Funding Opportunities

Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program 2023 Solicitation 1

SCGSR application assistance workshops will be held on March 9, 2023, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET and April 20, 2023, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM ET. The first workshop will provide a general overview of the program and the application requirements and will include a time for discussing potential research topics with the program managers; register here. The second workshop will guide attendees through the application process, answer general questions, provide guidance on proposal writing and feature discussions with scientists and former awardees; register here.

The SCGSR program provides supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to conduct part of their graduate theses research at a DOE national laboratory or facility in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist — with the goal of preparing graduate students for scientific and technical careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission. The research opportunity is expected to advance the graduate students’ overall doctoral theses while providing access to the expertise, resources, and capabilities available at the host DOE laboratories.

SCGSR is open to current Ph.D. students in qualified graduate programs at accredited U.S. academic institutions, who are conducting their graduate theses research in targeted areas of importance to the DOE Office of Science.

DE-FOA-0002929: BER – REACHING A NEW ENERGY SCIENCES WORKFORCE (RENEW)

  • Funding Announcement: DE-FOA-0002929
  • Schedule: Principal investigators and institution representatives 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

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 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.

DE-FOA-0002931: Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR)

  • Funding Announcement: DE-FOA-0002931
  • Schedule: The PI and anyone submitting on behalf of the PI must register for an account in 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 PI’s are encouraged to read the FOA carefully for new requirements related to Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans, new current/pending and biographical sketches.
    • Informational Webinar (optional): January 6, 2023; 2:00 pm ET (register here)
    • Deadline for Pre-applications (required): February 7, 2023; 5:00 pm ET
    • Deadline for Applications: April 11, 2023; 11:59 pm ET

The DOE Office of Science (SC) program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in applications from institutions historically underrepresented in the SC portfolio, including non-R1 minority serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions, for the BER topic in the Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This FOA aims to build research capacity, infrastructure, and expertise at these institutions through mutually beneficial relationships between applicants and DOE national laboratories, SC scientific user facilities, or R1 MSIs.

The lead institution must be a non-R1 MSI or an emerging research institution. The lead institution must partner with a team member in one of the following categories: a DOE National Laboratory (https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories), an SC Scientific User Facility (https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities), or an R1 MSI. The lead institution should show clear scientific leadership. More information on institution designations/classifications, can be found here. Please see the funding opportunity for agency contacts and 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

 

DE-FOA-0002913: Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Implementation Grants (EPSCoR)

  • Funding Announcement: DE-FOA-0002913
  • Schedule: The PI and anyone submitting on behalf of the PI must register for an account in 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 PI’s are encouraged to read the FOA carefully for new requirements related to Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans, new current/pending and biographical sketches.
    • Informational Webinar (optional): January 5, 2023; 2:00 pm Eastern time; register here to attend
    • Deadline for Pre-applications (required): January 25, 2023; 5:00 pm Eastern time
    • Deadline for Applications: April 4, 2023; 11:59 pm Eastern time

The DOE Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) announces its interest in receiving new and renewal applications from applicants within eligible jurisdictions for Implementation Grants. DOE follows the National Science Foundation’s eligibility criteria for EPSCoR. Grants awarded under this program are intended to improve research capability through the support of a group of scientists and engineers, including undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, working on a common scientific theme in one or more EPSCoR jurisdictions. These awards are not appropriate mechanisms to provide support for individual faculty science and technology research projects. While the academic, non-profit and industrial research communities are welcome to lead or to participate in applications, a strong component of student education in research is required for all applicants.

Please see the funding opportunity for agency contacts and more details, including eligibility and application information.

 

DE-FOA-0002915: Climate Resilience Centers

  • Funding Announcement: DE-FOA-0002915
  • Schedule: The PI and anyone submitting on behalf of the PI must register for an account in 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 PI’s are encouraged to read the FOA carefully for new requirements related to Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans, new current/pending and biographical sketches.
    • Informational Webinar (optional): December 9, 2022; 1:00-2:00 pm Eastern time; register here to attend
    • Deadline for Pre-applications (required): January 19, 2023; 5:00 pm Eastern time
    • Deadline for Proposals: March 30, 2023; 11:59 pm Eastern time

The DOE Office of Science program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in applications from the scientific community for Climate Resilience Centers (CRCs) that will improve the availability and utility of BER research, data, models, and capabilities to address climate resiliency, particularly by underrepresented or vulnerable communities. These science-based predictive tools and methods are critically needed to inform policies and plans for strengthening the security and resilience of critical infrastructure and natural resources.

