FY 2025 University Nuclear Research Infrastructure Revitalization

President Donald J. Trump has issued an executive order entitled, "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing." The Department of Energy is moving aggressively to implement this executive order by suspending the following: • Diversity, equity and inclusion policies, procedures, programs, activities, and reviews involving or relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives and principles until further notice; • Requiring, using or enforcing community benefits plans; and • Requiring, using or enforcing Justice40 requirements, conditions or principles in any loans, loan guarantees, grants, cost sharing agreements, funding opportunity announcements, contracts, contract awards or any other source of financial assistance. The Office of Nuclear Energy has amended this notice of funding opportunity to remove the allocation of bonus points for diverse team partners and remove the Program Policy Factors for energy equity and the Justice40 Initiative. - Projects proposed under the Infrastructure Revitalization FOA are intended to: • revitalize the U.S. capacity for university-led nuclear R & D by establishing and/or improving infrastructure to align with the advanced reactor technologies being deployed by the U.S. nuclear industry; • support innovative combinations of facilities, equipment, and related capabilities to maximize the value of investments toward R & D; • emphasize support for rapid, lower-cost approaches that can enable advanced-reactor-relevant R & D, education and workforce development prior to any universities establishing advanced research reactors; and • involve consortia among diverse types of institutions to maximize participation and realization of benefits by underrepresented communities that have historically faced challenges to such access. Requests should focus on a goal or capability that significantly adds to the current U.S. capacity to support advanced reactor R & D, education, and workforce development. Applicants must demonstrate the connection among requested pieces of equipment or other project elements toward a key objective or outcome. Applications made of several uncorrelated equipment requests are not of interest. A request should not duplicate existing capabilities. Activities that involve the planning or construction of new university nuclear reactors will not be considered. NE reserves the right to respond to potential shifts in priorities during FY 2025 that may be driven by events, policy developments, or Congressional/budget direction. DOE-NE will factor such considerations into decisions related to the timing and scale of award announcements associated with this FOA.

Projects proposed under the Infrastructure Revitalization FOA are intended to: • revitalize the U.S. capacity for university-led nuclear R & D by establishing and/or improving infrastructure to align with the advanced reactor technologies being deployed by the U.S. nuclear industry; • support innovative combinations of facilities, equipment, and related capabilities to maximize the value of investments toward R & D; • emphasize support for rapid, lower-cost approaches that can enable advanced-reactor-relevant R & D, education and workforce development prior to any universities establishing advanced research reactors; and • involve consortia among diverse types of institutions to maximize participation and realization of benefits by underrepresented communities that have historically faced challenges to such access. Requests should focus on a goal or capability that significantly adds to the current U.S. capacity to support advanced reactor R & D, education, and workforce development. Applicants must demonstrate the connection among requested pieces of equipment or other project elements toward a key objective or outcome. Applications made of several uncorrelated equipment requests are not of interest. A request should not duplicate existing capabilities. Activities that involve the planning or construction of new university nuclear reactors will not be considered. NE reserves the right to respond to potential shifts in priorities during FY 2025 that may be driven by events, policy developments, or Congressional/budget direction. DOE-NE will factor such considerations into decisions related to the timing and scale of award announcements associated with this FOA.