PAMS-SC

Posted

DE-FOA-0003615

Building EPSCoR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships

Key Facts

Deadline

Thu, May 21, 2026

Posted

Wed, February 18, 2026

Award Range

$600,000 – $1,000,000

Expected Awards

81.049

Grants.gov

No gotchas detected. Always read the full FOA/NOFO.

Synopsis

The DOE SC Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for Building EPSCoR-State/DOE-National Laboratory Partnerships. These partnerships advance understanding of the physical world by supporting fundamental, early-stage energy research collaborations with the DOE National Laboratories. (Information on the DOE National Laboratories including links to websites can be found at https://www.energy.gov/about-national-labs.) Participation by undergraduate students, graduate students, or postdoctoral fellows is required. Early career faculty from EPSCoR jurisdictions are encouraged to apply. Utilization of DOE user facilities is encouraged. (Information on the SC User Facilities can be found at https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance; information on the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy user facilities can be found at https://nsuf.inl.gov).

DOE EPSCoR follows NSF EPSCoR Program eligibility determinations. As a result, and in accordance with 2 CFR 910.126, competition, eligibility for award is restricted. Domestic applicants except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995, that are within the following jurisdictions will be eligible to apply under this NOFO: 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.

Source: Simpler.grants.gov

Building EPSCoR - State/National Laboratory Partnerships

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number: DE-FOA-0003615 NOFO Type: Amendment 000001 Assistance Listings: 81.049

Amendment 000001 is issued to update the date and time of the webinar and some programmatic contacts.

NOFO Issue Date: February 18, 2026 Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications: March 18, 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time A Pre-Application is required. Pre-Applications must be submitted by an authorized institutional representative. Pre-Application Response Date: April 8, 2026, at 5:00 Eastern Time Submission Deadline for Applications: May 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

I. BASIC INFORMATION .............................................................................................................1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................1 FUNDING DETAILS .................................................................................................................1 KEY FACTS ................................................................................................................................2 KEY DATES ................................................................................................................................2 AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION ....................................................................................2 INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR / OFFICE HOURS ................................................................3 RECOMMENDATION ..............................................................................................................3 II. ELIGIBILITY .............................................................................................................................4 A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS ......................................................................................................4 B. COST SHARING ....................................................................................................................5 C. ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS ....................................................................................................6 D. LIMITATIONS ON SUBMISSIONS .....................................................................................6 III. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................8 A. PURPOSE ...............................................................................................................................8 B. PROGRAM GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND PRIORITIES ................................................... 12 C. AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO GOALS AND OBJECTIVES .......................................... 15 D. PERFORMANCE GOALS ................................................................................................... 15 E. SUBSTANTIAL INVOLVEMENT ...................................................................................... 15 F. PROGRAM UNALLOWABLE COSTS ............................................................................... 15 G. CITATIONS TO STATUTE AND REGULATIONS .......................................................... 16 H. PROGRAM HISTORY ........................................................................................................ 16 I. OTHER INFORMATION ..................................................................................................... 16 IV. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT ...................................................................... 18 A. PRELIMINARY SUBMISSIONS ......................................................................................... 18 B. APPLICATION ..................................................................................................................... 21 C. COMPONENT PIECES OF THE APPLICATION............................................................. 22 D. INFORMATION THAT MUST BE SUBMITTED AFTER APPLICATION BUT BEFORE AWARD .................................................................................................................... 36 V. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES .......................................................... 38 A. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE .................................................... 38 B. UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI) AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM.GOV) ............................................................................................................................... 38 C. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................... 39 D. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES .................................................................................. 39 VI. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION ......................................................................... 42 A. RESPONSIVENESS REVIEW ............................................................................................. 42 B. REVIEW CRITERIA ............................................................................................................ 42 C. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS ............................................................................. 44 VII. AWARD NOTICES ............................................................................................................... 47 A. TYPE OF AWARD INSTRUMENT .................................................................................... 47 B. ANTICIPATED TIMELINE FOR NOTICE OF SELECTION FOR AWARD NEGOTIATION ........................................................................................................................ 47 VIII. POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION ....................................... 49 A. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS .............................. 49 B. REPORTING ........................................................................................................................ 50 C. REPORTING OF MATTERS RELATED TO RECIPIENT INTEGRITY AND PERFORMANCE (DECEMBER 2015) ................................................................................... 50 D. INTERIM CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ....... 50 IX. OTHER INFORMATION ...................................................................................................... 52 A. CHECKLIST FOR AVOIDING COMMON ERRORS ....................................................... 52 B. HOW-TO GUIDES ............................................................................................................... 54 C. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS .............................. 83 D. REFERENCE MATERIAL ................................................................................................ 108

I. Basic Information

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC)

Executive Summary

DOE’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for Building EPSCoR-State/DOE-National Laboratory Partnerships. These partnerships advance understanding of the physical world by supporting fundamental, early-stage energy research collaborations with the DOE National Laboratories (https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories). Participation by undergraduate students, graduate students, or postdoctoral fellows is required. Early career faculty from EPSCoR jurisdictions are encouraged to apply. Utilization of DOE user facilities is encouraged, if appropriate for the scope of proposed research (https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance; https://nsuf.inl.gov). While the academic, non-profit and industrial research communities are welcome to lead or to participate in applications, applications must include an academic institution and a strong component of student participation in research is required for all applicants.

Applications should propose research relevant to program areas in the Office of Science or the Applied Energy Offices. Supported programs from the Office of Science are: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR), Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Biological and Environmental Research (BER), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), High Energy Physics (HEP), Nuclear Physics (NP), and Isotope R&D and Production (DOE IP). Supported programs from the Applied Energy Offices are: Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), Electricity (OE), Environmental Management (EM), Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI), Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO), and Nuclear Energy (NE).

DOE EPSCoR follows National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Program eligibility determinations. As a result, and in accordance with 2 CFR 910.126, competition and eligibility for award is restricted. Domestic applicants except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995, that are within the following jurisdictions will be eligible to apply under this NOFO: 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.

Funding Details

Expected total available funding: $35,000,000
Expected number of awards: 30-35
Expected dollar amount of individual awards: $1,000,000
Expected award project period: 4 Years

Key Facts

NOFO Title: Building EPSCoR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships
NOFO Number: DE-FOA-0003615
Announcement Type: Initial
Assistance Listing: 81.049
Statutory Authority: The programmatic authorizing statutes are Section 646 of Public Law 95-91, U.S. Department of Energy Organization Act; Section 901, et seq. of Public Law 109-58, Energy Policy Act of 2005
Governing Regulations:
- Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, codified at 2 CFR 200
- U.S. Department of Energy Financial Assistance Rules, codified at 2 CFR 910
- U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Rule, codified at 10 CFR 605

Key Dates

Key dates are printed on the cover of this NOFO.

Agency Contact Information

Grants.gov Customer Support:
- 800-518-4726 (toll-free)
- support@Grants.gov
PAMS Customer Support:
- 855-818-1846 (toll-free)
- 301-903-9610
- sc.pams-helpdesk@science.doe.gov
Technical/Scientific Program Contact: Questions regarding the specific program areas/technical requirements can be directed to the program managers/technical contacts listed for each program within the NOFO.
Administrative Contact (questions about budgets and eligibility):
- Office of Science EPSCoR Coordinator
- EPSCoR.NOFO@science.doe.gov

Informational Webinar / Office Hours

SC plans to hold an informational webinar about this NOFO on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM, Eastern Time. Registration instructions and other details will be posted at https://science.osti.gov/grants/FOAs/Open.

Recommendation

SC encourages you to register in all systems as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to submit letters of intent (LOIs), pre-applications, and applications well before the deadline.

II. Eligibility

A. Eligible Applicants

DOE EPSCoR follows NSF EPSCoR Program eligibility determinations. As a result, and in accordance with 2 CFR 910.126, competition, eligibility for award is restricted. All types of domestic applicants except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 that are within the following jurisdictions will be eligible for this NOFO: 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.

All research supported by an EPSCoR award must be performed in an EPSCoR jurisdiction or at a DOE National Laboratory. Funding support for the prime applicant and any potential subawardees is limited to those with addresses within one or more EPSCoR jurisdictions. As previously noted, DOE National Laboratories are not eligible for funding under this NOFO. Funding of foreign entities is not permitted for this NOFO.

Non-profit organizations and for-profit applicants from EPSCoR jurisdictions may apply but must include academic institutions from EPSCoR jurisdictions as part of their team. For-profit applicants must include a letter from a responsible member of the applicant’s management committing that the location of the research as well as the staff participating for this application will be within one of the eligible jurisdictions. Industrial and for-profit organizations should note that if research is proposed in support of current commercial activity the application may be declined without merit review.

If a team involving more than one organization in addition to the required partnering with one or more national laboratories is envisaged, then one member institution of the team shall serve as the lead and other members of the team at other institutions must request support through subawards. Collaborative proposals are not allowed. The lead institution in the application must perform a greater portion of the scientific and technical work (as measured by the budget) than any other partner institution.

Federally affiliated¹ entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below:

¹ Institutions that are not DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, a non-DOE/NNSA FFRDC, or another Federal agency are not Federally affiliated, even if they receive Federal funds or perform work under a Federal award or contract.

DOE/NNSA National Laboratories DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are neither eligible to submit applications under this NOFO nor to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.
Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are neither eligible to submit applications under this NOFO nor to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.
Other Federal Agencies Other Federal Agencies are neither eligible to submit applications under this NOFO nor to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.

Notes for applicants of all types:

This NOFO seeks to support fundamental research to advance understanding rather than to address commercial opportunities. Applications that propose research related to current commercial activity or current customer needs may be declined without merit review.
Applications that are submitted by applicants that have not submitted a required LOI, or pre-application will be declined without further review.

B. Cost Sharing

Cost sharing for basic and fundamental research is not required pursuant to an exclusion from the requirements of Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Cost sharing will not be considered as a factor during merit review or award selection.

Note that demonstrations of institutional or third-party commitment to the proposed activity are required. The institutional commitment is not to be documented on the application’s budget: institutional commitments are neither a formal nor a voluntary committed cost sharing, but it must be identified as described in Section IV.