CRCs will extend DOE climate science, capabilities, and research by supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), non-R1 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and emerging research institutions to address regional resilience needs and impacts on natural, socioeconomic, and/or built systems and their intersections. CRCs also aim to foster capacity at regional and local scales by connecting with affected communities and stakeholders to translate basic research into actionable science to enhance climate resilience, as well as to identify research priorities for future DOE investments. CRCs will form a nucleus for building and empowering a future pool of local talent and expertise, including young scientists, engineers, and technicians, to address local resilience challenges and inform equitable solutions. CRCs will leverage ongoing DOE climate science and capabilities that exist at currently supported DOE national laboratories and universities, and build two-way engagement between DOE funded research and community stakeholders for improved climate resilience responses.

HBCUs, non-R1 MSIs, and emerging research institutions are eligible to apply as single institution applicants or the lead of a multi-institutional team. More information on institution designations/classifications, can be found here. Please see the funding opportunity for agency contacts and more details.

 

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DE-FOA-0002821: Early Career Research Program

  • Funding Announcement: DE-FOA-0002821
  • Deadline for Pre-applications (required): January 5, 2023; 5 pm eastern time
  • Pre-Application Response Date: February 6, 2023; 11:59 pm eastern time
  • Deadline for Applications: March 23, 2023; 11:59 pm eastern time

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science (SC) announces the release of the FY-2023 Early Career Research Program (ECRP) Funding Opportunity: DE-FOA-0002821. This opportunity includes BER Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences research in Earth and Environmental Systems Modeling (EESM). Specifically, BER is seeking modeling research applications that address grand challenges focusing on coastal-urban systems with an emphasis on the natural and/or human-mediated components of the coastal-urban environments. EESM seeks applications responding to two or more of the following themes in the coastal-urban system while addressing two or more components (i.e., land, atmosphere, ocean) of the Earth system:

(1) Model Development: Enhance the current E3SM capabilities for the coastal-urban system by improving the representation of physical or biogeochemical processes (e.g., clouds, atmospheric chemistry, ocean circulation, ocean biogeochemistry, land biogeochemistry, hydrology, sea-ice, or land-ice) of the natural Earth system. These may include significant improvements to existing parameterizations, development of new parameterizations, and/or improvements to coupling between major systems and components reflected in E3SM.

(2) Model Intercomparison and Hierarchical Modeling: Develop and use a multi-model and/or hierarchical modeling approach (which must include the use of E3SM and/or super-parametrized/variable resolution versions of the E3SM) to examine the role of extreme events on the natural and/or human-mediated natural components of coastal-urban environments, including both land, atmospheric, and oceanic dimensions. A focus on understanding of the impacts of sequential extreme and/or multivariate or multiple-compounding extreme events is encouraged as appropriate.

(3) Influence of Extreme Events: Advanced understanding of feedbacks and interactions of extreme events with coastal and natural components of the urban systems through enhanced model development and analysis. This could include understanding and representation of thresholds and tipping points caused by extreme events on the coastal and natural components of the urban system. The focus on extremes could include, e.g., single, or simultaneously occurring extreme heat, wildfire, and/or drought in the same region that can impact future flooding; hurricanes and flooding in the same region; atmospheric rivers in the same region that can impact flood and/or other land processes; how do land-falling tropical cyclones, mesoscale convective systems, and/or atmospheric rivers (primarily atmospheric) affect the terrestrial coastal urban processes such as storm surges, landslides, or flooding?; How do droughts followed by floods affect sediment transport or other dimensions of natural terrestrial system? How might changes in the frequency, distribution, intensity of these compounding/sequential extreme events affect runoff?

(4) Coupled Feedbacks through Machine Learning: Appropriate application of machine learning tools and innovative diagnostic methods to advance parameterization and scientific knowledge of feedbacks at the coastal-urban domain. For instance, a combination of hybrid process/machine learning tools could be incorporated in order to advance scientific knowledge using E3SM (and other models), or they could be used in building emulators that facilitate more sophisticated parameterization development/validation and/or advance uncertainty characterization.

