Funding Opportunity: BER Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW)

January 2023

The DOE Office of Science (SC) program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in applications from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and non-R1 minority serving institutions (MSIs) for the BER Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

RENEW is an SC-wide initiative that aims to build foundations for SC research and training at institutions historically underrepresented in the SC research portfolio. RENEW leverages SC’s unique national laboratories, user facilities, and other research infrastructures to provide undergraduate and graduate training opportunities for students and academic institutions not currently well-represented in the U.S. science and technology (S&T) ecosystem. The hands-on experiences gained through RENEW will open new career avenues for participants, forming a nucleus for a future pool of talented young scientists, engineers, and technicians with the critical skills and expertise needed for the full breadth of SC research activities.

The BER-RENEW FOA will target student experiential training and build capacity in BER-relevant programs at HBCUs and non-R1 MSIs. Funding may be requested to support experiential training and mentoring activities in partnership with DOE national laboratories conducting BER-relevant science and/or with one or more of BER’s research efforts at the DOE national laboratories and/or the bioenergy research centers (BRCs). More information on institution designations/classifications can be found here. Please see the funding opportunity for more details.

Feel free to reach out to the BER Program Managers with any questions:

Biological Systems Sciences Division

Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division

Schedule

The PI and institution representative submitting on behalf of the PI must register for an account in the Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) before it will be possible to submit a pre-application. All PIs and those submitting pre-applications on behalf of PIs are encouraged to establish PAMS accounts as soon as possible to avoid submission delays.  Additionally, all PIs are encouraged to read the FOA carefully for new requirements related to Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans, current and pending support, and biographical sketches.

  • Informational Webinar (optional): January 26, 2023; 1:00 pm ET (register here)
  • Deadline for Pre-applications (required): February 21, 2023; 5:00 pm ET
  • Deadline for Applications: April 25, 2023; 11:59 pm ET

More Information