Examples of non-Federal contributions that may be considered as demonstrating institutional or third-party commitment include, but are not limited to the following:

The provision of space, facilities, equipment, or resources at no or reduced charge;
The provision of release time for faculty;
The provision of scholarship support for students; or
The waiver of facilities and administrative costs, in whole or in part.
Third party contributions (e.g., state, private entities, etc.)

Institutional commitments may not include the following:

Revenues or royalties from the prospective operation of an activity beyond the time considered in the award;
Proceeds from the prospective sale of an asset of an activity; or
Other Federal awards.

C. Eligible Individuals

Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as a Principal Investigator (PI) are invited to work with their organizations to develop an application.

SC does not require that individuals be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to be proposed as a PI or in any other role under an award, but all personnel working or proposed to work under an award must have the legal right to perform such work in the jurisdiction where the work will be performed. Individuals at any stage of their career may be proposed as a PI if they have the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research.

D. Limitations on Submissions

Applicant institutions are limited to being lead institutions on no more than two pre-applications, or applications in each of the program areas listed below. Participation as a subawardee on pre-applications or applications submitted by other institutions is not limited. DOE will consider the latest received submissions to be the institution’s intended submissions.

Pre-applications in excess of the limited number of submissions may be discouraged.
Applications in excess of the limited number of submissions may be declined without review.

Should DOE receive submissions in excess of the applicable limits, DOE reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to request additional or clarifying information to ascertain the institution’s intended submissions. Otherwise, DOE will consider the latest received submissions to be the institution’s intended submissions.

Each institution is limited to two submissions as the lead institution per program area listed below (a. through m.). Pre-applications and applications must list the program area from this list and should also list the relevant research area/ research area program manager within the respective program area. See Section III.B.

a. Advanced Scientific Computing Research
b. Basic Energy Sciences
c. Biological and Environmental Research
d. Fusion Energy Sciences
e. High Energy Physics
f. Isotope R&D and Production
g. Nuclear Physics
h. Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation
i. Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
j. Office of Electricity
k. Office of Environmental Management
l. Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office
m. Office of Nuclear Energy

LIMITATIONS ON PI

An individual may only be PI on a single pre-application, or application from a lead institution. A PI may also be listed as a senior or key personnel, including in any role on a proposed subaward, on an unlimited number of separate submissions.

PIs must be in a permanent or long-term position at the applicant institution, whether tenured, tenure-track, or a staff appointment. Individuals in term-limited appointments whether as adjunct, visiting faculty, fellows, or similar appointments, are not eligible to be proposed as a PI. Individuals in part-time permanent positions are eligible to be proposed as a PI.

Individuals in a joint appointment are eligible to be proposed as a PI if work will be performed at the applicant institution and if the PI is a paid employee of the applicant institution. Individuals paid by another institution may not be named as the PI but may be named in other senior/key roles. A paid employee is one that is on the applicant institution’s payroll, receiving wages and benefits in accordance with the applicant institution’s normal wage and benefit practices, and whose position is not governed by any arrangement, agreement, or contract between the applicant institution and another institution.

Individuals receiving more than half of their salary and benefits from a DOE/NNSA National Laboratory may not be named as the PI in an application under this NOFO, regardless of any arrangement between the employing Laboratory and the applicant institution.

Awards made under this NOFO are intended to support activities at eligible applicant institutions. If the PI of an award made under this NOFO were to accept a position at an institution that is not eligible to receive an award under this NOFO, SC does not intend to deobligate funds from the resulting award to support a new award to the PI’s new institution. SC would be interested in the recipient institution proposing a new PI.

PIs are not required to be in tenure-track appointments.

III. Program Description

A. Purpose

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

DOE EPSCoR is designed to help DOE lead the world in transformative science and in meeting the Nation’s energy needs by increasing the domestic geographic distribution of competitive research capability in DOE’s mission areas. Positioned within DOE’s Office of Science and supporting early-stage research across a wide range of DOE programs within the Office of Science and the Applied Energy Offices, DOE EPSCoR addresses its mission by issuing solicitations for DOE-relevant research in eligible states and territories. All eligibility and application requirements are covered in the relevant sections of this NOFO. Applicants should pay attention to the following key requirements/elements when preparing applications:

Applicant organizations (entities) may submit no more than two (2) pre-applications and applications as the lead organization within each of the program areas listed in Section II.D. Further details may be found in Section IV. A PI may lead only one pre-application or application to the NOFO.
Applicants must propose scientific collaborations that partner academic institutions of higher education in EPSCoR jurisdictions and research staff at DOE National Laboratories. These partnerships should leverage capabilities of DOE National Laboratories, particularly their user facilities.
National laboratory partners must provide a letter of commitment confirming their willingness to collaborate on the project for the application (endorsed by both the national laboratory collaborator and a senior member of laboratory management who is authorized to commit the laboratory to the collaboration). Please refer to Section IV. EPSCoR funds may not be used to support national laboratory participation in the research.
Letters of Institutional and/or EPSCoR jurisdiction commitment must be provided. Please refer to Section IV.
Non-profit organizations and for-profit applicants from EPSCoR jurisdictions may apply as lead organizations but must include academic institutions from EPSCoR jurisdictions as part of their team. Non-profit organizations and for-profit organizations within EPSCoR jurisdictions may be included as team members under an application from another organization.
Applicants must include support for undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral fellows as active members of the research team. Early career faculty members are encouraged to apply.
The collaborative research must address early-stage scientific research in the physical, biological, computational, or engineering sciences. The research must be of public benefit and relevant to DOE’s Congressionally authorized mission. The most relevant DOE program office must be identified along with the topical research area and relevant program manager on the cover of the pre-application and on the application. If the relevant DOE program office, etc. is unknown, please contact the DOE EPSCoR office for assistance well in advance of the pre-application deadline. The websites for DOE research programs are provided in the links below; applicants are encouraged to read information available from the relevant websites to ensure that proposed research is aligned with the missions and priorities of one or more programs.
Investigators are encouraged to prioritize requests for funding of research equipment and instrumentation requests early in the award to maximize its availability for research in the following years.

Program Objective

The U.S. Department of Energy's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DOE EPSCoR) is a federal-state partnership program designed to enhance the capabilities of designated states and territories to conduct nationally competitive energy-related research. DOE EPSCoR addresses this mission by fostering competitions for scientific and engineering research in states and territories that have demonstrated a commitment to develop their research bases and to improve the quality of science and engineering research conducted at their universities and colleges. DOE EPSCoR has a strong science orientation but welcomes applications for research spanning the range of program offices and topical areas covered by the Department. While a strong academic component including the education of graduate students or training of post-doctoral fellows is required, industrial participation or leadership on grant applications is also welcome.

Annual Meetings

The selected awardees should plan to attend annual or biennial PI meetings in the relevant DOE program area(s) and participate in coordination activities with other projects. Applicants should anticipate a need for travel to effectively communicate with other researchers and request appropriate funding in their budgets.

Teaming Arrangements

Multi-Institutional Teams

Applications for multi-institutional teams must ensure that the lead institution performs a greater portion of the scientific and technical work than any other team member. Requests to change the institution performing the greatest portion of the scientific and technical work after an application is submitted will result in the application being declined unless the request is the result of the lead PI’s death, incapacitation, or relocation.

SC uses two different mechanisms to support teams of multiple institutions.

COLLABORATIVE APPLICATIONS

Collaborative applications (in which each team member submits its own application with a common Project Narrative) will NOT be accepted under this NOFO.

SUBAWARDS²

Multi-institutional teams must submit one application from a designated lead institution with all other team members proposed as subrecipients. Participation as a subawardee on other institutions submissions does not count towards limitations on submissions of pre-applications or applications by the subawardee’s institution.

DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) National Laboratories³, other Federal agencies, and another Federal agency’s FFRDCs⁴, may not be proposed as subrecipients.

² Subawards are made to subrecipients. Both terms are defined in 2 CFR 200.1 (https://www.ecfr.gov) ³ The phrase “National Laboratories” is used broadly to encompass DOE/NNSA laboratories and sites capable of performing the work described in this NOFO and capable of receiving funds through the DOE Field Work System. ⁴ An authoritative list of all Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) may be found at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/

Open Science

SC is dedicated to promoting the values of openness in Federally supported scientific research, including, but not limited to, ensuring that research may be reproduced and that the results of Federally supported research are made available to other researchers. These objectives may be met through any number of mechanisms including, but not limited to, data access plans, data sharing agreements, the use of archives and repositories, and the use of various licensing schemes.

The use of the phrase “open-source” does not refer to any particular licensing arrangement but is to be understood as encompassing any arrangement that furthers the objective of openness.

Opportunities for Early-Stage Investigators

A vibrant research community must be able to train and employ the next generation of researchers. Lead applicants that are not degree-granting institutions of higher education must include in their application a description of how they will promote opportunities for early-stage investigators. This description must include:

A statement detailing the institutional provision of training, coaching, mentoring, and advising early-stage researchers;
A statement detailing the career pathways available to early-stage researchers, including if protections akin to academic tenure are extended; and
A statement detailing the institution’s commitment to research of a basic and fundamental nature, not related to current commercial activity.

Multi-Project Applications

SC permits applications that span multiple research areas described in this NOFO, including applications that span multiple programs or that involve multiple sub-projects or tasks. If proposing such an application:

Ensure that the application describes an integrated and synergistic research effort. Do not propose an unconnected agglomeration of discrete research efforts.
Provide a description of the management of the overall research effort.
Organize the narrative portion of the application by the topics, thrusts, programs, projects, or tasks.
Provide both a summary budget and a budget for each topic, thrust, program, project, or task, using the Research & Related Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form to provide the multiple budgets by identifying the budget type as being for a “project.” If required by your system-to-system software, the budgets may be identified as “subawards” from the same institution as the summary budget.

All entities submitting applications to this NOFO must recognize the moral and legal obligations to comply with export controls and policies that limit the transfer of technologies with potential dual use. Applicants are reminded that international activities must comply with nonproliferation, sanction, and other protocols described at https://www.trade.gov/export-solutions.

International activities related to special nuclear materials (SNM) are subject to additional requirements. Please see 10 CFR 810 for further information.

