cost Share Sources, NOFO Specific The unallowable cost share sources identified here are specific to this announcement. Refer to NOFO Part 2, Eligibility--Cost Sharing, Unallowable Cost Share Sources for unallowable cost share sources applicable to all NOFOs.

D. FFRDC Eligibility Criteria

1. DOE FFRDCs as the Applicant

A DOE FFRDC is eligible to apply for funding under this NOFO if its cognizant Contracting Officer provides written authorization and this authorization is submitted with the application.

The following wording is acceptable for the authorization:

Authorization is granted for the Laboratory to participate in the proposed project. The work proposed for the Laboratory is consistent with or complementary to the missions of the Laboratory and will not adversely impact execution of the DOE assigned programs at the Laboratory.

If a DOE FFRDC is selected for award negotiation, the proposed work will be authorized under the DOE work authorization process and performed under the laboratory’s Management and Operating (M&O) contract.

2. DOE and Non-DOE FFRDCs as a Subrecipient As long as they have no conflict, DOE and non-DOE FFRDCs may be proposed as a subrecipient on another entity’s application subject to the following guidelines:

Authorization for non-DOE FFRDCs The federal agency sponsoring the FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The use of a FFRDC must be consistent with its authority under its award.

Authorization for DOE FFRDCs The cognizant Contracting Officer for the FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The following wording is acceptable for this authorization:

Authorization is granted for the Laboratory to participate in the proposed project. The work proposed for the Laboratory is consistent with or complementary to the missions of the Laboratory and will not adversely impact execution of the DOE assigned programs at the Laboratory.

Funding, Cost Share, and Subaward with FFRDCs

The value of and funding for the FFRDC portion of the work will not normally be included in the award.

DOE FFRDCs participating as a subrecipient on a project will be funded directly through the DOE Work

Version 1.0 Page 13 of 38

Authorization process in accordance with DOE O 412.1A. Non-DOE FFRDCs participating as a subrecipient will be funded through an interagency agreement with the sponsoring agency.

Although the FFRDC portion of the work is excluded from the award, the applicant’s cost share requirement will be based on the total cost of the project, including the applicant’s, the subrecipient’s, and the FFRDC’s portions of the project.

All DOE FFRDCs are required to enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement6 (CRADA) or, if the role of the DOE FFRDC is limited to technical assistance and intellectual property is not anticipated to be generated from the DOE FFRDC’s work, a Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA), with at least the recipient. A fully executed CRADA or TAA must be in place or be compliant with a Master Scope of Work process prior to the FFRDC starting work directly allocable to the FA award.

A CRADA is used to ensure accountability for project work and provide the appropriate management of IP, e.g., data protection and background IP. A Data Management Plan is not suited for this purpose.

Limit on FFRDC Effort The scope of work to be performed by the FFRDC should not be more significant than the scope of work to be performed by the applicant.

6 A cooperative research and development agreement is a contractual agreement between a national laboratory contractor and a private company or university to work together on research and development. For more information, see https://www.energy.gov/gc/downloads/doe-cooperative-research-and-development-agreements https://www.energy.gov/gc/downloads/doe-cooperative-research-and-development-agreements

Version 1.0 Page 14 of 38

Section III: Program Description

III. Program Description

A. Program Purpose The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) supports the development of a globally competitive U.S. energy industrial base that drives supply chain resiliency and energy security through materials and manufacturing innovation. Recently, AMMTO led the development and publication of an EERE-wide report entitled Circularity for Secure and Sustainable Products and Materials: A Draft Strategic Framework, along with a request for information (RFI).7 This document describes EERE’s goals and efforts in circularity across the product and material segments that are most important to clean energy technologies. It also identifies challenges and opportunities to leverage circularity for driving industrial competitiveness, securing supply chains, reducing environmental impacts, benefiting communities, and creating jobs. The draft strategic framework highlights the importance of the market landscape in determining the ease and likelihood of success of technology adoption for circular supply chains, and how such factors can be unique to each product and material segment. In particular, non-technical market factors (i.e., market conditions, supply chain dynamics, policy and regulatory landscape, workforce readiness, infrastructure capabilities) must be understood as these may result in either barriers or pathways to adoption for specific emerging technologies. Analysis is needed to identify future research opportunities in the context of these non-technical market factors, and an array of stakeholders with synergistic technology needs and capabilities must be connected to carry it out.

