Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs)

DE-FOA-0003614.0000001

Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs)
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number:
DE-FOA-0003614
NOFO Type: Amendment 000001
Assistance Listings: 81.049
Amendment 000001 is issued to correct a corrupted file.
NOFO Issue Date: February 18, 2026
Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications: April 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
A Pre-Application is required.
Pre-Applications must be submitted by an
authorized institutional representative.
Pre-Application Response Date: May 6, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
Submission Deadline for Applications: July 1, 2026 11:59 PM ET

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Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................1
I. BASIC INFORMATION .............................................................................................................1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................1
FUNDING DETAILS .................................................................................................................2
KEY FACTS ................................................................................................................................2
KEY DATES ................................................................................................................................3
AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION ....................................................................................3
INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR / OFFICE HOURS ................................................................3
RECOMMENDATION ..............................................................................................................4
II. ELIGIBILITY .............................................................................................................................5
A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS ......................................................................................................5
B. COST SHARING ....................................................................................................................6
C. ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS ....................................................................................................6
D. LIMITATIONS ON SUBMISSIONS .....................................................................................7
E. OTHER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS ...........................................................................8
III. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................9
A. PURPOSE ...............................................................................................................................9
B. PROGRAM GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND PRIORITIES ................................................... 19
C. AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO GOALS AND OBJECTIVES .......................................... 19
D. PERFORMANCE GOALS ................................................................................................... 19
E. SUBSTANTIAL INVOLVEMENT ...................................................................................... 20
F. PROGRAM UNALLOWABLE COSTS ............................................................................... 20
G. CITATIONS TO STATUTE AND REGULATIONS .......................................................... 20
H. PROGRAM HISTORY ........................................................................................................ 20
I. OTHER INFORMATION ..................................................................................................... 20
IV. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT ...................................................................... 22
A. PRELIMINARY SUBMISSIONS ......................................................................................... 22
B. APPLICATION ..................................................................................................................... 26
C. COMPONENT PIECES OF THE APPLICATION............................................................. 26
D. INFORMATION THAT MUST BE SUBMITTED AFTER APPLICATION BUT
BEFORE AWARD .................................................................................................................... 43
V. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES .......................................................... 44
A. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE .................................................... 44

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B. UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI) AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT
(SAM.GOV) ............................................................................................................................... 44
C. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................... 45
D. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES .................................................................................. 45
VI. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION ......................................................................... 47
A. RESPONSIVENESS REVIEW ............................................................................................. 47
B. REVIEW CRITERIA ............................................................................................................ 47
C. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS ............................................................................. 49
VII. AWARD NOTICES ............................................................................................................... 52
A. TYPE OF AWARD INSTRUMENT .................................................................................... 52
B. ANTICIPATED TIMELINE FOR NOTICE OF SELECTION FOR AWARD
NEGOTIATION ........................................................................................................................ 52
VIII. POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION ....................................... 54
A. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS .............................. 54
B. REPORTING ........................................................................................................................ 55
C. REPORTING OF MATTERS RELATED TO RECIPIENT INTEGRITY AND
PERFORMANCE (DECEMBER 2015) ................................................................................... 55
D. INTERIM CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ....... 55
IX. OTHER INFORMATION ...................................................................................................... 57
A. CHECKLIST FOR AVOIDING COMMON ERRORS ....................................................... 57
B. HOW-TO GUIDES ............................................................................................................... 59
C. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS .............................. 87
D. REFERENCE MATERIAL ................................................................................................ 113

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I. Basic Information
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Office of Science (SC)
Executive Summary
The DOE 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
discovery science and use-inspired basic research that address scientific challenges in one or
more of the topic areas listed below. The focus of the EFRC program is on fundamental
scientific research, therefore applications to this NOFO must not propose applied research
and technology development activities.
BES is soliciting applications in two general categories: BES Report Topics and Special
Topics. Applications may respond to topics in both categories. Topic areas are open to both
new and renewal applications, unless noted below in Section III. Program Description.
In the BES Reports Topics, applicants must address priority research directions (PRD) and
opportunities (PRO) identified in one or more of the following reports (see full description
for PRO/PRD restrictions):
• Foundational Science to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Innovation
• Controlling Subsurface Fractures and Fluid Flow: A Basic Research Agenda
• Basic Research Needs for Next Generation Electrical Energy Storage
• Basic Research Needs for Transformative Manufacturing
• Basic Research Needs for Microelectronics
• BES Roundtable on Opportunities for Quantum Computing in Chemical and
Materials Sciences
• BES Roundtable on Opportunities for Basic Research for Next-Generation Quantum
Systems
In the Special Topics, applicants must address one or more of the following topics (see full
description for details):
• Controlling Quantum Phenomena to Enable Unconventional Computing Paradigms
• Development and Workflow Integration of AI/ML Models for Materials and
Chemistry Discovery Science
• Emergent Phenomena of Complex Chemical Systems
• Fundamental Science for Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM)
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Funding Details
Expected total DOE anticipates that, subject to the availability of future year
available funding appropriations, a total of $352 million in current and future fiscal
year funds will be used to support awards under this NOFO, of
which $88 million will be available annually.
DOE is under no obligation to pay for any costs associated with
preparation or submission of applications. DOE reserves the
right to fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the
applications submitted in response to this NOFO.
Expected number of The exact number of awards will depend on the number of
awards meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated
funds.