More information on the SC Early Career Research Program can be found here: https://www.energy.gov/science/listings/early-career-program.

 

DE-FOA-0002849: Environmental System Science

  • Funding Announcement: DE-FOA-0002849
  • Current information about ESS: https://ess.science.energy.gov
  • Schedule:
    The PI and anyone submitting on behalf of the PI must register for an account in 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 PI’s are encouraged to read the FOA carefully for new requirements related to Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans, new current/pending and biographical sketches.

    • Deadline for Pre-applications (required): December 1, 2022; 5:00 pm eastern time
    • Deadline for Proposals: February 23, 2023; 11:59 pm eastern time

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) Program hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for research in Environmental System Science (ESS). This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will consider applications that focus on measurements, experiments, field data, modeling, and synthesis to provide improved understanding and representation of ecosystems and watersheds in ways that advance the sophistication and capabilities of models that span from individual processes to Earth-system scales. This FOA will encompass three Science Research Areas:

  • Improved understanding of hot spots and hot moments of biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial-aquatic interfaces;
  • Investigations of cold-region ecosystem and watershed process responses to changing cold-season climate drivers; and
  • Synthesis studies using existing data that address testing of ESS-relevant hypotheses and development of transferable insights across ecosystems, watersheds, and regions.

All applications are required to clearly delineate an integrative, hypothesis-driven approach and describe the existing needs and gaps in state-of-the-art models. Applicants should provide details on how the results of the proposed research will be used to improve the predictability and sophistication of integrated watershed systems and/or terrestrial ecosystem models.

 

Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program 2022 Solicitation 2

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is now accepting applications for the 2022 Solicitation 2 cycle. The SCGSR program supports supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to conduct part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE national laboratory or facility in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist for a period of 3 to 12 consecutive months—with the goal of preparing graduate students for scientific and technical careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission.

DOE SBIR/STTR Programs FY 2023 Phase I Release 1

  • Funding Announcement: DE-FOA-0002783
  • Topics for Release 1: PDF
  • Letter of Intent: Monday, August 29, 2022 5:00 pm Eastern Time. To be eligible to submit a Phase I application, you must first submit a Letter of Intent to the DOE Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS). View our online tutorial and instructions for assistance in preparing your letter of intent.
  • Submission Deadline for Applications to both SBIR and STTR programs: Tuesday, October 11, 2022 11:59 pm Eastern Time. All Phase I applications must be submitted through the Grants.gov web portal to be considered for award. Please visit our applicant resource page and our SBIR Application Preparation Tutorials for assistance in preparing your application.
  • Informational Webinar: Friday, August 12, 2022 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. Register here to join the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Office in a 45 minute overview of the DOE SBIR/STTR technology areas noted above and the application and award process as it relates to the FY23 Phase I Release 1 FOA. There will be time for Q&A, so don’t forget to submit your questions at the time of registration.
  • Technical Contacts: Please refer to the appropriate DOE Program Manager listed after each subtopic in the DOE SBIR/STTR Topics for Release 1 document.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued its FY 2023 Phase I Release 1 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. Qualified small businesses with strong research capabilities in science or engineering in any of the research areas sought in the announcement are encouraged to apply. The following DOE program offices are participating in this FOA:

  • Advanced Scientific Computing Research
  • Basic Energy Sciences
  • Biological and Environmental Research
  • Nuclear Physics

Important Reminders

  • First-time applicants to DOE SBIR/STTR: DOE offers a free Phase 0 application assistance program to a limited number of first-time DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I applicants. Review your eligibility and apply here.
  • First-time applicants to Grants.gov:  There are a number of registrations you must complete prior to submitting your application. It is recommended that you start this process at least 6 weeks in advance of submitting your application.  Instructions to complete these registrations are in our application guide and online tutorials 12 & 13.
  • Previously registered applicants with Grants.gov:  Please note, on April 4, 2022, the federal government changed entity validation service providers at the same time it stopped using the DUNS Number and began using the Unique Entity ID in SAM.gov to uniquely identify entities. All entities, even those already registered in SAM.gov, must validate their entity information through the new service provider. Data rights limitations require SAM.gov to collect the data from the user directly, not use previously validated data. This means entities may have to provide supporting documentation to update the new service provider’s data. This is an expected part of a complex data transition. SAM is working on tickets in the order received. You can find resources related to this process here. Please do not create multiple incidents for the same request. If you have any questions about the SAM process, please contact the Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726.  Please update your SAM registration TODAY!

