Energy Frontier Research Centers

Background
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) program in Basic Energy Sciences (BES) announces a re-competition of the Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) program and encourages both new and renewal applications. Applications from multi-disciplinary teams will be required to propose both discovery science and use-inspired basic research that addresses priority research directions and opportunities identified by a series of BES workshop and roundtable reports. DOE encourages applications that propose fundamental chemical sciences, materials sciences, geosciences, and biosciences research that will enable future clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing.
Coordination across programs is a high priority for DOE. EFRCs under this FOA will include awards for fundamental science that underpins the Energy Earthshots Initiative.

Grant Details
The EFRC program brings together diverse world-class teams of scientists to perform energy-relevant, basic research with a scope and complexity beyond what is possible in single-investigator or small-group awards. These multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary centers accelerate transformative scientific advances for the most challenging topics in materials sciences, chemical sciences, geosciences, and biosciences.
EFRCs conduct fundamental research to address grand challenges identified in the report Directing Matter and Energy: Five Challenges for Science and the Imagination (December 2007) and transformative opportunities identified in the report Challenges at the Frontiers of Matter and Energy: Transformative Opportunities for Discovery Science (November 2015). In addition, EFRCs perform use-inspired basic research to fill scientific knowledge gaps identified in major strategic planning efforts by BES and the scientific community.

Eligibility Requirements
All types of domestic applicants are eligible to apply, 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. Federally affiliated entities such as DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are eligible to submit applications under this FOA. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are not eligible to submit applications under this FOA but may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.

Period of Performance
DOE anticipates making awards with a project period of up to four years. For renewal applications, DOE may consider limited-term renewal awards below the floor stated above to allow for the completion of research projects and orderly closeout of EFRCs that do not merit long-term continued support.

Grant Value
DOE anticipates that a total of $420 million in current and future fiscal year funds will be used to support awards under this FOA. The award sizes will range from $2,000,000 per year to $4,000,000 per year depending on the merit review, number of meritorious applications, and availability of appropriated funds.