A centralized effort to assess the full landscape of circular supply chain technologies and its intersection with these factors has not yet been undertaken. Such assessments would support EERE’s ongoing and past portfolio of investments in innovations for circular supply chains by identifying promising avenues for adoption and enabling targeted investments with high likelihood of industrial impact. This NOFO establishes a program whose purpose is to address this need and develop: (1) a comprehensive understanding of the landscape of technical and the non-technical factors that could impact the adoption of emerging technologies and (2) strong connections across the circularity field to accelerate innovations from R&D-scale to commercial practice. We are in a unique moment where the growing awareness of and investment in circular supply chains are driving technological advancements. This is an important opportunity for the United States to benefit from the building momentum and take ambitious actions that will advance development and adoption of circular supply chains.

B. Program Goals and Objectives The ultimate goal of this program is to accelerate the deployment of innovations for circular supply chains to improve security and reduce environmental impacts, supporting a robust and competitive manufacturing sector. Through complementary analyses outside of this accelerator, EERE will investigate which product and material market segments have high potential for positively impacting economy-wide goals related to industrial competitiveness, resiliency of supply, and environmental sustainability.

This NOFO seeks applications to form an accelerator that will conduct deep dives into these identified market segments to do the following:

7 U.S. Department of Energy Solicits Feedback on Its Plan To Increase Products and Materials Circularity | Department of Energy https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/us-department-energy-solicits-feedback-its-plan-increase-products-and-materials https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/us-department-energy-solicits-feedback-its-plan-increase-products-and-materials

Version 1.0 Page 15 of 38

1. Identify technology deployment pathways for advancing circular supply chains in prioritized market segments through analysis of technical and non-technical market factors that influence how these technologies can scale within and across market segments. Further, identify synergistic opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, business models and market tools (e.g., standards, offtake agreements, verification frameworks, data systems, etc.) for circular supply chains across multiple product and material market segments.

2. Engage with stakeholders within and across product and material market segments to support the technology and market analysis and facilitate coordination on technology advancement and adoption.

C. Expected Performance Goals The performance goals for this accelerator include the following:

• Production of publicly available, high impact reports that inform technology development efforts and stakeholder engagement on circular supply chains. These analysis reports should be produced at a frequency to effectively inform short- and long-term R&D investment strategies in this space across federal agencies, academia and the private sector.

• Effectiveness of building strong connections across the circularity field as measured through: (1) engagement of stakeholders on analysis reports and in convening forums held by the Accelerator, (2) breadth of the stakeholder base in terms of its composition, (3) strength of relationships within the stakeholder engagement activities and (4) engagement of stakeholders in technology R&D efforts focused on circular supply chains.

D. Teaming Partner List DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the formation of project teams for this NOFO. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations that may wish to participate on a project to express their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships.

The Teaming Partner List will be available on eXCHANGE and will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who provide their organization’s information.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: View the Teaming Partner List by visiting the eXCHANGE homepage and clicking on “Teaming Partners” within the left-hand navigation pane. This page allows users to view published Teaming Partner Lists. To join the Teaming Partner List, submit a request within eXCHANGE.

Select the appropriate Teaming Partner List from the drop-down menu and fill in the following information: Investigator Name, Organization Name, Organization Type, Topic Area, Background and Capabilities, Website, Contact Address, Contact Email, and Contact Phone.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating the Teaming Partner List, DOE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List.

Version 1.0 Page 16 of 38

DOE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

E. Topic Areas

Topic 1: The Circular Supply Chains Accelerator

Efforts to achieve a robust and competitive manufacturing sector through innovation in circular supply chains cannot be successful without: (1) a comprehensive understanding of the landscape of technical and the non-technical factors that could impact the adoption of emerging technologies and (2) strong connections across the circularity field to accelerate innovations from R&D-scale to commercial practice.

This topic seeks to establish a new accelerator which will address this need through the development of a comprehensive technical and market analysis portfolio and stakeholder engagement activities. As stated above, the objectives of this accelerator and program are to:

1. Identify technology deployment pathways for advancing circular supply chains in priority market segments through analysis of technical and non-technical market factors that influence how these technologies can scale within market segments and across multiple market segments. Further, identify synergistic opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, business models and market tools (e.g., standards, offtake agreements, verification frameworks, data systems, etc.) for circular supply chains across multiple product and material market segments.

2. Engage with stakeholders within and across product and material segments to support the technology and market analysis and facilitate coordination on technology advancement and adoption.

The lead entity and any partners in the Accelerator should have expertise in circular supply chains with emphasis on understanding the full landscape of technical and non-technical factors impacting the adoption of emerging technologies for circular supply chains. If the proposed accelerator will be made of multiple entities, the applicant should describe how they will work collaboratively. Each of the objectives listed above are described in the remainder of this section.