 

Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) – Earth and Environmental Systems

  • Full Announcement: DE-FOA-0002757
  • Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications (required): June 29, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Pre-Application Response Date: July 12, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Submission Deadline for Applications: August 24, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Informational Webinar: Monday, June 13, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science (SC) program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for RENEW – Earth and Environmental Systems grants that will target building capacity in climate and environmental science-relevant programs, particularly at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Funding may be requested to support experiential training, mentoring, and institutional capacity-building activities in partnership with DOE national laboratory Scientific Focus Areas (SFAs) supported within BER’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD).

BER has a goal to broaden and diversify institutional representation in the EESSD portfolio. BER recognizes there are many academic scientists at institutions not currently supported by BER who have limited familiarity with EESSD programs and research support. BER further recognizes that such barriers to engagement in research and student training can be surmounted by fostering partnerships and collaborations with BER-supported SFA research at the DOE national laboratories.

To help provide technical assistance to build capacity and achieve the goal of broadening institutional participation, this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will provide training and research funding for institutions to: (1) develop new partnerships with the BER-supported EESSD SFAs at the DOE national laboratories, to enable sustained undergraduate and graduate student participation in EESSD-relevant research; (2) facilitate undergraduate and graduate student participation in EESSD research programmatic and user facility outreach and training activities; and (3) foster the development of climate and environmental science training capacity and research at under-represented institutions.

 

DOE BER Urban Integrated Field Laboratories

  • Full Announcement: DE-FOA-0002581
  • Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications (required): April 19, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Pre-Application Response Date: April 26, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Submission Deadline for Applications: June 16, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Informational Webinar: Wednesday, March 30, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science (SC) program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for Integrated Urban Field Laboratories (Urban IFLs). This funding opportunity will provide up to $84 million (over five years) for new observational, modeling, and simulation studies to improve the accuracy of community-scale climate research and inform equitable climate solutions to minimize adverse impacts caused by climate change. Research will focus on three tightly related scientific topics: (1) conducting atmospheric and environmental observations, (2) modeling climate change and its impacts across urban regions, and (3) simulating the climate benefits of deploying climate solutions and technologies in historically underserved communities across the United States.

Urban IFLs require multidisciplinary teams that bring together the skills and talents of investigators from multiple research institutions. Academic and nonprofit research institutions, national laboratories, other federal agencies, and the private sector are all eligible to apply as Urban IFL team members. Applications must be multi-institutional and focus on the development of a single IFL. The lead organization of a proposed Urban IFL team must be an academic institution or a national laboratory. Locally based team members and minority serving institutions (MSI) are expected to have significant roles in each Urban IFL management team, either as a lead organization or a key team member.

Funding is to be awarded competitively, on the basis of peer review, and is expected to be in the form of five-year awards.  Multiple IFLs may be selected in response to this FOA. Considered together, each of the selected IFLs will represent different aspects of understanding urban systems, potentially including diverse demographic characteristics; differing climate-induced pressures on people and infrastructures; and unique geographic settings (e.g., coastal, arid lands, mountains, plains, or Great Lakes).

DOE BER Research Development and Partnership Pilot (RDPP)

  • Full Announcement: DE-FOA-0002688
  • No LOI or pre-applications are required.
  • Submission Deadline for Applications: April 20, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Informational Webinar: Tuesday, March 22 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET. Register for the webinar here. Registrants will be emailed a link to use for joining the webinar.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science (SC) program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for a Research Development and Partnership Pilot (RDPP) within BER’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD). A goal of this funding opportunity is to foster the development of climate, Earth, and environmental science research and training capacity at underrepresented institutions.

To do this, the funding opportunity fosters engagement between underrepresented institutions and national laboratories and universities currently participating in the DOE’s climate, Earth, and environmental sciences research supported by BER. Funding will include support for underrepresented institutions to develop partnerships with DOE projects at national laboratories and universities, develop plans for capabilities for future research, and leverage DOE user facilities. In addition, projects will support participation in outreach and training being planned by DOE’s climate, Earth, and environmental sciences programs and facilities.

Institutions with a history of training students from underrepresented populations in climate and environmental sciences, such as those served by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs), are encouraged to apply.