Expected dollar $3,000,000 to $4,500,000 per award per year ($12,000,000 to
amount of individual $18,000,000 per award for a 4-year period). Average award size is
awards expected to be $4,000,000 per award per year after the first year
of operations.
Expected award Four years
project period
Other Considerations For renewal applications, notwithstanding the lower limit
identified above, DOE may consider limited-term renewal
awards to allow for the completion of research projects and
orderly closeout of EFRCs that do not merit long-term continued
support. Annual funding for such awards could fall below the
$3,000,000 floor.
For new applications, recognizing that new centers take some
time to ramp up full operations, DOE will likely award less
funding in Year 1 of the four-year project period than in
subsequent years.
Key Facts
NOFO Title Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC)
NOFO Number DE-FOA-0003614
Announcement Type Amendment 000001
Assistance Listing 81.049
Statutory Authority The programmatic authorizing statute is:
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
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2005
Section 401 of Public Law 115-368, National Quantum Initiative
Act
Section 303 of Public Law 115-246, Department of Energy
Research and Innovation Act
Section 10102 of Public Law 117-167, CHIPS and Science Act of
2022
Governing Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and
Regulations 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 800-518-4726 (toll-free)
Customer Support support@Grants.gov
PAMS 855-818-1846 (toll-free)
Customer Support 301-903-9610
sc.pams-helpdesk@science.doe.gov
Program Contact EFRC@science.doe.gov for all inquiries.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to inform
EFRC@science.doe.gov if teaming arrangements, proposed
personnel, or the anticipated title change between
submitting the preapplication 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.
Informational Webinar / Office Hours
SC plans to hold an informational webinar about this NOFO on March 3, 2026 at 2:00-3:00
pm ET. Registration instructions and other details will be posted at https://science-
doe.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_hgfnnSixREiqlCc3m7Exvw.
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Recommendation
SC encourages you to register in all systems as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to
submit pre-applications and applications well before the deadline.
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II. Eligibility
A. Eligible Applicants
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 affiliated1 entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below:
1. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories
DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are eligible to submit applications under this NOFO and
may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If
recommended for funding as a lead applicant, funding will be provided through the DOE
Field-Work Proposal System and work will be conducted under the laboratory’s contract
with DOE. No administrative provisions of this NOFO will apply to the laboratory or any
laboratory subcontractor. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value
of the proposed subaward will be removed from the prime applicant’s award and will be
provided to the laboratory through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System and work will be
conducted under the laboratory’s contract with DOE. Additional instructions for securing
authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section IX of this NOFO.
2. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs
Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are not eligible to submit applications under this NOFO but may
be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for
funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed
from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement
to the FFRDC’s sponsoring Federal Agency. Additional instructions for securing
authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section IX of this NOFO.
3. Other Federal Agencies
Other Federal Agencies are not eligible to submit applications under this NOFO but may be
proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for
funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed
from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement.
Additional instructions for providing statutory authorization are found in Section IX of this
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.
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NOFO.
Notes for applicants of all types:
This NOFO does not support an applicant’s commercial activity. This NOFO seeks to
support basic 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. All for-profit applicants
must include a description, not to exceed 200 words of how their proposed work will
advance scientific understanding of a basic and fundamental nature as an appendix to the
Project Narrative.
Applications that are submitted by applicants that have not submitted a required pre-
application will be declined without further review.
Applicants may propose non-domestic entities as subrecipients in their applications.
Applicants are advised that successful applications that propose non-domestic entities as
subrecipients include a detailed demonstration of how the proposed non-domestic
subrecipients possess skills, resources, and abilities that do not exist among potential
domestic subrecipients.
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 is not required of DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, other Federal agencies,
another Federal agency’s FFRDC, or their subcontractors at any tier. DOE/NNSA National
Laboratories, other Federal agencies, and another Federal agency’s FFRDC may impose
cost-sharing requirements on their contractors subject to their policies and procedures.
Cost sharing will not be considered as a factor during merit review or award selection.
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
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they have the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research.
D. Limitations on Submissions
Applicant institutions are limited to no more than three pre-applications or applications as
the lead institution.
An individual may not be named as the PI (EFRC Director) on more than one pre-
application or application. Directors of existing EFRC awards that do not have project end
dates in 2026 cannot be named as the EFRC Director on any pre-application or application
in response to this NOFO.
There is no limitation to the number of applications on which an institution appears as a
subrecipient.
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.
• 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.
LIMITATIONS ON PI (EFRC DIRECTOR)
The PI (EFRC Director) on a pre-application or application may also be listed as a senior or
key personnel on an unlimited number of separate submissions.
EFRC Directors must be in a permanent or indefinitely extensible position at the applicant
institution, whether tenured 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 an EFRC Director. EFRC Directors on university led applications
must be in a tenured position. Individuals in part-time permanent positions are eligible to be
proposed as an EFRC Director.
Individuals in a joint appointment are eligible to be proposed as an EFRC Director if work
will be performed at the applicant institution and if the EFRC Director is a paid employee of
the applicant institution. Individuals paid by another institution may not be named as the
EFRC Director 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
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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 EFRC Director in an application submitted by
an applicant other than a DOE/NNSA National Laboratory, 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 EFRC Director of an award made under this NOFO were to accept a
position at a different institution, SC does not intend to deobligate funds from the resulting
award to support a new award to the new institution. SC would be interested in the recipient
institution proposing a new EFRC Director.