Objective 1. Identifying Pathways for Circular Supply Chains

The Accelerator will develop an analysis portfolio that will establish a comprehensive understanding of both technical and non-technical factors impacting the adoption of emerging technologies for circular supply chains.

Technical factors of interest include the state of emerging technologies in terms of performance and cost metrics. Awareness of these technical factors requires strong understanding of the R&D landscape as well as the state of industrial practice. Non-technical factors of interest include market conditions, supply chain dynamics, policy and regulatory landscape, workforce readiness, and infrastructure capabilities, among others. These non-technical market factors may be region-specific and would be critical to inform a systems-level perspective of potential barriers and pathways to widespread commercial adoption. The Accelerator will leverage understanding of technical and non-technical factors to analyze market opportunity within specific product and material market segments. The outputs of this analysis are expected to identify:

(1) what are the specific product and material market segments where technical/non-technical factors favor implementation of circular supply chain innovations, (2) what are ideal technical/non-technical factors that support the adoption of circular supply chain innovations, and (3) what are potential sequential pathways to

Version 1.0 Page 17 of 38 move from first adopter to full scale deployment across market segments. Applicants must comprehensively describe their approach to these analyses in specific terms, including the underlying modeling theory or methods framework to be employed, modeling assumptions, types of data and data sources, approach to modeling uncertainty and other details critical toward understanding the efficacy of the analysis effort.

Applicants should also describe how their analytical framework will be used to determine the impact of potential business models and market tools that could incentivize circular supply chains within specific market segments of interest. Opportunities to leverage advancements in emerging technologies and market tools (e.g., standards, offtake agreements, verification frameworks, data systems, etc.) across product and material market segments should also be identified.

Market segments of interest will be identified through complementary analyses outside of this program.

EERE will establish which product and material market segments have high potential for positively impacting economy-wide goals related to industrial competitiveness, resiliency of supply, and environmental sustainability. The Accelerator will scope their analyses around this identified set of product and material market segments. Applicants can consult the Circularity for Secure and Sustainable Products and Materials: A Draft Strategic Framework for examples of products and materials that fall under current interest to EERE and the energy sector overall.

The Accelerator will deliver these analyses into publicly available, high impact reports that inform technology development efforts and stakeholder collaboration on circular supply chains. These analysis reports should be produced at a frequency to effectively inform short- and long-term R&D investment strategies in this space across federal agencies, academia and the private sector. Applicants must describe their approach to scoping, developing and producing these reports in terms of content and schedule so to be effective in terms of expectations of impact and timeliness. Planned approaches to updating these analyses based on new developments in technical and non-technical factors impacting the adoption of emerging technologies for circular supply chains should also be described. The Accelerator is expected to maximize the impact of these reports through well designed public dissemination activities. Applicants must describe their approach to public dissemination that includes the outputs of the analysis work, relevant compiled datasets, findings assessment of technical and non-technical factors, and corresponding feedback from stakeholder engagement activities. Applicants must describe how they will periodically and ultimately measure the success of their analysis efforts and optimize their approaches dynamically based on these program measurements.

Objective 2. Stakeholder Engagement to Advance Circular Supply Chains

The Accelerator’s stakeholder engagement activities will engage a broad range of stakeholders that are critical to both supporting the analysis portfolio and to facilitating the coordination needed for technology adoption for circular supply chains. These stakeholder engagement activities will strengthen relationships with industry members to support increased sharing of data and best practices as there are many synergistic technology needs across different product and material segments. These programs will enable enhanced diffusion of advancements in emerging technologies, business models and market tools (e.g., standards, offtake agreements, verification frameworks, data systems, etc.) throughout the circularity field. Most importantly, these stakeholder engagement activities will establish and cultivate relationships between potential performer groups that will strengthen the innovation ecosystem needed to deliver on other funded programs focused on building circular supply chain technologies.

Applicants must describe their overall approach to stakeholder engagement activities, how it will support the goals of this objective as described immediately above and how this approach will also synergistically support the analysis activities of Objective 1. This includes the approach to identifying and incorporating critical

Version 1.0 Page 18 of 38 stakeholders across the technical and market landscape. Specifically, applicants must clearly describe their approach to building teams in specific product and material market segments to be identified by EERE as having high potential for positively impacting economy-wide goals related to industrial competitiveness, resiliency of supply, and environmental sustainability. Applicants should also describe how their approach ensures insights of the different types of domestic entities critical to the advancement of circular supply chains for these market segments. The applicants should describe a comprehensive approach that will be used to encourage stakeholder input while addressing concerns related to proprietary data and information security. Finally, applicants must describe how they will periodically measure the success of their stakeholder engagement efforts and optimize their approaches dynamically based on these program measurements.