 

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I, Release 2

  • Full Announcement: DE-FOA-0002555
  • Post Date: Monday, December 13, 2021
  • Close Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2022
  • Submission Deadline for Letters of Intent: January 3, 2022, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time
  • Submission Deadline for Applications: February 15, 2022, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
  • Please see the announcement for additional details and eligibility requirements.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science (SC) announces the release of DE-FOA-0002555, a plan to provide $54 million for small businesses pursuing climate and energy research and development (R&D) projects as well the development of advanced scientific instrumentation through a funding opportunity announcement. Areas of interest include renewable energy, carbon management, fusion and nuclear energy, advanced grid technologies, and cybersecurity.

 

Environmental System Science

  • Full announcement: https://science.osti.gov/ber/Funding-Opportunities
  • Current information about ESS: https://ess.science.energy.gov
  • Schedule:
    The PI and anyone submitting on behalf of the PI must register for an account in 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.

    • Deadline for Pre-applications (required): November 17, 2021; 11:59 pm Eastern time
    • Deadline for Applications: February 10, 2022; 11:59 pm Eastern time

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for research in Environmental System Science (ESS).

Formed by the merger of the Subsurface Biogeochemical Research (SBR) and Terrestrial Ecosystem Science (TES) programs, the ESS program’s goal is to advance an integrated, robust, and scale-aware predictive understanding of terrestrial systems and their interdependent microbial, biogeochemical, ecological, hydrological, and physical processes. To support this goal, the program uses a systems approach to develop an integrative framework to elucidate the complex processes and controls on the structure, function, feedbacks, and dynamics of terrestrial systems, which span from molecular to global scales and extend from the bedrock through the soil, rhizosphere, and vegetation to the atmosphere.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will consider applications that focus on improving the understanding and representation of ecosystems and watersheds in ways that advance the sophistication and capabilities of local, regional, and larger scale models. Using new measurements, field experiments, and/or more sophisticated modeling studies, research funded through this FOA will address the following Science Research Areas: (1) investigation of ecosystem and watershed responses to plant-mediated ecohydrologic processes, through their influence on biogeochemical cycling, hydrologic dynamics, and/or land-atmosphere exchange; (2) understanding the influence of wildfire and flood disturbances on hydro-biogeochemical processes and system function; and (3) the role of fungal networks in shaping ecosystem function through coordination of ecohydrological or biogeochemical response to stress, ephemeral soil resources, or transient environmental factors. All applications are required to clearly delineate an integrative, hypothesis-driven approach and describe the existing needs/gaps in state-of-the-art models.  Applicants should provide details on how the results of the proposed research will be used to improve the predictability and sophistication of integrated watershed systems and/or terrestrial ecosystem models.

 

Early Career Research Program Solicitation

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science (SC) announces the release of the FY-2022 Early Career Research Program (ECRP) Funding Opportunity: DE-FOA-0002563.  This opportunity includes the following research topic:

Environmental Process Research in Urban-Influenced Coastal Systems
Applications are sought within the scope of the Environmental System Science (ESS) program that will improve fundamental understanding of ecological and hydro-biogeochemical processes in urban influenced coastal systems. Structurally, coastal systems include a wide variety of landforms, including beaches, sand dunes, cliffs, estuaries, marshes, wetlands, tidal zones, deltas, intracoastal waterways, and barrier islands. In addition, they include a wide variety of vegetation types, soil types, subsurface formations and groundwater resources, and interfacial areas of the land margin to either salt/tidal waters or dynamically varying freshwater systems. Research solicited under this topic is limited to coastal systems consisting of urban to suburban environments and urban transition zones that include a U.S. shoreline on the continental coastal margins and/or on the Great Lakes. Where appropriate, these environments could include constructed wetlands and partially channeled waters and armored shorelines. Applications must focus on changes in the functioning and vulnerability of ecological and hydro-biogeochemical processes in urban-influenced coastal systems due to critically important disturbances (i.e., extreme and compounding storm events, drought, temperature extremes, flooding/inundation, saltwater intrusion, wildfires, and wind extremes). ESS has particular interest in studies that address how contemporaneous chronic shifts (i.e., chronic sea level rise, precipitation shifts, and/or increasing temperatures) compound these episodic events to affect the resilience of natural systems within the context of urban environments.

Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program 2020 Solicitation 2

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is now accepting applications for the 2021 Solicitation 2 cycle. The SCGSR program supports supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to conduct part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE national laboratory or facility in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist for a period of 3 to 12 consecutive months—with the goal of preparing graduate students for scientific and technical careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission.

 

Integrated Computational and Data Infrastructure for Scientific Discovery

  • Letters of Intent (Required) Due: April 2, 2021, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Proposals Due: May 14, 2021, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Announcement Details: DE-FOA-0002482

The Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science announces its interest in funding research and development projects to create an advanced Integrated Computational and Data Infrastructure (ICDI) program. The ICDI program will accelerate research activities across the entire Office of Science complex.

Over the past four decades experimental scientists (domain scientists working with a physical device, at a user facility, or in the field to understand scientific interactions), computational scientists (domain scientists developing and executing simulation codes to explore scientific phenomenon on leadership-class computers), and computer scientists (computer/data scientists and applied mathematicians developing scientific algorithms and codes) have increasingly used a wide array of computers and experiments to generate, analyze, and manage vast amounts of data. These data may be transferred from the facility and stored at a principal investigator’s home institution, a facility storage repository, or in a large central or distributed repository that individuals and teams access to conduct detailed analysis tasks. Combining, in real time, a variety of data, facilities, and computer resources coupled with machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques will greatly accelerate scientific discovery.

The key challenge now is to move from today’s computational/computer scientist partnerships to deeply integrated collaborations that merge experimental scientists in with their computational/computer science peers. Moving forward, it is increasingly necessary to leverage the symbiotic relationships that exist between the experimental and computational sides of numerous DOE science communities (biology, chemistry, cosmology, Earth system science, environmental science, geosciences, material science and physics). To accomplish this, the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research will collaborate with the other DOE Office of Science programs to research, develop, deploy, and validate a core suite of federated services.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is composed of two topics:

  1. “Experimental/Computational/Computer Science collaborations” addresses the challenge of creating collaborative teams of scientists to accelerate science discoveries supported by the Office of Science programs. Applications to this topic must be submitted by multi-investigator teams.
  2. “Intelligent Distributed Infrastructure Simulation Capabilities” addresses the challenge of modeling, simulating, and validating the performance of geographically distributed science infrastructures. Both single- and multiple-investigator applications may be submitted.

Awards under this FOA will develop new software workflows and tools to accelerate the scientific discovery process through the convergence of experimental/simulation data, computational/experimental facilities, and a broad community of scientists to both generate high-fidelity simulations and steer experiments. Awards will also develop the modeling and simulation capabilities needed to predict and debug workflow performance in distributed computational and data infrastructures.

Please see the announcement for additional details. For any questions, please contact the ICDI program manager:  Richard Carlson, Richard.carlson@science.doe.gov.

 

DOE EPSCoR Implementation Grants

  • Download announcement
  • Pre-application due: December 15, 2020, at 5:00 pm ET
  • Pre-application response date: January 26, 2021
  • Submission deadline for applications: March 2, 2021, at 5:00 pm ET

Scope: Grants awarded under the DOE Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program are intended to improve research capability through the support of a group of scientists and engineers, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, working on a common scientific theme in one or more EPSCoR jurisdictions. The objectives of the DOE EPSCoR Implementation Grants are to: (1) Jumpstart capability development in the jurisdiction(s) through increased human and technical resources. (2) Support a group of researchers working on a common scientific theme, with mutually supporting goals and objectives. (3) When topically relevant to the subject matter of the application, promote collaborations with other institutions of higher education and industry with strong participation by students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty from EPSCoR eligible institutions. These collaborations may include institutions from other EPSCoR jurisdictions. Collaborations involving more than one institution or more than one EPSCoR jurisdiction, while welcome, are not a requirement. DOE EPSCoR also encourages but does not require implementation grants to work toward building beneficial relationships between institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions and the 10 world-class Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) managed by the Office of Science.