All work proposed under this NOFO must be for basic and fundamental research whose results may be published in scholarly literature. Do not submit applications containing restricted data or unclassified controlled nuclear information as defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42 USC 2011, et seq., 10 CFR 1017, 10 CFR 1045.

B. Program Goals, Objectives, and Priorities

The Office of Science’s (SC) mission is to deliver scientific discoveries and major scientific tools to transform our understanding of nature and advance the energy, economic, and national security of the United States (U.S.). SC is the Nation’s largest Federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences and the lead Federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research for our Nation’s energy future.

SC accomplishes its mission and advances national goals by supporting:

The frontiers of science—exploring nature’s mysteries from the study of fundamental subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules that are the building blocks of the materials of our universe and everything in it to the DNA, proteins, and cells that are the building blocks of life. Each of the programs in SC supports research probing the most fundamental disciplinary questions.
The 21st Century tools of science—providing the nation’s researchers with 28 state-of-the-art national scientific user facilities, the most advanced tools of modern science, propelling the U.S. to the forefront of science, technology development, and deployment through innovation.
Science for energy and the environment—paving the knowledge foundation to spur discoveries and innovations for advancing the Department’s mission in energy and environment. SC supports a wide range of funding modalities from single principal investigators to large team-based activities to engage in fundamental research on energy production, conversion, storage, transmission, and use, and on our understanding of the earth systems.

SC is an established leader of the U.S. scientific discovery and innovation enterprise. Over the decades, SC investments and accomplishments in basic research and enabling research capabilities have provided the foundations for new technologies, businesses, and industries, making significant contributions to our nation’s economy, national security, and quality of life.

Individual Program Information

The EPSCoR program facilitates applications to specific DOE program areas with the Office of Science and several Applied Energy Offices. Additional details about these programs can be found in the website links below, within which current research priorities and contacts for specific topical area program managers can be found. Points of contact with respect to the EPSCoR program are also listed. The EPSCoR program manager can assist with information about the overall DOE EPSCoR program, this funding opportunity, facilitating conversations with different areas, or any other general questions.

DOE EPSCoR Program
- Website: https://science.osti.gov/bes/epscor
- Contact: EPSCoR Coordinator, EPSCoR.NOFO@science.doe.gov

Programs within the Office of Science

Advanced Scientific Computing (ASCR)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/science/ascr/advanced-scientific-computing-research and https://science.osti.gov/ascr/About
- EPSCoR Contact: Carol Hawk, carol.hawk@science.doe.gov
Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/science/bes/basic-energy-sciences and https://science.osti.gov/bes/
- EPSCoR Contact: John Vetrano, epscor.nofo@science.doe.gov
Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/science/ber/biological-and-environmental-research and https://science.osti.gov/ber
- EPSCoR Contact: Dawn Adin, dawn.adin@science.doe.gov
Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/science/fes/fusion-energy-sciences and https://science.osti.gov/fes
- EPSCoR Contact: Nirmol Podder, nirmol.podder@science.doe.gov
High Energy Physics (HEP)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/science/hep/high-energy-physics and https://science.osti.gov/hep/
- Accelerator Stewardship programs (formerly ARDAP) are now part of HEP. Website: https://science.osti.gov/ardap
- EPSCoR Contact: Jeremy Love, Jeremy.love@science.doe.gov
Nuclear Physics (NP)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/science/np/nuclear-physics and https://science.osti.gov/np
- EPSCoR Contact: Michelle Shinn, michelle.shinn@science.doe.gov
Isotope R&D and Production (DOE IP)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/science/ip/isotope-rd-and-production-doe-ip and https://science.osti.gov/Isotope-Research-Development-and-Production
- EPSCoR Contact: Ethan Balkin ethan.balkin@science.doe.gov

Current topical descriptions for areas within the Office of Science can be found DE-FOA-0003600, the FY 2026 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program, at https://science.osti.gov/grants/FOAs/Open.

Applied Energy Program Areas

Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI):
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/cmei/office-critical-minerals-and-energy-innovation
- EPSCoR Contact: John Vetrano, epscor.nofo@science.doe.gov
Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/ceser/office-cybersecurity-energy-security-and-emergency-response
- EPSCoR Contacts: Nabeel Ahmed, nabeel.ahmed@hq.doe.gov
Office of Electricity (OE)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity
- EPSCoR Contact: Caitlin Callaghan, caitlin.callaghan@hq.doe.gov
Office of Environmental Management (EM)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/em/office-environmental-management
- EPSCoR Contact: Albert Kruger, albert.kruger@hanford.gov
Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO)
- a. Hydrocarbons
  - Website: https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/hydrocarbons-and-geothermal-energy-office
  - EPSCoR Contact: Caleb Woodall, caleb.woodall@hq.doe.gov
- b. Geothermal
  - Website: https://www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/geothermal-technologies-office
  - Contact: doe.geothermal@ee.doe.gov
Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- Website: https://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy
- EPSCoR Contact: Andrew Boulanger, andrew.boulanger@nuclear.energy.gov

C. Award Contribution to Goals and Objectives

Awards resulting from this NOFO are intended to increase our understanding of scientific phenomena and advance early-stage energy research goals pertinent to the particular Office and Program Area.

D. Performance Goals

You will be expected to demonstrate progress toward increasing knowledge in periodic progress reports. This could include reports required by both the program area and EPSCoR program coordinator.

E. Substantial Involvement

Not applicable.

F. Program Unallowable Costs

You must apply the cost principles of 2 CFR 200, as modified by 2 CFR 910 and 10 CFR 605, to your application and any resulting award.

G. Citations to Statute and Regulations

The programmatic authorizing statutes and governing regulations are:

Section 646 of Public Law 95-91, U.S. Department of Energy Organization Act
Section 901, et seq. of Public Law 109-58, Energy Policy Act of 2005
Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, codified at 2 CFR 200
U.S. Department of Energy Financial Assistance Rules, codified at 2 CFR 910
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Rule, codified at 10 CFR 605

H. Program History

You can learn about SC’s history at https://science.osti.gov/About/History. You can read about our achievements at https://science.osti.gov/Science-Features/Science-Highlights. You can find information about all of our awards at https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/WebPAMSExternal/interface/awards/AwardSearchExternal.aspx.

I. Other Information

ANTICIPATED AWARD SIZE

The award size will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds.

MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM AWARD SIZE

Ceiling: $250,000 per year
Floor: $150,000 per year

Applicants may adjust the annual requested budget if the total project support requested is at or under $1,000,000 for a four-year project period. Requests for smaller awards below the floor will be considered when appropriate to the research effort. Applicants may, with compelling justification and approval, exceed the annual ceiling if the total budget does not exceed $1,000,000 for a four-year project period. Investigators are encouraged to prioritize requests for funding of research equipment and instrumentation requests early in the award to maximize its availability for the following years’ research efforts.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

DOE anticipates making awards with a project period of approximately 4 years.

Continuation funding (funding for the second and subsequent budget periods) is contingent on: (1) availability of funds appropriated by Congress and future year budget authority; (2) progress towards meeting the objectives of the approved application; (3) submission of required reports; and (4) compliance with the terms and conditions of the award.

AWARD BUDGET PERIODS

SC is committed to distributing workloads (internally and externally) across as much of the calendar as is practical. Accordingly, awards made under this NOFO will generally be made with budget periods that end between December 1 and June 30. New awards may be made with a first budget period of more than 12 months.

New applicants should prepare budgets with a first period that starts on 8/1/2026 and ends on 1/31/2028, followed by three additional 10-month periods (48-month total project period). Actual start dates and cycle dates may be negotiated if an application is recommended for award. Budget periods will generally not be made for less than 9 months or more than 18 months.

IV. Application Contents and Format

A. Preliminary Submissions

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)

Not applicable.

2. Pre-application

PRE-APPLICATION DUE DATE

The pre-application due date is printed on the cover of the NOFO.

ENCOURAGE/DISCOURAGE DATE

The pre-application response date is printed on the cover of the NOFO.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted by the date indicated on the cover of the NOFO.

Pre-applications will be reviewed for responsiveness of the proposed work to the research topics identified in this NOFO. DOE will send a response by email to each applicant encouraging or discouraging the submission of an application by the date indicated on the cover of the NOFO. Applicants who have not received a response regarding the status of their pre-application by this date are responsible for contacting the program to confirm this status.

Applications that have not been encouraged by DOE may be declined without merit review.

The pre-application is to help in planning the review and the selection of potential reviewers for the application. The pre-application must begin with a title page that will not count toward the pre-application page limitation. Include, at the top of the first page, the following information:

The planned title of the research application
The name and mailing address of the sponsoring institution
The name, e-mail address, and telephone number of the PI and any co-PIs
Funding Opportunity Announcement Number: DE-NOFO-0003615
DOE Office Sponsoring this NOFO: DOE EPSCoR
Program: [Select from the Office of Science or Applied Energy Programs listed in Section III.B.]
DOE EPSCoR Point of Contact: [see below]
- For BES or Applied Energy Office proposals: John Vetrano
- For other Programs in the Office of Science (ASCR, BER, DOE IP, FES, HEP, or NP) choose the appropriate contact listed in section III.B.
Topical Research Area: [Select the research area from within the program websites listed in Section III.B. For example in BES, this would be an area in MSE or CSGB.]
Technical Contact: [Select the Program Manager best associated with the Research Area]
- If there are multiple Research Areas, place the list below the first Technical Contact
- For assistance, reach out to the DOE or Program Contact from Section III.B.
National Laboratory(s) participating in the proposed research
List of National Laboratory personnel participating in the proposed research

The material listed here defines the required content of a title page. Additional material is not allowed.

The first page of the pre-application must specify at least one scientific hypothesis whose investigation motivates the proposed work, using no more than 100 words.

This information must be followed by a clear and concise description of the objectives and technical approach of the proposed research. The pre-application may not exceed three pages, when printed using standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The font size of the body text must not be smaller than 11 points. Figures and references, if included, must fit within the three-page limit.

In addition, the pre-application must include a listing of senior/key personnel and a listing of individuals who should not serve as merit reviewers of a subsequent application. Detailed instructions for how to craft the required listings are provided in Section IX of this NOFO. Note that the listing of individuals who should not serve as merit reviewers is rarely empty because the instructions contain mandatory inclusions requirements. This listing will not count toward the pre-application’s page limit. The list of individuals must be included as an “Additional Attachment” to your pre-application in PAMS.