E. Other Eligibility Requirements
The lead institution identified in an application must be the same lead institution identified
in the required pre-application. If an application is received for which the lead organization
has changed since submission of the pre-application, then the application may be declined
without further review. The lead PI (EFRC Director) should not be changed unless
unavoidable and only minor edits should be made, if necessary, to the title of the project. If
necessary, the applicant may make changes to other senior/key personnel and other
participating institutions, although DOE discourages extensive changes.
Additional Eligibility Requirements may be identified in the listing of topics in Section III of
this NOFO.
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III. Program Description
A. Purpose
The DOE SC program in Basic Energy Sciences (BES) announces a re-competition of the
Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) program. The purpose of this program is to bring
together world-class teams of scientists from universities, DOE national laboratories, and
other institutions 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 integrate experiments, theory, computation, and AI/ML; develop
innovative experimental and theoretical tools that illuminate fundamental processes in
unprecedented detail; and create an enthusiastic, interdisciplinary, workforce of energy-
focused scientists.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Background
BES’s mission is to support fundamental research to understand, predict, and ultimately
control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels in order to provide
the foundations for new energy technologies and to support DOE missions in energy,
environment, and national security. The portfolio supports work in the natural sciences by
emphasizing fundamental research in materials sciences, chemistry, geosciences, and
biosciences. BES- supported scientific facilities provide specialized instrumentation and
expertise that enable scientists to carry out experiments not possible at individual
laboratories.
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 address emerging scientific
challenges relevant to the DOE missions and fill scientific knowledge gaps identified by BES
and the scientific community in major strategic planning efforts (see BES Reports below).
Further information about BES and the EFRC program can be found here:
• BES: https://science.osti.gov/bes/
• EFRC: https://science.osti.gov/bes/efrc/
Science Topics
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BES is soliciting applications in two general categories: BES Report Topics and Special
Topics. Applications may respond to topics in both categories. Topic areas are open to both
new and renewal applications, unless noted below.
BES REPORTS TOPICS
In the BES Reports Topics, applicants must address priority research directions and
opportunities identified in one or more of the following reports:
• Foundational Science to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Innovation – New and
renewal applications may respond to all priority research opportunities.
• Controlling Subsurface Fractures and Fluid Flow: A Basic Research Agenda –
New and renewal applications may respond to all priority research directions.
Subsurface topics related to critical minerals and materials, hydrocarbons, and/or
enhanced geothermal are emphasized.
• Basic Research Needs for Next Generation Electrical Energy Storage –
Renewal applications may respond to all priority research directions. New
applications may respond only to PRD 2: Link complex electronic, electrochemical, and
physical phenomena across time and space and/or PRD 3: Control and exploit the
complex interphase region formed at dynamic interfaces.
• Basic Research Needs for Transformative Manufacturing – New and renewal
applications may respond only to PRD 1: Achieve precise, scalable synthesis and
processing of atomic-scale building blocks for components and systems, and/or PRD 5:
Co-design materials, processes, and products to revolutionize manufacturing.
• Basic Research Needs for Microelectronics – New and renewal applications may
respond to all priority research directions.
• BES Roundtable on Opportunities for Quantum Computing in Chemical and
Materials Sciences – New and renewal applications may respond to all priority
research opportunities. Applications that do not provide a clear path to overcome
scaling and noise limitations of quantum hardware are unresponsive.
• BES Roundtable on Opportunities for Basic Research for Next-Generation
Quantum Systems – New and renewal applications may respond only to PRO 2:
Enhance creation and control of coherence in quantum systems and/or PRO 3: Discover
novel approaches for quantum-to-quantum transduction. Proposals whose primary
aim is the discovery, synthesis, or characterization of new quantum materials,
without a direct and measurable transformative impact for quantum information
science, are unresponsive.
SPECIAL TOPICS
In the Special Topics, applicants must address one or more of the following topics:
a) Controlling Quantum Phenomena to Enable Unconventional Computing Paradigms
b) Development and Workflow Integration of AI/ML Models for Materials and
Chemistry Discovery Science
c) Emergent Phenomena of Complex Chemical Systems
d) Fundamental Science for Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM)
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(a) Controlling Quantum Phenomena to Enable Unconventional Computing
Paradigms
The rise of quantum computing drives experimental and theoretical sophistication to
harness and control quantum phenomena. At the same time the rise of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) accelerates the demand for high performance computing platforms. The
continued use of the von Neumann computing paradigm creates a bottleneck that limits
performance and efficiency of data intensive computing that requires large amount of data
movement. Utilizing quantum phenomena offers unique opportunities to overcome these
limits while also enabling insights into new principles of efficient, interpretable
computation and shed light on how information is structured and communicated within the
physical system. This topic encourages fundamental research that leverages controllable
quantum phenomena to overcome computational limits to advance new principles of
computation and learning.
Applications for this topic must demonstrate and establish novel quantum phenomenon-
based computing paradigms suitable for data intensive computing while also advancing a
fundamental understanding of computation and learning as a physical process. To achieve
this outcome, an interdisciplinary co-design approach is needed to integrate emerging
quantum functionalities for information processing, storage, and transmission into
unconventional compute frameworks that leverage novel switching mechanisms,
interconnects, photonics, optoelectronics, and other fundamental non-linear phenomena to
revolutionize high performance data-intensive computing. Supporting research in the areas
of quantum learning, dynamical learning, and systems learning to reveal how quantum
resources, nonequilibrium reservoirs, and/or complex chemical and materials systems
enable computing and learning is also encouraged.