F. Applications Specifically Not of Interest The following types of applications will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (Please also refer to the Responsiveness Review section below):

• Applications that fall outside the technical parameters specified in Background and Context above and the Topic Areas section above.

G. Statement of Substantial Involvement DOE anticipates awarding cooperative agreements under this NOFO, which include a statement of DOE’s “substantial involvement” in the work performed under the resulting awards. For cooperative agreements, DOE does not limit its involvement to the administrative requirements of the award.

Instead, DOE has substantial involvement in the direction and redirection of the technical aspects of the project. DOE’s substantial involvement in resulting awards may include the following:

A. DOE shares responsibility with the recipient for the management, control, direction, and performance of the project.

B. DOE may intervene in the conduct or performance of work under this award for programmatic reasons. Intervention includes the interruption or modification of the conduct or performance of project activities.

C. DOE may redirect or discontinue funding the project based on the outcome of DOE’s evaluation of the project at the Go/No-Go decision point(s).

D. DOE participates in major project decision-making processes.

H. Statutory Authority The programmatic authorizing statute is 42 U.S.C. § 16191(a)(2)(C) “Energy Efficiency” Section 911 of EPACT 2005, as amended.

Awards made under this announcement will fall under the purview of 2 CFR Part 200 as adopted and supplemented by 2 CFR Part 910.

Version 1.0 Page 19 of 38

Section IV: Application Content and Form

IV. Application Content and Form

This section includes application information specific to this NOFO Part 1. Refer to the NOFO Part 2, Application Content and Form for standard information that applies to all DOE NOFOs such as formatting and content requirements, and funding restrictions.

A. Summary The application process includes multiple submission phases: concept paper, application, and replies to reviewer comments.

Application Submission Phase Eligibility for Submission

Concept Paper Required to be submitted by the specified due date and time to be eligible to submit an application

Application Must be submitted by the specified due date and time to be eligible for comprehensive merit review.

Replies to Reviewer Comments

Required to be submitted by the specified due date and time.

B. Concept Paper Each concept paper must be limited to a single concept, technology, or project. The concept paper must conform to the requirements listed below, including the stated page limits.

Section Page Limit Description Cover Page 1 page maximum The cover page should include the project title, the specific announcement Topic Area being addressed (if applicable), both the technical and business points of contact (including the Administrative Officer, if applicable), names of all team member organizations, the project location(s), and any statements regarding confidentiality.

Technology Description

4 pages maximum

Applicants are required to succinctly describe:

• How the team incorporates expertise in circular supply chains across technology development, market factors, business models, and policy;

• The team’s experience with and approach to performing analysis and publicly disseminating their results;

• The proposed approach to mapping the current investment landscape of circular supply chains and the approach to identifying which analyses to perform for greatest impact;

• The team’s experience with and approach to engaging with stakeholders;

Version 1.0 Page 20 of 38

• How the Accelerator will overcome the shortcomings, limitations, and challenges in the relevant field and application;

• The potential impact that the proposed project would have on the relevant field and application;

• The key risks/issues associated with the proposed project management plan;

• The impact that DOE funding would have on the proposed project; and

• Any potential impacts on Indian Tribes and describe how the applicant would engage with a potentially impacted Indian Tribe(s).

Addendum 1 pages maximum

Applicants are required to succinctly describe the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the proposed project team, including:

• Whether the Principal Investigator (PI) or Lead Project Manager (LPM) and project team have the skill and expertise needed to successfully execute the project plan;

• Whether the applicant has prior experience which demonstrates an ability to perform tasks of similar risk and complexity;

• Whether the applicant has worked together with its teaming partners on prior projects or programs;

• Whether the applicant has adequate access to tools and facilities necessary to accomplish the effort and/or clearly explain how it intends to obtain access to the necessary tools and facilities; and

• Applicants may provide graphs, charts, or other data to supplement their Technology Description.

Total concept paper Maximum Page Limit: 6 pages

DOE makes an independent assessment of each concept paper based on the technical review criteria for Concept Papers described below. DOE will encourage a subset of applicants to submit applications.

Other applicants will be discouraged from submitting an application. Please see NOFO Part 2, Selection and Award Notices—Concept Paper Notifications.

C. Application Content Requirements Each application must be limited to a single concept. Applications must conform to the following requirements and must not exceed the stated page limits.