The pre-application may include a list of suggested reviewers (including email address and organizational affiliation) who they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal. DOE is under no obligation to consider any suggested reviewers.

The pre-application must be machine-readable. Do not submit a scanned image of a printed document.

If a multi-institutional team is being proposed, provide the following information on a separate page. This information will not count toward the page limitation.

List all institutions by name with each institution’s PI on the same line.
Indicate the lead PI who will be the point of contact and coordinator for the combined research activity.
Include a table modeled on the following chart providing summary budget information from all institutions. Provide the total costs of the budget request in each year for each institution and totals for all rows and columns.

Names	Institution	Year 1 Budget	Year 2 Budget	Year 3 Budget	Year 4 Budget	Total Budget
Lead PI
Co-PI
Co-PI
Co-PI

Example budget table ($ in thousands)

PRE-APPLICATION REVIEW

EPSCoR program managers and the selected program area may evaluate all or some portion of pre-applications to determine their competitiveness within a scientific topic.

Any review will be based on the following criteria:

Responsiveness to the objectives of the NOFO as stated in Section I.
Scientific and technical merit.
Appropriateness of the proposed research approaches.
Likelihood of scientific impact.

The decision to encourage or discourage the submission of an application may also be influenced by the following factors:

Relevance of the proposed activity to EPSCoR and program area priorities
Ensuring an appropriate balance of activities within the selected program area

Any such review that considers factors beyond #1 above will be concurred on by no fewer than three federal staff chosen for their topical knowledge and breadth of perspective. The review may also include subject matter experts, under the direction of federal program managers.

Reviews within a topical field will be a comparative review with priority given to scientifically innovative and forward-looking research with the highest likelihood of success as an application. The results of the review will be documented.

Applicants with the highest rated pre-applications will be encouraged to submit applications; others will be discouraged from submitting applications.

Written feedback about discouraged pre-applications will be provided on request after the deadline for the receipt of applications.

Topics with comparatively few pre-applications may not make use of such pre-application reviews. The ratio of encourage/discourage results will differ between topical subjects.

SC is committed to ensuring that a sufficient number of applicants will be encouraged to submit applications to foster a competitive merit review of the applications. SC’s intent in discouraging submission of certain applications is to save the time and effort of applicants in preparing and submitting applications with a low likelihood of success.

The PI will be automatically notified when the pre-application is encouraged or discouraged. The DOE SC Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) will send an email to the PI from PAMS.Autoreply@science.doe.gov, and the status of the pre-application will be updated at the PAMS website https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/. Notifications are sent as soon as the decisions to encourage or discourage are finalized.

PRE-APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Pre-applications are created in the software system of your choice and must be submitted electronically through the DOE SC Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) website https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/. You cannot draft or edit a pre-application in PAMS. Do not submit a pre-application through FedConnect or Grants.gov.

Pre-applications may only be submitted by a user at the PI’s institution with the “Submit to DOE” privilege in PAMS. A PI may draft a pre-application but will only be able to submit the pre-application for institutional countersignature.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to inform their DOE Program Manager if teaming arrangements, proposed personnel, topics, or the anticipated title change between submitting the pre-application and when an application is submitted, to ensure that their application is properly linked to their pre-application and that reviewers are properly assigned to the application.

Detailed instructions about how to submit a pre-application are in Section IX of this NOFO.

B. Application

Applications in response to this NOFO must be submitted through Grants.gov. Detailed instructions for registering in and using Grants.gov are in Section IX of this NOFO.

C. Component Pieces of the Application

LETTERS OF COLLABORATION OR ACCESS

Letters must be included in Appendix 7 for collaborators or describing institutional or jurisdictional commitment to a research narrative. These are not considered part of the research narrative’s page limit. Please ensure the letters only describe the nature of the collaboration or the commitment or the access to data, models, software, equipment and/or facilities only describe the nature of the collaboration or the access to data, models, software, equipment and/or facilities. Letters of recommendation are not allowed in applications under this NOFO.

All letters may be addressed “To Whom It May Concern:”

SCIENTIFIC USER FACILITIES

Documentation from any SC scientific user facility (https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities) may be provided with other letters of collaboration or access in Appendix 7.

If the proposed research includes activities at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, a U.S. DOE Office of Science user facility, then a Record of Discussion from the facility must be included in the submission. The Record of Discussion documents potential resources required by the facility to support the proposed research scope. Information on the Record of Discussion process at DIII-D is available at https://d3dfusion.org/become-a-user/ under the “Records of Discussion” header. A Record of Discussion form is available for download from that site.

1. SF-424 (R&R)

Complete this form first to populate data in other forms. Complete all the required fields in accordance with the pop-up instructions on the form. The list of certifications and assurances referenced in Field 17 is available on the DOE Financial Assistance Forms Page at https://energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/financial-assistance/financial-assistance-forms under Certifications and Assurances⁵. Applicants are bound by their representations and certifications in SAM.gov.

⁵ No separate form or submission is required for the Certifications and Assurances.

TYPE OF SUBMISSION (FIELD 1)

Select the checkbox for “Application” for an initial submission. Select the checkbox for “Changed/Corrected Application” if submitting an updated version of an application. Do not submit pre-applications via Grants.gov: Do not select the checkbox for “Pre-application.”

IDENTIFYING NUMBERS (FIELD 4)

For renewals and supplemental funding, enter the DOE award number in Field 4a. Do not enter any other number in Field 4a. Do not enter anything in Field 4b. If submitting an updated version of an application, you may enter the previous Grants.gov Tracking ID in Field 4c, though this is not required.

UEI AND EIN NUMBERS (FIELDS 5 AND 6)

The Uniform Entity Identifier (UEI) and Employer Identification Number (EIN) fields on the SF-424 (R&R) form are used in PAMS to confirm the identity of the individual or organization submitting an application.

Enter the UEI as a 12-digit alpha-numerical sequence.
Enter the EIN as a nine-digit number.
Do not use hyphens or dashes.
SC does not use the 12-digit EIN format required by some other agencies.
Applications will not be rejected if an applicant’s system-to-system service uses a 12-digit EIN format or inserts hyphens or dashes in an EIN.

TYPE OF APPLICATION (FIELD 8)

A new application is one in which DOE support for the proposed research is being requested for the first time. A renewal application requests additional funding for a period of time following a current award.

SC does not make use of the Resubmission or Continuation options.

Please answer “yes” to the question “Is this application being submitted to other agencies?” if substantially similar, identical, or closely related research objectives are being submitted to another Federal agency. Indicate the agency or agencies to which the similar objectives have been submitted.

Do not attach pre-applications to Field 20 of the SF-424(R&R) form or letters of intent to Field 21 of the SF-424(R&R) form.

DOE will only accept new applications under this NOFO. Applications for the renewal of or of a supplement to an existing award will not be accepted.

2. Research and Related Other Project Information

Complete questions in Fields 1 through 6 of the SF-424 Research and Related Other Project Information form.

Note regarding question 4.a. and 4.b.:

If any environmental impact, positive or negative, is anticipated, indicate “yes” in response to question 4.a., “potential impact – positive or negative - on the environment.” Disclosure of the impact should be provided in response to question 4.b. First indicate whether the impact is positive or negative and then identify the area of concern (e.g., air, water, exposure to radiation, impacts to endangered species or historic properties, etc.).

For actions that could have adverse impacts to the environment or have any possibility for adverse impacts to human health (e.g., use of human subjects, Biosafety Level 3-4 laboratory construction/operation, manufacture or use of certain nanoscale materials which are known to impact human health, or any activities involving transuranic or high level radioactive waste, or use of or exposure to any radioactive materials beyond de minimis levels), applicants should indicate a “negative” impact on the environment.

Lastly, based on requirements and guidance in 10 CFR 1021.102 and DOE’s NEPA Implementing Procedures, to find that a proposal is covered by a categorical exclusion (CX), DOE will determine: (1) the proposal fits within one or more classes of actions for which CXs are permissible, (2) there are no extraordinary circumstances related to the proposal that may affect the significance of the environmental effects of the proposal (DOE or an applicant may modify the proposal to avoid reasonably foreseeable adverse significant effects such that the CX would apply), and (3) the proposal has not been segmented to meet the definition of a CX.

The bulk of your application will consist of files attached to the Research and Related Other Project Information form. The files must comply with the following instructions:

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT (FIELD 7 ON THE FORM)

The project summary/abstract is a summary of the proposed activity suitable for distribution to the public and sufficient to permit potential reviewers to identify conflicts of interest. It must be a self-contained document. The project summary/abstract must be comprised of:

The project title, the PI name and the PI’s institutional affiliation, and any coinvestigators and their institutional affiliations. This should include laboratory partners. This information will not count toward the abstract’s one-page limit.
This information must be followed by a statement of the project’s objectives, a description of the project, including methods to be employed, and the potential impact of the project (i.e., benefits, outcomes).
The description of the proposed research may not exceed one page (excluding Project Title and list of investigators) when printed using standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The font size of the body text must not be smaller than 11 points. Figures and references, if included, must fit within the one-page limit.

A sample is provided below:

Project Title

A. Smith, Lead Institution (Principal Investigator) A. Brown, Institution 2 (Co-Investigator) A. Jones, Institution 3 (Co-Investigator)

Text of abstract (no more than one page, excluding Project Title and list of investigators)

If an application is recommended for award, the project summary will be used in preparing a public abstract about the award. Award abstracts and titles form a Government document that describes the project and justifies the expenditure of Federal funds in light of the DOE and SC mission statements at https://energy.gov/mission and https://science.osti.gov/about/.

Do not include any proprietary or sensitive business information.
DOE may use the abstract to prepare public reports about supported research.