The demonstration of scalability of the proposed approaches needs to be supported by full
circuit analyses, system level insights, model devices, and/or computational methods. The
targeted scalable computing paradigm should enable new generations of energy-efficient
computing systems, outlining a pathway to meet future needs of data intensive computing.
Possible paradigms include but are not limited to analog, probabilistic, nonlinear, reservoir,
and quantum neural network computing. Applications that utilize controllable quantum
phenomena to address one or more of the following areas are especially encouraged: in-
memory computing, neuromorphic computing, reservoir computing, Boltzmann computing,
optical computing, or continuous-variable quantum computing.
Exclusions: Applications focused on discrete variable quantum computing or phenomena
in conventional and/or bulk materials are not responsive to this topic.
References:
• Basic Research Needs for Microelectronics – Topic is related to “PRD 4: Redefine
computing by leveraging unexploited physical phenomena” but limits the scope to
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controllable quantum phenomena.
• Basic Research Needs for Quantum Materials – Topic is related to “PRD 3: Drive and
manipulate quantum effects (coherence, entanglement) in nanostructures for
transformative technologies” but limited to technologies for unconventional
computing paradigms with the additional requirements as described above.
(b) Development and Workflow Integration of AI/ML Models for Materials and
Chemistry Discovery Science
Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) are opening the door to a new stage of
scientific discovery in materials research, one that goes beyond hypothesis-driven
approaches and enables data-driven insights into complex physical and chemical systems.
Traditional methods struggle when confronted with the inherent complexity and high
dimensionality of strongly correlated, quantum, or multiscale materials. AI/ML can reveal
hidden variables, patterns, and mechanisms that are otherwise inaccessible, redefining the
relationship between theory, computation, and experiment. However, unlike domains with
vast digital resources, materials science faces the challenge of scarcity of data. Experimental
data are often costly to acquire, limited in volume, and heterogeneous in form. To achieve
transformative progress, AI/ML approaches must be explicitly informed by physics and
chemistry. Purely black-box or simulation-only approaches risk overlooking what truly
governs material behavior. The most promising approaches are those that embed scientific
knowledge into model architecture and close the loop with real experiments, ensuring that
predictions are grounded in measurable reality.
This topic invites the development of physics- and chemistry-informed AI/ML methods
designed to address a well-defined, BES-relevant scientific challenge using structured,
multimodal data (analogous to advances such as AlphaFold). Science cases to be addressed
involve the inference of microscopic mechanisms and the prediction of new materials
and/or functionalities related to quantum materials and catalytic systems. Applications
should address one or more of the Priority Research Directions contained in the following
reports: Basic Research Needs for Quantum Materials or Basic Research Needs for Catalysis
Science. Proposed models must be applied and validated on real experimental data, not only
simulated inputs, to demonstrate their capacity to accelerate genuine discovery. While the
central focus is on scientifically informed models, elements of agentic AI, such as large
language model–based problem solvers for connecting data streams, running instruments,
or generating analysis code, may be incorporated to strengthen workflows. The emphasis of
this topic is on developing new AI/ML approaches that combine theoretical and
computational methods with experimental validation, to drastically reduce the time-to-
model from experimental data.
Exclusions: AI/ML models focused on instrument operations through hardware controls;
AI-assisted/automated experiments; digital twins; AI models that reproduce known laws
from existing datasets; AI models focusing on combining existing AI/ML tools; projects
focusing only on demonstrating AI-ready datasets (e.g., data processing, compression, and
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curation).
References:
• Review of ML concepts with examples of applications of ML in chemical and
material physics: “Machine learning and the physical sciences.” G. Carleo, et al., Rev.
Mod. Phys., 91, 045002 (2019). DOI: 10.1103/RevModPhys.91.045002
• Examples of deep learning approaches for extracting Hamiltonian parameters in
quantum materials from neutron, x-ray, and microscopy data.
“Deep learning Hamiltonians from disordered image data in quantum
o
materials.” S. Basak, et al., Phys. Rev. B, 107, 205121 (2023). DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevB.107.205121
“Capturing dynamical correlations using implicit neural representations.” S.
o
R. Chitturi, et al., Nat. Commun., 14, 5852 (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-
41378-4
(c) Emergent Phenomena of Complex Chemical Systems
Emergent phenomena are properties or functions that arise from the collective interactions
of simpler components within a system but cannot be fully understood by examining those
elements in isolation. This topic invites cross-disciplinary research to create, control, and
exploit emergent phenomena and non-equilibrium processes at the molecular level to achieve
transformative advances in the performance of energy-relevant chemical systems. The goal is
to extend conventional concepts in chemical, biochemical, and geochemical processes —
such as well-defined, static structures or minimizing energy conformations — to the
complexity of heterogeneity, metastable states, and evolving architectures. This topic seeks to
advance molecular level understanding of mechanisms and processes that can translate to
knowledge and control of energy relevant processes and chemical phenomena at the system
scale.
Three areas of emphasis involve:
• Elucidating the Role of Dynamics at the Component and Systems Levels. Specific focus
is on understanding how dynamic processes involving energy transduction or
chemical processes across space and time impact systems and their components. These
processes include: stimuli-responsiveness and allostery effects across biotic and abiotic
systems, external and internal field or gradient formation that provide access to non-
equilibrium transient states, and probing the role of energy dissipation and kinetic
asymmetry in influencing system function and behavior.
