Chemical and Materials Sciences to Advance Clean Energy Technologies and Low-Carbon Manufacturing | DE FOA 0002676

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002676

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through its Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program, offered this discretionary grant opportunity to support new, fundamental research in chemical and materials sciences that can serve as the scientific backbone for clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing. The emphasis is on basic and foundational knowledge rather than near-term product development, with the idea that deeper understanding of chemistry and materials behavior will unlock new pathways to reduce the climate impacts associated with energy production, energy use, and industrial manufacturing.

The opportunity targets projects led either by a single principal investigator or by small, tightly coordinated research teams. The research scope is broad as long as it squarely advances fundamental chemical and materials science relevant to clean energy and emissions reduction. In the context of this funding call, "clean energy technologies" is defined expansively to include scientific advances that could improve how energy is captured, produced, converted, stored, or used while reducing or eliminating harmful emissions such as greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane). It also explicitly includes approaches intended to address emissions already released, such as direct air capture (DAC) and carbon storage or sequestration, which aim to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or prevent it from re-entering it.

A second major focus area is "low-carbon manufacturing," meaning research that supports manufacturing processes designed to use less energy and emit less carbon. This could include foundational studies of new materials, catalysts, reaction pathways, separations, interfaces, microstructures, or process-relevant phenomena that ultimately enable cleaner industrial routes. The underlying theme is that manufacturing and energy systems are tightly linked, and improvements in materials and chemical science can reduce both the energy intensity of industrial processes and their associated emissions.

DOE indicated that awards made under this funding opportunity were expected to contribute foundational knowledge aligned with the Energy Earthshots Initiative, a DOE effort aimed at accelerating major breakthroughs in clean energy. In other words, while the funded work is basic research, it is meant to be strategically connected to the long-term scientific barriers that must be overcome to make large-scale clean energy and low-carbon industrial goals achievable.

From the administrative details provided, this was a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, listed under CFDA 81.049, and administered by the DOE Office of Science. Eligibility was unrestricted, meaning a wide range of applicant types could apply as permitted by DOE rules. The funding opportunity number was DE-FOA-0002676, it was created on February 16, 2022, and the original application closing date was May 17, 2022. The award ceiling was $1,500,000 per award, and DOE anticipated making multiple awards (the exact number was not specified in the provided data).

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Chemical and Materials Sciences to Advance Clean Energy Technologies and Low-Carbon Manufacturing" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-02-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0002676

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