DOE TITLE PAGE

(PART OF PROJECT NARRATIVE ATTACHED TO FIELD 8 ON THE FORM)

The application narrative must begin with a title page that will not count toward the Project Narrative page limitation. The title page must include the following items:

The project title:
Applicant/Institution:
Street Address/City/State/ZIP:
Postal Address:
Lead PI name, telephone number, email:
Administrative Point of Contact name, telephone number, email:
NOFO Number: Include the NOFO number printed on the cover of this NOFO.
DOE/SC Program Office:
DOE/SC Program Office Technical Contact:
- This should be the Program Officer who signed off on the Pre-Application
PAMS Pre-application tracking number:
Research area or areas as described in Section III of this NOFO (if applicable):

If multiple Institutions are involved, a list and Table of Senior/Key Personnel (below) is also Required on the Title Page

Senior/Key Personnel Name, Institution	Year 1 Budget	Year 2 Budget	Year 3 Budget	Year 4 Budget	Total Budget

The material listed here defines the minimum acceptable information on a title page. Additional information may be provided at the applicant’s discretion.

Important Instructions to the Sponsored Research Office of Submitting Institutions: SC requires that you create one single machine-readable PDF file that contains the DOE Title Page, Project Narrative, all required appendices, and other attachments. This single PDF file may not be scanned from a printed document and must be attached in Field 8 on the Grants.gov form. This must be a plain PDF file consisting of text, numbers, and images without editable fields, signatures, passwords, redactions, or other advanced features available in some PDF-compatible software. Do not use PDF portfolios or binders. The Project Narrative will be read by SC staff using the full version of Adobe Acrobat: Please ensure that the narrative is readable in Acrobat. If combining multiple files into one Project Narrative, ensure that a PDF portfolio or binder is not created. If creating PDF files using any software other than Adobe Acrobat, please use a “Print to PDF” or equivalent process to ensure that all content is visible in the Project Narrative. Once a Project Narrative has been assembled, please submit the combined Project Narrative file through a “Print to PDF” or equivalent process to ensure that all content is visible in one PDF file that can be viewed in Adobe Acrobat. Do not attach any of the appendices listed in this paragraph separately in any other field in Grants.gov. If you do, these additional attachments will not become part of the application in PAMS.

PROJECT NARRATIVE (FIELD 8 ON THE FORM)

The Project Narrative must not exceed a page limit of 15 pages of technical information, including charts, graphs, maps, photographs, and other pictorial presentations, when printed using standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The font size for all main body text must not be smaller than 11 points. Merit reviewers will only consider the number of pages specified in the first sentence of this paragraph. This page limit does not apply to the Title Page, Budget Page(s), Budget Justification, biographical material, publications and references, appendices, and an optional table of content, each of which may have its own page limit defined later in this NOFO.

Do not include any websites (URLs) that provide supplementary or additional information that constitutes a part of the application. Merit reviewers are not required to access websites; however, Internet publications in a list of references will be treated identically to print publications. See Section IX of this NOFO for instructions on how to mark proprietary application information. To attach a Project Narrative, click “Add Attachment.”

The Project Narrative comprises the research plan for the project. It should contain enough background material in the Introduction, including a brief review of the relevant literature and any prior research in this area, to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the state of the science. A major part of the narrative should be devoted to a description and justification of the proposed project, including details of the methods to be used. It should also include a timeline for the major activities of the proposed project and should indicate which project personnel will be responsible for which activities. There should be no ambiguity about which personnel will perform which parts of the project, and the time at which these activities will take place.

The following organization of the Project Narrative is suggested:

Background/Introduction: Explanation of the importance and relevance of the proposed work as well as a review of the relevant literature.
Project Objectives: This section should provide a clear, concise statement of the specific objectives/aims of the proposed project.
Proposed Research and Methods: Identify the hypotheses to be tested (if any) and details of the methods to be used including the integration of experiments with theoretical and computational research efforts.

Buy America Requirement for Infrastructure Projects

Awards funded through this NOFO that are for, or contain, construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of public infrastructure in the United States undertaken by applicable recipient types, require that:

All iron, steel, and manufactured products used in the infrastructure project are produced in the United States; and
All construction materials used in the infrastructure project are manufactured in the United States.

Applicants should consult 2 CFR 184 and Section IX of this NOFO to determine whether the Buy America Requirement applies and if they should consider the application of the Buy America Requirement in the proposed project’s budget and/or schedule.

Within the first two (2) pages of the Project Narrative, include a short statement on whether the project will involve the construction, alteration, maintenance and/or repair of public infrastructure in the United States. See Section IX of this NOFO for applicable definitions and other information regarding Infrastructure Projects and the Buy America Requirement.

The Project Narrative is considered the intellectual work of the proposed researchers. Concurrent submission of the same or substantially similar narratives attributed to different researchers may constitute academic dishonesty or research misconduct. Submission of a Project Narrative that is not the work of the proposed researchers, including machine-generated Project Narratives, may constitute academic dishonesty or research misconduct.

SC will apply a “fair-use” concept regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence to support investigators’ efforts in presenting their intellectual work in an application. Guided by the principles expressed by others (https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/frequently-asked-questions and https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/become-an-ieee-journal-author/publishing-ethics/guidelines-and-policies/submission-and-peer-review-policies/#ai-generated-text), applicants must disclose the use of any artificial intelligence tools in applications, unless the tools were used solely for editing an original draft.

Do not attach any of the requested appendices described below as files for Fields 9, 10, 11, and 12 on the SF-424 Research and Related Other Project Information form in Grants.gov. Follow the instructions below to include the information as appendices in the single Project Narrative file.

Biographical sketches and current and pending support may no longer be provided as attachments to a Project Narrative. These documents must be attached to the Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form in an application.

APPENDIX 1: BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES CITED

Provide a bibliography of any references cited in the Project Narrative. Each reference must include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. For research areas where there are routinely more than 10 coauthors of archival publications, you may use an abbreviated style such as the Physical Review Letters (PRL) convention for citations (listing only the first author). For example, your paper may be listed as, “A Really Important New Result,” A. Aardvark et. al. (MONGO Collaboration), PRL 999. Include only bibliographic citations. Applicants should be especially careful to follow scholarly practices in providing citations for source materials relied upon when preparing any section of the application. Provide the Bibliography and References Cited information as an appendix to your Project Narrative.

This appendix will not count in the Project Narrative page limitation.
Do not attach a bibliography to Field 9 of the Research and Related Other Project Information form.

APPENDIX 2: FACILITIES & OTHER RESOURCES

This information is used to assess the capability of the organizational resources, including subrecipient resources, available to perform the effort proposed. Identify the facilities to be used (Laboratory, Animal, Computer, Office, Clinical and Other). If appropriate, indicate their capacities, pertinent capabilities, relative proximity, and extent of availability to the project. Describe only those resources that are directly applicable to the proposed work. Describe other resources available to the project (e.g., machine shop, electronic shop) and the extent to which they would be available to the project. For proposed investigations requiring access to experimental user facilities maintained by institutions other than the applicant, please provide a document from the facility manager confirming that the researchers will have access to the facility. Such documents, provided that they do not become letters of support or recommendation, may be printed on any letterhead. Please provide the Facility and Other Resource information as an appendix to your Project Narrative.

This appendix will not count in the Project Narrative page limitation.
Do not attach a facilities and other resources statement to Field 10 of the Research and Related Other Project Information form.

APPENDIX 3: EQUIPMENT

List major items of equipment already available for this project and, if appropriate identify location and pertinent capabilities. Provide the Equipment information as an appendix to your Project Narrative.

This appendix will not count in the Project Narrative page limitation.
Do not attach an equipment statement to Field 11 of the Research and Related Other Project Information form.

APPENDIX 4: DATA MANAGEMENT AND SHARING PLAN

Provide a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) as an appendix to the Project Narrative. DMSPs are not required for applications that only request support for a conference, workshop, or scientific meeting. Subject to the applicable cost principles, applications may request costs necessary for implementing the DMSP.

This appendix should not exceed a page limit of 2 pages including charts, graphs, maps, photographs, and other pictorial presentations, when printed using standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right)
Do not attach a separate file to Field 12 of the Research and Related Other Project Information form.
This appendix will not count in the Project Narrative page limitation.

The standard requirements for a DMSP may be found in Section IX of this NOFO.

In addition, the DMSP must specifically address:

How FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable)⁶ principles will apply to the anticipated data sets, software⁷, and models⁸ to be developed.
What developed software, data sets, and models will be made available using an “opensource” licensing arrangement, noting the Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) identifier(s) (https://spdx.org/licenses/) when possible, and where deviation in this arrangement is expected from The Open Source Initiative’s “Open Source Definition” (https://opensource.org/osd), a specific justification must be provided.
How best practices in scientific software development will be applied to any development activities. For more information on best practices, see Better Scientific Software (https://bssw.io/).

⁶ Wilkinson, M. D. et al. The FAIR Guiding Principles for Scientific Data Management and Stewardship. Sci. Data 3:160018, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.18 ⁷ Chue Hong, N. P., Katz, D. S., Barker, M., Lamprecht, A-L, Martinez, C., Psomopoulos, F. E., Harrow, J., Castro, L. J., Gruenpeter, M., Martinez, P. A., Honeyman, T., et al. (2022). FAIR Principles for Research Software version 1.0. (FAIR4RS Principles v1.0). Research Data Alliance. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15497/RDA00068 ⁸ Ravi, N., Chaturvedi, P., Huerta, E.A. et al. FAIR principles for AI models with a practical application for accelerated high energy diffraction microscopy. Sci Data 9, 657 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01712-9

APPENDIX 5: SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES (OPTIONAL)

In addition to biographical sketches in the Common Format, each senior/key person may provide a one-page list of no more than five distinct examples of synergistic activities that demonstrate the individual’s professional and scholarly activities that focus on the integration, transfer, and creation of knowledge as related to the application.

Do not attach a separate file to Field 12 of the Research and Related Other Project Information form.
This appendix may not exceed a limit of the same number of pages as senior/key personnel when printed using standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). This appendix will not count in the Project Narrative page limitation.

APPENDIX 6: TRANSPARENCY OF FOREIGN CONNECTIONS

As an appendix to your Project Narrative, applicants must provide the following information as it relates to the proposed recipient and subrecipient(s). Include a separate disclosure for the applicant and each proposed subrecipient.

Disclosure exceptions by entity type:

U.S. National Laboratories and domestic government entities are not required to respond to the Transparency of Foreign Connections disclosure.
Institutions of higher education and non-profit research organizations are only required to respond to items with an asterisk symbol (*).