• Mastering the Science of Component Integration. How components interact and
integrate under far from equilibrium conditions ultimately dictate behavior at the
systems level to facilitate chemical processes. Topics of interest in this space include:
ensemble effects- involving confinement, strain, and others- and their impacts on
systems, how structure and energy transfer at component interfaces affects behavior,
and leveraging co-design of individual elements to enhance properties at a systems
level.
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• Transforming Chemical Manufacturing with Energy-efficient Systems. Exploiting
systems that operate under mild conditions offer the potential to leverage distributed
energy and feedstock resources, generate chemical products near the point of their
consumption, and enable modular strategies that can operate intermittently. This
topic encourages approaches exploiting electrochemical, light-driven, plasma-
mediated, or other non-thermal approaches that could enable the synthesis of
chemicals vital to domestic manufacturing. Combining multiple energy inputs (e.g.
electrochemical and light-driven) in closely coupled cascade reaction schemes is also
within scope.
Exclusions:
• Research based on whole biological cells; however, please note that reaction
pathways that incorporate biochemical or molecular biohybrid components are
within the scope of this topic.
• Projects that predominantly focus on the production of molecular hydrogen.
• Applied research activities with primary focus on device development and
optimization, reactor design, process optimization, or scale-up.
References:
1) The references outline the concepts of system chemistry and emergent phenomena: a)
“Understanding Systems Science: A Visual and Integrative Approach.” A. Hieronymi.
Syst. Res., 30, 580 (2013). DOI: 10.1002/sres.2215; b) “Systems Chemistry” G.
Ashkenasy, T. M. Hermans, S. Otto, and A. F. Taylor, Chem. Soc. Rev., 46, 2543 (2017).
DOI: 10.1039/C7CS00117G.
2) Reviews of biohybrid and bioinspired approaches for the design and synthesis of functional
complex systems: a) “Biohybrid Systems for Improved Bioinspired, Energy-Relevant
Catalysis.” G. Fan, P. Wasuwanich, and A. L. Furst, ChemBioChem., 22, 2353 (2021).
DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100037. b) “ACS Central Science Virtual Issue on Bioinspired
Catalysis.” T. R. Ward; ACS Cent. Sci., 5, 1732 (2019). DOI:
10.1021/acscentsci.9b01045.
3) The manuscript summarizes the international workshop conclusions focused on
stimulated dynamic catalytic processes to shift kinetic boundaries and equilibrium
conditions: “Grand Challenges and Opportunities in Stimulated Dynamic and
Resonant Catalysis.” M. Monai et al., ChemRxiv, (2025) (Accessed September 12,
2025). DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2025-6czq6.
4) The report discusses impacts of fundamental chemical research on manufacturing:
“The Importance of Chemical Research to the U.S. Economy.” NAS Consensus
Report, (2022). DOI: 10.17226/26568.
(d) Fundamental Science for Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM)
Despite wide-scale efforts to increase domestic availability of critical minerals and materials
(CMMs), the United States remains largely dependent on non-domestic resources for CMM
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extraction and processing of these non-fuel elements, materials, minerals, or substances.1 A
contributing factor to this dependence is that fundamental knowledge gaps exist in
understanding related to the chemical and physical mechanisms that underpin selective
CMM isolation, recovery, and chemical conversion for processing compatibility.2,3 This topic
seeks to identify multidisciplinary research opportunities where innovative molecular
mechanisms promote CMM supply chain availability. These advances must consider
relevant source variability and/or mechanisms that result in chemical compounds that are
compatible with supply chain processing needs (i.e., converts a chemically and/or
structurally variable, post-extraction product into a form compatible with processing).
A robust CMM supply chain is characterized by a series of sequential chemical and physical
transformations. Each of these stages poses inherent technical and logistical challenges, and
distinct potential pathways for CMM loss throughout the supply chain. Proposals are
requested in the following areas of emphasis to address these fundamental CMM supply
challenges:
• Controlling the Impacts of Source Heterogeneity in the Initial Isolation of CMM. The
isolation of a CMM involves converting a primary, secondary, or waste feedstock into
a concentrate. This transformation is achieved through a combination of chemical
and physical operations that can isolate the valuable CMM from unwanted material,
increasing CMM concentration. The goal of this emphasis area goes beyond
conventional selectivity and separations processes and aims to uncover unexplored
reactions, structures, and mechanisms (e.g. catalytic conversions, controlled
chemical reactivity, microenvironments) that could more efficiently and universally
convert heterogeneous primary, secondary, or waste feedstock source into
concentrated CMM.
• Exploiting the Dynamics of Non-Linear Emergent System Properties for the Selective
Capture and Release of CMM. The CMM concentrate proceeds to the extraction stage
whereby the CMM is isolated and further concentrated. Ligands and materials are
often used to maximize selectivity during this supply chain step but can also lead to
CMM loss because of poor release. The goal of this emphasis area is to understand
how emergent, non-linear, and dynamic system behaviors can be leveraged to
promote both selectivity and release during the extraction step. For example,
proximity effects can create collective behavior at an interface or within a material
that could be positively leveraged for CMM extraction and/or release.
Unconventional mechanisms of interest include those leveraging non-linear, system
perturbations arising from chemical reactivity as well as dynamic molecular
properties and structure (chirality, asymmetry, vibrational/rotational degrees of
freedom, etc.).