 

Environmental System Science

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) announces its interest in receiving applications for research in Environmental System Science (ESS). Recently formed by the merger of the Subsurface Biogeochemical Research (SBR) and Terrestrial Ecosystem Science (TES) programs, the ESS program goal is to advance an integrated, robust, and scale-aware predictive understanding of terrestrial systems and their interdependent ecological, hydrological, and physical processes. The program seeks to develop an integrated framework using a systems approach to elucidate the complex processes and controls on the structure, function, feedbacks, and dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems that span from the bedrock through the rhizosphere and vegetation to the atmospheric interface. This FOA will consider applications that focus on improving the understanding and representation of ecosystems and watersheds in ways that advance the sophistication and capabilities of local, regional, and larger-scale models. Using new measurements, field experiments, and more sophisticated modeling and/or synthesis studies, research funded through this FOA will address three challenges: (1) ecological and environmental dynamics involving terrestrial-aquatic interfaces (TAI); (2) perturbations and disturbances affecting terrestrial ecosystems and watersheds; and (3) novel methods for capturing “hot spots” and “hot moments” of biogeochemical activity. All applications are required to clearly delineate an integrative, hypothesis-driven approach and describe the existing needs/gaps in state-of-the-art models. Applicants should provide details on how the results of the proposed research will be used to improve the predictability and sophistication of integrated watershed systems and/or terrestrial ecosystem models.

 

ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge (ALCC)

  • Call Open for 2021–2022 Allocation Year
  • Funding announcement
  • Pre-proposals (required) due: January 4, 2021, 5:00 pm ET
  • Pre-proposal response date: January 15, 2021
  • Full proposals due: February 26, 2021, at 5:00 pm ET

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) is now receiving proposals for projects of interest to the Department of Energy (DOE), with an emphasis on high-risk, high-payoff simulations in areas directly related to the DOE mission, in response to National emergencies, and for broadening the community of researchers capable of using leadership computing resources. The ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge (ALCC) allocation program is open to scientists in industry, academia, and at national laboratories.

The ALCC program provides access to computational resources at ASCR’s three supercomputing facilities, which represent some of the world’s fastest and most powerful supercomputers. These facilities include the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) at Argonne National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ALCC grants one-year awards, which are active from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.


Environmental Research Funding Opportunity: DoD SERDP

The U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) has issued two solicitations for environmental research and development proposals for funding beginning in fiscal year 2022.

  • Core solicitation requests proposals related to the SERDP program areas of Environmental Restoration, Munitions Response, Resource Conservation and Resiliency, and Weapons Systems and Platforms. Core pre-proposals are due January 7, 2021, by 2:00 p.m. ET
  • SEED solicitation requests proposals for the Munitions Response and the Weapons Systems and Platforms program areas. SEED proposals are due March 4, 2021, by 2:00 p.m. ET
  • Full details: See the SERDP website

SERDP is DoD’s environmental science and technology program. It is planned and executed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and includes participation by other federal and nonfederal organizations. Scientists from federal organizations, universities, and private industry can apply for funds to perform basic and applied research and advanced technology development. Funds are awarded through a competitive process, and there is no limit on the number of proposals an organization may submit. Applicants should submit their proposals directly to SERDP. The request for proposals references 11 Statements of Need (SONs) for the Core Solicitation and two SONs for the SERDP Exploratory Development (SEED) Solicitation.

 

DOE ESPCoR Program

  • Funding announcement 
  • Pre-applications due: Dec. 15, 2020, at 5 p.m. ET
  • Submission deadline for applications: March 2, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET
  • Eligibility: Although academic, nonprofit, and industrial research communities are welcome to lead or participate, a strong component of graduate student education is required. Entities within the following jurisdictions are eligible to apply: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
  • Contacts: ESS program managers

 

Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program 2020 Solicitation 2

  • Applications due:  Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. ET
  • Detailed information about the program, including eligibility requirements and access to the online application system: science.osti.gov/wdts/scgsr/
  • SCGSR Program Manager: Dr. Ping Ge, sc.scgsr@science.doe.gov

 

Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program 2020 Solicitation 1

  • Applications due: Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 5:00 pm ET
  • Detailed information about the program, including eligibility requirements and access to the online application system: science.osti.gov/wdts/scgsr/
  • SCGSR Program Manager: Dr. Ping Ge, sc.scgsr@science.doe.gov

 

Earth System Model Development and Analysis

  • Download announcement
  • Pre-application due: February 14, 2020, at 5:00 pm ET
  • Pre-application response date: February 21, 2020
  • Submission deadline for applications: March 31, 2020, at 11:59 PM ET