Applicants, regardless of entity type, must provide complete responses for all proposed subrecipients that are not U.S. National Laboratories, domestic government entities, or institutions of higher education.

Disclosure Format: For the convenience of the entity providing the disclosure and certification a template is available at Transparency of Foreign Connections | Department of Energy, however, the entity is not required to use this specific format. If another format is used, the signatory must include the same substantive information, a signature, date, and the certification statement provided at Transparency of Foreign Connections | Department of Energy.

Questions: Contact rtesinfo@hq.doe.gov

DOE reserves the right to request additional or clarifying information based on the information submitted.

APPENDIX 7: LETTERS OF COMMITMENT FROM NATIONAL LABORATORY AND OTHER COLLABORATORS & INSTITUTIONAL OR EPSCOR JURISDICTION COMMITMENT

All proposed collaborators, whether at a DOE National Laboratory or another organization must provide a letter of commitment. Letter(s) from national laboratories must be endorsed by both the national laboratory collaborator and a senior member of laboratory management who is authorized to commit the laboratory to participate in the proposed effort. If the letter is signed by a person who is not authorized to commit the national laboratory to the research, the application will be declined without peer review. Collaborators from other institutions are requested to provide a similar endorsement.

As noted in Section III the applicant must provide a letter or letters of commitment describing any jurisdictional, institutional or private sector commitments towards the research effort. Examples of previously successful contributions have included, but are not limited to equipment purchases, facility renovations, faculty time, graduate student and post-doctoral fellow support, and travel support. Commitment by the institution or jurisdiction will be a factor included in the evaluation process.

Do not attach a separate file.
This appendix will not count in the project narrative page limitation.

APPENDIX 8: OTHER ATTACHMENT

If you need to elaborate on your responses to questions 1-6 on the “Other Project Information” document, please provide the Other Attachment information as an appendix to your Project Narrative. Information not easily accessible to a reviewer may be included in this appendix, but do not use this appendix to circumvent the page limitations of the application. Reviewers are not required to consider information in this appendix.

Do not attach a separate file to Field 12 of the Research and Related Other Project Information form.
This appendix will not count in the Project Narrative page limitation.

REMINDERS REGARDING ALL APPENDICES

Follow the above instructions to include the information as appendices to the Project Narrative file.
These appendices
Do not attach any appendices to Fields 9, 10, 11, or 12.

3. Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded)

Complete the Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form in accordance with the instructions on the form and the following instructions. Complete this form before the Budget form to populate data on the Budget form.

You must submit this information for the PI and all senior/key personnel who will be identified by name in Section A of the application’s budget. List all other personnel who contribute in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of the project, whether or not salaries are requested. Consultants should be included in this “Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded)” Form if they meet this definition. List individuals that meet the definition of senior/key regardless of what organization they work for.

Senior/key personnel must be aware that they are included in the application and must agree to perform the work if awarded. The form will pre-populate with the PI identified on the SF-424(R&R) form. For each senior/key person:

Complete the required sections in their profile.
In the “credential” field, enter the person’s PAMS username, if known.
Attach the person’s biographical sketch, following the instructions in Section IX of this NOFO for crafting a biographical sketch.
Attach the person’s current and pending support, following the instructions in Section IX of this NOFO for crafting current and pending support.

The Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form will support the PI and up to 99 additional senior/key personnel. On the addition of the 99th senior/key person, you will be presented with an option to upload an additional file with the required information for all other senior/key personnel.

4. Research And Related Budget

Complete the Research and Related Budget form in accordance with the instructions on the form (Activate Help Mode to see instructions) and the following instructions. You must complete a separate budget for each year of support requested. The form will generate a cumulative budget for the total project period. You must complete all the mandatory information on the form before the NEXT PERIOD button is activated. All fields with a red border are required, but you may enter a zero “0” in any field in which funds are not being requested. You may request funds under any of the categories listed as long as the item and amount are necessary to perform the proposed work, meet all the criteria for allowability under the applicable Federal cost principles, and are not prohibited by the funding restrictions in this NOFO.

All funding is restricted to entities within EPSCoR jurisdictions. While collaborations with entities outside EPSCoR jurisdictions is allowed, no funds from an award made by this NOFO may be used to support such collaborators. Also, no funds from an award made by this NOFO can be sent to National Laboratories, even if they reside within an EPSCoR jurisdiction.

Additional information is found in Section IX of this NOFO.

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION (FIELD L ON THE FORM)

Provide a justification that explains all costs proposed in the budget. The following items of advice are offered to assist you in developing a justification.

Organize the justification by listing items in the same order as presented on the budget.
Ensure that the narrative matches the budget in dollar amounts and language.
Explain the line items. If costs are estimated, provide a basis for the estimate. Explain if costs are based on prior experience of similar activities. If a cost is based on the product of two numbers (such as a number of items at a per-item price), ensure that your math is correct.
If including an inflationary factor for future budget periods, explain the basis for the inflationary factor.

Provide any other information you wish to submit to justify your budget request. Including items in the budget justification is not considered a form of cost-sharing: Provide the details of all personnel (key or other) who will be working on the award, regardless of their source(s) of compensation. Explain their source(s) of compensation if it is not from this award. Include the indirect cost rate agreement as a part of the budget justification.

Attach a single budget justification file for the entire project period in Field L. The file automatically carries over to each budget year.

Additional information is found in Section IX of this NOFO.

5. R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form

Budgets for Subawards:

You must provide a separate R&R budget and budget justification for each subrecipient. Download the R&R Budget Attachment from the R&R SUBAWARD BUDGET ATTACHMENT(S) FORM and either email it to each subrecipient that is required to submit a separate budget or use the collaborative features of Workspace. After the subrecipient has either emailed its completed budget back to you or completed it within Workspace, attach it to one of the blocks provided on the form. All fields with a red border are required, but you may enter a zero “0” in any field in which funds are not being requested. Use up to 10 letters of the subrecipient’s name (plus.pdf) as the file name (e.g., ucla.pdf or energyres.pdf). Filenames must not exceed 50 characters.

If the project involves more subrecipients than there are places in the SUBAWARD BUDGET ATTACHMENT(S) FORM, the additional subaward budgets may be saved as PDF files and appended to the Budget Justification attached to Field L.

Applicants should consult their local information technology (“IT”) support resources for any necessary assistance in converting the forms downloaded from Grants.gov into plain PDF files that can be combined into one non-Portfolio PDF file (the Budget Justification).

Ensure that any files received from subrecipients are the PDF files extracted from the SUBAWARD BUDGET ATTACHMENT(S) FORM. Errors will be created if a subrecipient sends a prime applicant a budget form that was not extracted from the application package.

Note: If an application proposes subawards to a DOE/NNSA National Laboratory, a Federal agency, or another Federal agency’s FFRDC, the value of such proposed subawards may be deducted from any resulting award: Those classes of organizations may be paid directly by SC. However, the details of such proposed budgets are essential for understanding and analyzing the proposed research.

If the budget for an application is comprised of discrete or separable projects or tasks, the SUBAWARD BUDGET ATTACHMENT(S) FORM allows you to identify a budget as belonging to either a “project” or a “subaward.”

The standard subaward budget form allows for a maximum of 10 subawards. If an application contains more than 10 subawards, please present the budgets for the eleventh and subsequent subawards in a tabular format, followed by the appropriate budget justification, as a part of the lead applicant’s budget justification.

6. Project/Performance Site Location(s)

Indicate the primary site where the work will be performed. If a portion of the project will be performed at any other site(s), identify the site location(s) in the blocks provided.

Note that the Project/Performance Site Congressional District is entered in the format of the 2 digit state code followed by a dash and a 3 digit Congressional district code, for example VA-001. Hover over this field for additional instructions.

Use the Next Site button to expand the form to add additional Project/Performance Site Locations.

7. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL)

If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the grant/cooperative agreement, you must complete and submit Standard Form - LLL, “Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying.” Applicants that have never paid any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress do not need to submit this form.

8. Identification of Merit Reviewer Conflicts

Provide a list of individuals who should not serve as merit reviewers of this application, following the instructions in Section IX of this NOFO. Attach this information to Field 12 of the Research and Related Other Project Information Form.

9. Summary of Required Forms/Files

Name of Document	Format	Attach to
SF 424 (R&R)	Form	N/A
RESEARCH AND RELATED Other Project Information	Form	N/A
Project Summary/Abstract	PDF	Field 7
Project Narrative, including required appendices	PDF	Field 8
Identification of Merit Review Conflicts	File	Field 12
RESEARCH & RELATED Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded)	Form	N/A
RESEARCH & RELATED BUDGET	Form	N/A
Budget Justification	PDF	Field L
R&R SUBAWARD BUDGET ATTACHMENT(S) FORM (if applicable)	Form	N/A
Subaward Budget Justification (if applicable)	PDF	Field L of the subaward budget
PROJECT/PERFORMANCE SITE LOCATION(S)	Form	N/A
SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, if applicable	Form	N/A

D. Information that Must be Submitted After Application but Before Award

If selected for award, DOE reserves the right to request additional or clarifying information for any reason deemed necessary, including, but not limited to:

Indirect cost information
Other budget information
Name and phone number of the Designated Responsible Employee for complying with national policies prohibiting discrimination (See 10 CFR 1040.5)
Representation of Limited Rights Data and Restricted Software, if applicable
Commitment Letter from Third Parties Contributing to Cost Sharing, if applicable
Environmental Information
Information required to resolve concerns about conflicts of interest, conflicts of commitment, potential duplication of support

Applicants that are not institutions of higher education, that request indirect costs, and that do not already have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement with their Cognizant Federal Agency or documentation of rates accepted for estimating purposes by DOE or another Federal agency, are advised to begin preparing an Indirect Cost Rate Proposal for submission, upon request, to the DOE contract specialist/grants management specialist who will evaluate your application if you are selected for award.

V. Submission Requirements and Deadlines

A. Address to Request Application Package

Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov. To access these materials, go to https://www.Grants.gov, select “Search Grants”, and then enter the Assistance Listings⁹ number (81.049) and/or the NOFO number shown on the cover of this NOFO. Select the “Apply” button to access the application package.