• Advancing Efficient Chemical Conversions for CMM Supply Chain Processing
Compatibility. Finally, the isolated CMM undergoes refinement in processing plants,
whereby additional chemical conversions and separation steps are performed so that
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a purified and usable form of the CMM is achieved. Because domestic processing
capabilities are limited in handling only certain chemical compositions and/or
structures of isolated CMMs, the goal of this emphasis area is to develop biological,
chemical, or physical conversion steps to isolate CMM with specific chemical
compositions and structures3 that are appropriate for industry processes. In doing so,
existing United States processing plants could be utilized for CMM isolates with the
stringent quality specifications that are needed for intended applications.
Exclusions:
• Projects that predominately focus on reprocessing or selectivity optimization of
chemical ligands, membranes, or sorbents.
• Projects that focus on developing CMM alternatives.
• Applied research activities with a primary focus on device development, engineering
challenges, process optimization, reactor design, scale up, or technoeconomic
analyses.
References:
1This report provides DOE’s current definition of CMM as well as describes supply
chain issues: DOE Critical Minerals and Materials Program, “Report to Congress”,
January 2025.
2This reference outlines challenges related to CMM extraction, recovery, and
processing in the US including complexities related to feedstock heterogeneity and
post separation recovery needs: “Meeting Future U.S. Mineral Resource Needs: The
Role of the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program”, Washington, DC:
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2025). DOI:
10.17226/29068.
3This resource outlines current mineral by mineral details about events, trends, and
issues for each mineral commodity as well current domestic industry structure:
“Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025”, US Department of Interior (2025). DOI:
10.3133/mcs2025.
Applications submitted in response to this NOFO must propose fundamental
scientific research within the BES mission-space that addresses one or more of the
Special Topics and/or BES Reports with associated PRDs/PROs listed above.
The focus of the EFRC program is on fundamental scientific research, therefore applications
to this NOFO must not propose applied research and technology development activities. In
addition, the purpose of the EFRC program does not include construction (including new
buildings or additions to existing buildings), and costs for such activities will not be funded
by awards resulting from this NOFO.
Management, Impact, and Output
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The Principal Investigator (PI) on the application will serve as the EFRC Director. Each
EFRC application must identify a single Director; no co-directorship is allowed. The EFRC
Director will serve as the primary contact responsible for communications with the DOE
Program Manager on behalf of all personnel in the EFRC. Successful EFRCs will fully
exploit a “team science” model, working closely together in an integrated, centrally
managed, synergistic center to address a well-defined set of scientific challenges with a clear
focus and well-defined 4-year scientific research goals. EFRCs must include a scientific
advisory committee.
The primary purpose of the EFRCs is to support integrated, multi-disciplinary teams of
researchers performing fundamental science; therefore, dissemination of results through
peer-reviewed publications is expected.
A variety of methods are used to regularly assess the ongoing progress of the EFRC program.
It is anticipated that new EFRCs will undergo a management and operations review during
their first year and that all EFRCs will undergo a progress review approximately half-way
through the funding cycle. These reviews, most likely virtual, may include external peer
reviewers.
Meetings
The selected awardees will be expected to attend principal investigators meetings
anticipated in 2027 and 2029. Applicants should anticipate a need for travel to effectively
communicate with other researchers and request appropriate funding in their budgets.
Multi-Institutional Teams
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.
2 Subawards are made to subrecipients. Both terms are defined in 2 CFR 200.1 (https://www.ecfr.gov)
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DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) National Laboratories3, other
Federal agencies, and another Federal agency’s FFRDCs4, if participating in a team led by
another institution, may be proposed as subrecipients. Note that the value of any such
proposed subaward may be removed from any such prime award. DOE may make separate
awards to Federally affiliated institutions.
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS
Applications for multi-institutional teams must ensure that that the lead institution requests
more funding from DOE than any other team member for each 12-month budget period.
The lead PI of a multi-institutional team must be an employee of the lead institution during
the award period.
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.
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
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/
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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.
C. Award Contribution to Goals and Objectives
Awards resulting from this NOFO are intended to increase our understanding of scientific
phenomena and address scientific challenges requiring an interdisciplinary team approach.
D. Performance Goals
You will be expected to demonstrate progress toward increasing knowledge in periodic
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progress reports, principal investigators’ meetings, a midterm review, and through other
mechanisms.
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
Section 401 of Public Law 115-368, National Quantum Initiative Act
Section 303 of Public Law 115-246, Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act
Section 10102 of Public Law 117-167, CHIPS and Science Act of 2022
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/AwardSearch
External.aspx.
You can learn about the EFRC program history at https://science.osti.gov/bes/efrc/.
I. Other Information
ANTICIPATED AWARD SIZE
The award size will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability
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of appropriated funds.
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
DOE anticipates making awards with a project period of approximately four 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. In
addition, BES will use a midterm progress review to assess the productivity and impact of
each EFRC and progress toward meeting the stated four-year scientific research goals.
Funding for the final year of the four-year project period may be contingent upon
satisfactory completion of the review.
AWARD BUDGET PERIODS
Awards made under this NOFO should use 12-month budget periods. When preparing the
budget request, assume a start date of August 1, 2026.
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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.
Program Manager to select when submitting a pre-application: Robin Hayes.
All questions about the NOFO must be submitted to EFRC@science.doe.gov.
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 will be declined without merit
review.