Applications submitted through www.FedConnect.net will not be accepted. Applications may not be submitted through PAMS at https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov.

Detailed instructions for registering in and using Grants.gov are in Section IX of this NOFO.

⁹ The Assistance Listings were formerly known as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA).

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

Applicants must complete a series of registrations and enrollments to submit applications in response to this NOFO. Applicants not currently registered with SAM and Grants.gov should allow at least four weeks to complete these requirements. Applicants refers to the legal entity submitting an application: This is usually a corporate entity, not an individual investigator.

You should start the process as soon as possible.

You may not be able to use your preferred Internet browser: Each system has its own requirements.

Applicants must register with SAM at https://www.sam.gov/ and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Assistance is available at https://sam.gov/content/help.

Applicants must provide a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to complete their registration in www.SAM.gov. An applicant’s TIN is an EIN assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). You may obtain an EIN from the IRS at https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online.

If entities have technical difficulties with the UEI validation or SAM registration process, they should utilize the HELP feature on SAM.gov. SAM.gov will work entity service tickets in the order in which they are received and asks that entities not create multiple service tickets for the same request or technical issue.

Do not use a SSN as a TIN. Obtain a TIN from the IRS using the website listed above.

1. Requirement for System for Award Management

Unless exempt from this requirement under 2 CFR 25.110, the recipient must maintain a current and active registration in SAM.gov. The recipient’s registration must always be current and active until the recipient submits all final reports required under this Federal award or receives the final payment, whichever is later. The recipient must review and update its information in SAM.gov at least annually from the date of its initial registration or any subsequent updates to ensure it is current, accurate, and complete. If applicable, this includes identifying the recipient’s immediate and highest-level owner and subsidiaries and providing information about the recipient’s predecessors that have received a Federal award or contract within the last three years.

2. Requirement for Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

If the recipient is authorized to make subawards under this Federal award, the recipient:

Must notify potential subrecipients that no entity may receive a subaward until the entity has provided its UEI to the recipient.
Must not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its UEI to the recipient. Subrecipients are not required to complete full registration in SAM.gov to obtain a UEI.

C. Submission Instructions

Letters of Intent (LOIs) and pre-applications, if permitted under this NOFO, must be submitted in PAMS at https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov. Detailed instructions for LOIs are in Section IX of this NOFO. Detailed instructions for pre-applications are in Section IX of this NOFO.

Applications must be submitted in Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov. Detailed instructions are in Section IX of this NOFO.

D. Submission Dates and Times

1. Letter of Intent Due Date

Not applicable.

2. Pre-application Due Date

The pre-application due date is printed on the cover of this NOFO.

You are encouraged to submit your pre-application well before the deadline. Pre-applications may be submitted at any time between the publication of this NOFO and the stated deadline.

3. Application Due Date

The application due date is printed on the cover of this NOFO.

You are encouraged to submit your application well before the deadline. Applications may be submitted at any time between the publication of this NOFO and the stated deadline.

4. Late Submissions

Delays in submitting letters of intent, pre-applications, and applications may be unavoidable. DOE has accepted late submissions when applicants have been unable to make timely submissions because of widespread technological disruptions or significant natural disasters. DOE has made accommodations for incapacitating or life-threatening illnesses and for deaths of immediate family members. Other circumstances may or may not justify late submissions. Unacceptable justifications include the following:

Failure to begin submission process early enough.
Failure to provide sufficient time to complete the process.
Failure to understand the submission process.
Failure to understand the deadlines for submissions.
Failure to satisfy prerequisite registrations.
Unavailability of administrative personnel.

You are responsible for beginning the submission process in sufficient time to accommodate reasonably foreseeable incidents, contingencies, and disruptions.

Applicants must contact the Program Office/Manager listed in this NOFO to discuss the option of a late submission. Contacting the Program Office/Manager after the deadline may reduce the likelihood that a request will be granted.

DOE notes that not all requests for late submission will be approved.

You may be able to submit your application in response to the currently available SC Annual Solicitation. Please contact the Program Office/Manager listed in this NOFO to discuss this option.

If a clerical error by administrative staff results in an incomplete submission of a letter of intent, pre-application, or application, an authorized institutional official may appeal to correct its error by emailing the Program Office/Manager or the DOE official listed in this NOFO within 48 business hours of the deadline. This grant of leniency is at DOE’s sole discretion.

VI. Application Review Information

A. Responsiveness Review

Prior to a comprehensive merit evaluation, DOE will perform an initial review in accordance with 10 CFR 605.10(b) to determine that (1) the applicant is eligible for the award; (2) the information required by the NOFO, including LOIs or pre-applications, has been submitted; (3) all mandatory requirements are satisfied; (4) the proposed project is responsive to the objectives of the NOFO; and (5) the proposed project is not duplicative of programmatic work. Applications that fail to pass the initial review will not be forwarded for merit review and will be eliminated from further consideration.

B. Review Criteria

Applications will be subjected to scientific merit review (peer review) and will be evaluated against the following criteria, the first four of which are found in 10 CFR 605.10 (d), the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Rule.

Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project;
Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach;
Competency of Applicant’s Personnel and Adequacy of Proposed Resources; and
Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget.
Appropriateness of the Data Management and Sharing Plan
Likelihood of Success of the Collaboration between the EPSCoR Applicant and the National Laboratory Partner

The review criteria are listed in decreasing order of significance, with the final two criteria of equal significance to the fourth, although all criteria will be considered.

Note that external peer reviewers are selected regarding both their scientific expertise and the absence of conflict-of-interest issues. Both Federal and non-Federal reviewers may be used, and submission of an application constitutes agreement that this is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.

The questions below are provided to the merit reviewers to elaborate the criteria established by regulation:

1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project

What is the scientific innovation of the proposed research?
What is the likelihood of achieving valuable results?
How might the results of the proposed work impact the direction, progress, and thinking in relevant scientific fields of research?
How does the proposed work compare with other efforts in its field, both in terms of scientific and/or technical merit and originality?

2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach

How logical and feasible are the research approaches?
Does the proposed research employ innovative concepts or methods?
Are the conceptual framework, methods, and analyses well justified, adequately developed, and likely to lead to scientifically valid conclusions?
Does the applicant recognize significant potential problems and consider alternative strategies?
Is the proposed research aligned with the published priorities identified or incorporated by reference in Section III of this NOFO?
Does the proposed plan to recruit and retain students and early-stage investigators provide sufficient mentorship?

3. Competency of Applicant’s Personnel and Adequacy of Proposed Resources

For renewal applications, what is the past performance and potential of the research team?
How well qualified is the research team to carry out the proposed research?
Is the lead institution proposing to perform a greater portion of the scientific and technical work than any other team member?
Are the research environment and facilities adequate for performing the research?
Does the proposed work take advantage of unique facilities and capabilities?

4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget

Are the proposed budget and staffing levels adequate to carry out the proposed research?
Is the budget reasonable and appropriate for the scope?

5. Appropriateness of the Data Management and Sharing Plan

To what extent does the Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) enable data generated in the course of the research project to be publicly shared and preserved in a timely and fair manner that enables validation and replication of results?
How well do the selected digital repositories enable appropriate sharing of scientific data?
Does the DMSP adequately justify any limitations of data sharing?
Are there any weaknesses in the DMSP that should be addressed prior to the start of the project?

6. Likelihood of Success of the Collaboration between the EPSCoR Applicant and the National Laboratory Partner

For the proposed research, including the breakdown of proposed tasks, how well are the tasks distributed among the PI, any co-PIs, and the national laboratory collaborator(s)?
How will students and postdocs benefit from the national laboratory collaboration (e.g., national laboratory research experience, mentoring by laboratory staff, etc.)?
Does the PI or co-PIs have a history of successful collaboration with the national laboratory partner? If there is no history of successful prior collaboration, what plans are established to ensure that the collaboration will be successful?
How does institutional and/or jurisdictional commitment contribute to the likelihood of success?

C. Review and Selection Process

1. Merit Review

Applications that pass the initial review will be subjected to a formal merit review and will be evaluated based on the criteria codified at 10 CFR 605.10(d) in accordance with the guidance provided in the “Office of Science Merit Review System for Financial Assistance,” which is available at: https://science.osti.gov/grants/policy-and-guidance/merit-review-system/.

2. Program Policy Factors

The Selection Official may consider any of the following program policy factors in making the selection, listed in no order of significance:

Availability of funds
Relevance of the proposed activity to SC priorities
Ensuring an appropriate balance of activities within SC programs
Performance under current awards
Institutional, jurisdictional, and other commitments
Institutional history of training and mentoring early-career researchers
Training graduate students in conduct of fundamental research
Presence of tenure-track or tenure-equivalent investigators
Providing training and career pathways for the next generation of researchers
Ensuring opportunities to investigators not currently supported by DOE
For applicant institutions that are not institutions of higher education: the presence of joint appointments with academic institutions, the presence of graduate students receiving academic credit for their research participation, the existence of tenure-like appointments, and the commitment to research of a basic and fundamental nature divorced from current commercial activity and business applications
Increasing participation of institutions historically underrepresented in the SC research portfolio
Relevance of the proposed activity to the President’s policy priorities
Lower institutional indirect cost rate
Commitment to complying with administration policies, procedures, and guidance related to Gold Standard Science

3. Selection

The Selection Official will consider the findings of the merit review and may consider any of the Program Policy Factors described above and/or the review of risk described below.

4. Discussions and Award

The Government may enter into discussions with a selected applicant for any reason deemed necessary, including but not limited to the following: (1) the budget is not appropriate or reasonable for the requirement; (2) only a portion of the application is selected for award; (3) the Government needs additional information to determine that the recipient is capable of complying with the requirements in 2 CFR 200 as modified by 2 CFR 910 (DOE Financial Assistance Regulation); and/or (4) special terms and conditions are required. Failure to resolve satisfactorily the issues identified by the Government will preclude award to the applicant.

5. Risk Review

Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.206, DOE will conduct a review of any potential risks posed by the applicant. Such review of risk will include:

Quality of the application,
Reports and findings from audits performed under 2 CFR 200 and/or 2 CFR 910, and
Systems maintained under 2 CFR 180.