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:
Title of Pre-application (EFRC Name)
Principal Investigator Name (EFRC Director), Job Title
Lead Institution
PI Phone Number, PI Email Address
NOFO Number: Include the NOFO Number indicated on the cover of this NOFO
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New/Renewal Preapplication5
Include a list of all senior/key personnel at the applicant and partner institutions.
List of partner institutions [if applicable]
The science topics(s) specified in Section III, primarily addressed by the proposed work
using the table listed below.
Special Topic and/or BES Reports with PRD/PROs Addressed*
Special Topic, BRN, or Roundtable Report If a BES Report, PRD/PRO Addressed
* Include all special topics and/or BES reports with PRD/PROs addressed by the pre-
application, listed in priority order, with the primary special topic or BES report with
PRD/PRO listed first followed by any secondary ones that are addressed. The applicable
special topics, and BES reports with PRD/PROs are listed in Section III of this NOFO; no
other should be included here. Each PRD/PRO should be included as a separate line in the
Table, therefore if the pre-application addresses multiple PRD/PROs from a given report,
that report should be listed multiple times.
Applicants should follow the exact format of the sample table because the tabular
information will be compiled across all pre-applications. For purposes of uniformity, an
Excel template is provided through Grants.gov (“Related Documents” tab on the NOFO
page) and should be used in preparing this table, before converting to PDF for inclusion in
the pre-application, as described above. In addition, your science topic Excel spreadsheet
should also be included as an “Additional Attachment” to your pre-application in PAMS.
The material listed here defines the required content of a title page. Additional material is
not allowed.
This information must be followed by a clear and concise description of the mission,
scientific goals, research approaches, and potential scientific impact of the proposed EFRC.
This description must include at least the following elements:
• A statement of the scientific mission of the proposed EFRC;
• An explicit set of four-year research goals designed to support that mission;
• At least one scientific hypothesis or question motivating the proposed work;
• A description of the research methods and approaches that will be used to achieve
5 All DOE/NNSA National Laboratories and universities with a different lead institution must formally submit
their preapplications as “New” in PAMS. However, preapplications from DOE/NNSA National Laboratories or
universities that request additional funding and time for an existing EFRC activity should be marked as
“Renewal” on this Title Page.
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the goals of the EFRC, and how they promote open science;
• An explanation of how the proposed team, capabilities, and/or approach
distinguishes the proposed EFRC from the rest of the community;
• An assessment of the potential scientific impact of the proposed research and the
need for an integrated, multi-disciplinary research team; and
• A discussion of how the proposed research is responsive to the objectives of this
NOFO. Specifically, to be responsive the research must address (1) a priority research
opportunity (PRO) or priority research direction (PRD) in one of the listed BES
Reports; and/or (2) a special topic listed in Section III of this NOFO.
The pre-application may not exceed five pages, when printed using standard letter-size
(8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The body text
font must not be smaller than 11-point. Figures and references, if included, must fit within
the five-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
should be included as an “Additional Attachment” to your pre-application in PAMS, not in
the appendices of the proposal narrative.
The pre-application must be machine-readable. Do not submit a scanned image of a printed
document.
PRE-APPLICATION REVIEW
SC 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:
1. Responsiveness to the objectives of the NOFO as stated in Section III.
2. Scientific and technical merit.
3. Appropriateness of the proposed research approaches.
4. 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 SC priorities
• Ensuring an appropriate balance of activities within SC programs
• Performance under current awards
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• Ensuring a distribution of supported researchers at various career stages and institutions
Any such review will be conducted by no fewer than three subject matter experts under the
direction of Federal program managers chosen for their topical knowledge and breadth of
perspective.
Reviews within a topical field will be a comparative review with priority given to
scientifically innovative and forward-looking basic 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.
Feedback about pre-applications will be provided upon request after award selections have
been announced.
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 EFRC@science.doe.gov if teaming
arrangements, proposed personnel, topics, or the anticipated title change between
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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 from collaborators or from institutions providing access to data, models, software,
equipment and/or facilities may be appended to your Project Narrative and are not
considered part of the Project Narrative’s page limit. Please ensure that letters from
collaborators or from institutions providing 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:”.
Letters of collaboration or access should be placed in Appendix 7 (Other Attachments).
Letters of collaboration or access must not be written as recommendation or endorsement
letters, which are not allowed. Each letter of collaboration or access may contain two and
only two sentences and must use the following format:
Dear <Principal Investigator Name>:
If your application entitled, “<Application Name>,” is selected for funding under the
NOFO Name, it is my intent to collaborate in this research by <Complete Sentence
With a Very Short Description of What the Collaborator Offers to Do or Provide>.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate.
Sincerely,
<Collaborator’s Name and Signature Block>
SCIENTIFIC USER FACILITIES
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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 Assurances6. Applicants are
bound by their representations and certifications in SAM.gov.
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.
6 No separate form or submission is required for the Certifications and Assurances.
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• 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. If the application requests a significant change in the
scope of work, please consult with the Program contact identified in this NOFO to
determine if the application should be considered new or a renewal.
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.
Note that DOE/NNSA National Laboratories or university led EFRCs with a new lead
institution may only submit new applications under this NOFO. National Laboratories or
university led with a new lead institution requesting additional support and time for an
existing activity must include a list of all publications resulting from the existing activity as
an Appendix to the Project Narrative.