DOE may make use of other publicly available information and the history of an applicant’s performance under DOE or other Federal agency awards.

Applicants with no prior performance of DOE awards may be asked to provide information about their financial stability and or their ability to comply with the management standards of 2 CFR 200.

6. Due Diligence for Research, Technology, and Economic Security

All applications submitted to DOE are subject to a due diligence review.

As DOE invests in critical infrastructure and funds critical and emerging technology areas¹⁰, DOE considers possible threats to United States research, technology, and economic security from undue foreign government influence when evaluating risk. As part of the research, technology, and economic security risk review, DOE may contact the applicant and/or proposed project team members for additional information to inform the review. This risk review is conducted separately from the technical merit review.

All project participants, which for purposes of this term includes individuals participating in the project, are subject to RTES due diligence reviews. The due diligence review of covered individuals includes but is not limited to the review of resumes/biosketches, disclosures, and certifications, as required in the NOFO. DOE reserves the right to require resumes/biosketches, disclosures, and certifications for project participants not defined as covered individuals. The Applicant need not submit any additional information on non-covered individuals, unless requested by DOE. The volume and type of information collected may depend on various factors associated with the award.

Note this review is separate and distinct from DOE Order 142.3B “Unclassified Foreign National Access Program.”

In the event an RTES risk is identified, DOE may require risk mitigation measures, including but not limited to, requiring that an individual or entity not participate in the award. If significant risks are identified and cannot be sufficiently mitigated, DOE may elect to not fund the applicant.

Consistent with section 4(e) of the Presidential Memorandum on United States Government-Supported Research and Development National Security Policy-33 (NSPM-33), DOE may share information regarding the risks identified as part of the RTES due diligence review process or monitoring with other Federal agencies.

DOE’s decision regarding a due diligence review is not appealable.

¹⁰ See Critical and Emerging Technologies List Update (whitehouse.gov).

VII. Award Notices

A. Type of Award Instrument

DOE anticipates awarding grants under this NOFO.

Multi-institutional teams must apply using a prime and subaward model with one application submitted by the lead institution.

B. Anticipated Timeline for Notice of Selection for Award Negotiation

It is anticipated that the award selection will be completed in June 2026. It is expected that awards will be made in Fiscal Year 2026.

1. Notice of Selection for Award Negotiation

Applicants Selected for Award Negotiation Notification: DOE will notify applicants selected for award negotiation. This notice of selection for award negotiation is not an authorization for the applicant/recipient to begin performance.
Non-selected Notification: Organizations whose applications have not been selected will be advised as promptly as possible. This notice will explain why the application was not selected.

2. Notice of Award

An Assistance Agreement issued by the DOE Contracting Officer is the authorizing award document. It normally includes, either as an attachment or by reference, the following items: (1) Special Terms and Conditions, (2) Intellectual Property Provisions, (3) Federal Assistance Reporting Checklist and Instructions, (4) Budget Pages, (5) The Research Terms and Conditions, available at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/terms_conditions/research, and DOE Agency Specific Requirements, available at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/terms_conditions/research, (6) Applicable program regulations, 10 CFR 605 at https://www.ecfr.gov/, (7) DOE Assistance Regulations, 2 CFR 200 as amended by 2 CFR 910 at https://www.ecfr.gov/, (8) Application/proposal as approved by DOE, (9) National Policy Assurances to Be Incorporated as Award Terms in effect on date of award at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/terms_conditions/research.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Sample DOE Special Terms and Conditions for Use in Most Grants and Cooperative Agreements are located at https://energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/financial-assistance/financial-assistance-forms under Award Terms.

The standard DOE financial assistance intellectual property provisions applicable to various types of recipients are located at: https://energy.gov/gc/standard-intellectual-property-ip-provisions-financial-assistance-awards

NATIONAL POLICY ASSURANCES

The National Policy Assurances To Be Incorporated As Award Terms are located at https://energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/financial-assistance/financial-assistance-forms under Award Terms.

VIII. Post-Award Requirements and Administration

A. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Additional policy provisions applicable to this NOFO are included in the list below. Awards made under this NOFO are subject to the respective Administrative and National Policy Requirements. The full text of each provision is in Section IX of this NOFO and may be accessed by navigating to the hyperlinks below:

Administrative Requirements
Availability of Funds
Buy America Preference for Infrastructure Projects
Conference Spending (February 2015)
Commitment of Public Funds
Corporate Felony Conviction and Federal Tax Liability Representations (March 2014)
Covered Individual Definition, Designation, and Responsibility
Digital Persistent Identifier (PID)
Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) Performance of Work at DOE Facilities
Evaluation and Administration by Non-Federal Personnel
Federal, State, and Local Requirements
Foreign Travel
Framework for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening Requirement
Funding Restrictions
Government Right to Reject or Negotiate
Implementation of Presidential Memorandum Simplifying the Funding of Energy Infrastructure and Critical Mineral and Material Projects
Intergovernmental Review
Logos and Wordmarks
Modifications
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance
Nondisclosure and Confidentiality Agreements Representations (June 2015)
Notice Regarding Eligible/Ineligible Activities
Portable Document Format (PDF) Generation
Prohibition on the Use of Funds for Activities Related to FASC-Prohibited Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
Prohibition on Discrimination and Harassment
Prohibition on Entities of Concern
Prohibition on Lobbying Activity
Prohibition Related to Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs
Proprietary Application Information
Publications
Registration Requirements
Research Misconduct
Research Security Training Requirement
Rights in Technical Data
Statement of Federal Stewardship
Subaward and Executive Reporting
Title to Subject Inventions
Trafficking in Persons
U.S. Competitiveness
Updating Your Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) Profile

B. Reporting

Reporting requirements are identified on the Federal Assistance Reporting Checklist, DOE F 4600.2, attached to the award agreement. The standard checklist is available at http://energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/financial-assistance/financial-assistance-forms under Award Forms: Individual awards may impose additional requirements.

C. Reporting of Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance (December 2015)

DOE, prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM(see 41 USC 2313).

The applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.

DOE will consider any written comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR 200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

D. Interim Conflict of Interest Policy for Financial Assistance

1. Policy

The DOE interim Conflict of Interest Policy for Financial Assistance (COI Policy) can be found at https://www.energy.gov/management/department-energy-interim-conflict-interest-policy-requirements-financial-assistance. This policy is applicable to all non-Federal entities applying for, or that receive, DOE funding by means of a financial assistance award (e.g., a grant, cooperative agreement, or technology investment agreement) and, through the implementation of this policy by the entity, to each Investigator who is planning to participate in, or is participating in, the project funded wholly or in part under the DOE financial assistance award. DOE’s interim COI Policy establishes standards that provide a reasonable expectation that the design, conduct, and reporting of projects funded wholly or in part under DOE financial assistance awards will be free from bias resulting from financial conflicts of interest or organizational conflicts of interest. The applicant is subject to the requirements of the interim COI Policy and within each application for financial assistance, the applicant must certify that it is, or will be by the time of receiving any financial assistance award, compliant with all requirements in the interim COI Policy. The applicant must flow down the requirements of the interim COI Policy to any subrecipient non-Federal entities.

2. SC Implementation

SC only requires that unmanaged or unmanageable financial conflicts of interest be included in the financial conflict of interest (FCOI) report.

IX. Other Information

A. Checklist for Avoiding Common Errors

Note that not all items in this checklist will apply to every submission under every NOFO.

| Item

Full announcement text, formatted for readability.

Building EPSCoR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships

Key Facts

Synopsis

Building EPSCoR - State/National Laboratory Partnerships

Table of Contents

I. Basic Information

Executive Summary

Funding Details

Key Facts

Key Dates

Agency Contact Information

Informational Webinar / Office Hours

Recommendation

II. Eligibility

A. Eligible Applicants

B. Cost Sharing

C. Eligible Individuals

D. Limitations on Submissions

LIMITATIONS ON PI

III. Program Description

A. Purpose

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Program Objective

Annual Meetings

Teaming Arrangements

Multi-Institutional Teams

COLLABORATIVE APPLICATIONS

SUBAWARDS²

Open Science

Opportunities for Early-Stage Investigators

Multi-Project Applications

B. Program Goals, Objectives, and Priorities

Individual Program Information

Programs within the Office of Science

Applied Energy Program Areas

C. Award Contribution to Goals and Objectives

D. Performance Goals

E. Substantial Involvement

F. Program Unallowable Costs

G. Citations to Statute and Regulations

H. Program History

I. Other Information

ANTICIPATED AWARD SIZE

MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM AWARD SIZE

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

AWARD BUDGET PERIODS

IV. Application Contents and Format

A. Preliminary Submissions

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)

2. Pre-application

PRE-APPLICATION DUE DATE

ENCOURAGE/DISCOURAGE DATE

PRE-APPLICATION REVIEW

PRE-APPLICATION SUBMISSION

B. Application

C. Component Pieces of the Application

LETTERS OF COLLABORATION OR ACCESS

SCIENTIFIC USER FACILITIES

1. SF-424 (R&R)

TYPE OF SUBMISSION (FIELD 1)

IDENTIFYING NUMBERS (FIELD 4)

UEI AND EIN NUMBERS (FIELDS 5 AND 6)

TYPE OF APPLICATION (FIELD 8)

2. Research and Related Other Project Information

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT (FIELD 7 ON THE FORM)

DOE TITLE PAGE

PROJECT NARRATIVE (FIELD 8 ON THE FORM)

Buy America Requirement for Infrastructure Projects

APPENDIX 1: BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES CITED

APPENDIX 2: FACILITIES & OTHER RESOURCES

APPENDIX 3: EQUIPMENT

APPENDIX 4: DATA MANAGEMENT AND SHARING PLAN

APPENDIX 5: SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES (OPTIONAL)

APPENDIX 6: TRANSPARENCY OF FOREIGN CONNECTIONS

APPENDIX 7: LETTERS OF COMMITMENT FROM NATIONAL LABORATORY AND OTHER COLLABORATORS & INSTITUTIONAL OR EPSCOR JURISDICTION COMMITMENT

APPENDIX 8: OTHER ATTACHMENT

3. Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded)

4. Research And Related Budget

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION (FIELD L ON THE FORM)

5. R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form