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
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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 (EFRC Name), the PI name (EFRC Director), the PI’s institutional
affiliation (lead institution), and any senior/key personnel and their institutional
affiliations (may be grouped by institution).
• This information must be followed by a statement of the center’s mission, four-year
research goals, methods to be employed, and the potential impact of the center (i.e.,
benefits, outcomes).
• The description of the proposed research may not exceed one page (excluding Project
Title and list of investigators with their institutional affiliation) when printed using
standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left,
and right). The body text font must not be smaller than 11 point. Figures and
references, if included, must fit within the one-page limit.
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.
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• 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 (EFRC Name):
• Lead applicant/Institution [must match the pre-application]:
• Street Address/City/State/ZIP:
• Postal Address:
• Lead PI name (EFRC Director), 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: Basic Energy Sciences
• New/Renewal Application7:
• DOE Award Number (if Renewal Application):
• PAMS Pre-application tracking number:
• Research topics as identified in Section III of this NOFO:
Senior/Key Personnel for Lead Institution and All Partner Institutions
Institution Name Senior/Key Personnel including the Director
Institution 1 (Lead) PI A; PI B; PI C; …
Institution 2
Institution #
Summary budget information for lead institution and all partner institutions
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Total
Budget Budget Budget Budget Budget
Institution Name ($) ($) ($) ($) ($)
Institution 1 (Lead organization) $0
Institution 2 $0
Institution # $0
Total Budget $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
* Include all partner institutions, including the lead institution, whether or not the
institution is proposed to receive DOE funds under the award. Include in whole dollars ($)
7 All DOE/NNSA National Laboratories and universities with a different lead institution must formally submit
their preapplications as “New” in Grants.gov. However, preapplications from DOE/NNSA National
Laboratories or universities that request additional funding and time for an existing EFRC activity should be
marked as “Renewal” on this Title Page.
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the budget request in each year for each institution and totals for all rows and columns.
Applicants should follow the exact format of the summary budget table above because the
tabular information will be compiled across all applications. For purposes of uniformity, an
Excel template is provided through Grants.gov (“Related Documents” tab on the NOFO
page) and should be used in preparing the table, before converting to PDF for inclusion in
the application, as described above. This template mirrors the content and formatting of the
sample budget table provided above. Attach this excel file to Field 12 of the Research and
Related Other Project Information Form.
The material listed here defines the required content of the title page(s). Additional material
is not allowed.
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 35 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 body text font of all main text must not be smaller than 11-
point. 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.
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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 particular parts of the project, and the time at which these
activities will take place.
The following organization of the Project Narrative is suggested:
Project Objectives: This section should provide a clear, concise statement of the scientific
mission of the proposed EFRC and identify a set of integrated four-year research goals
designed to support that mission.
Background/Introduction: This section should place the proposed EFRC in the context of
the scientific field in which it would operate by including the following (as well as any other
information deemed important by the applicant):
• Briefly overview the background leading to the application, including any
preliminary studies that are relevant, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and
identify the scientific knowledge gaps that the proposed research is intended to fill.
• Explain the importance of the proposed research described in the application and its
potential scientific impact.
• For renewal applications, include a summary of the research progress made by the
EFRC since the start of the last project period in 2022 that is relevant to the proposed
research (No more than 5 pages). Include an estimate of any remaining funds from
the current project period at its anticipated end. For new applications, applicants
may provide a comparable description of research performed by the senior/key
personnel that is relevant to the proposed research.
• NOTE: DOE strongly encourages renewal applicants to propose innovative research
that builds upon and extends the work that has been done under the current EFRC
award. DOE will not give preference to renewal applications over new applications in
the award selection process.
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Proposed Research and Methods: This section should provide detailed information about
the proposed scientific research for the EFRC and the methods to be employed. It should
present a tightly integrated research program aimed at achieving the four-year scientific
goals. Applicants may determine the detailed content and organization of this section, but
are encouraged to include at least the following information:
• Describe a balanced, comprehensive and unique program of basic research that, as
needed, supports experimental, theoretical, computational, and AI/ML efforts.
Include a description of the science questions and hypotheses to be addressed, a
detailed research plan, any development of new capabilities, an assessment of the
potential scientific impact of the research, and an explanation of how the research
plan is designed to meet the four-year scientific goals of the EFRC.
• Explain how success of the proposed research requires an integrated, collaborative
EFRC approach.
• Describe how the research proposed for the EFRC addresses the (1) special topics;
OR (2) the priority research directions or opportunities identified in one or more of
the reports listed in Section III of this NOFO.
• Describe the role and intellectual contribution of the EFRC Director and all other
senior/key personnel on the application.
• Briefly outline the key resources available to the proposed EFRC with a focus on
plans to develop and/or utilize distinctive facilities, capabilities, data, or approaches
to address the scientific goals.
EFRC Management Plan: This section should provide a clear, substantive overview of the
management and organization of the proposed EFRC. Applicants may determine the
detailed content and organization of this section, but are encouraged to include at least the
following information:
• Describe a strategy and plan for developing and operating the EFRC, establishing
and maintaining an integrated research team, guiding the scientific directions, and
ensuring that the stated scientific research goals are met.
• Define an organizational structure that clearly delineates the roles and
responsibilities of senior/key personnel and describes the means of providing
internal and external oversight and guidance for scientific direction of the research
program, including but not limited to a scientific advisory committee (required),
executive committees, or their equivalent.
• Discuss the relevant experience of the lead organization, the EFRC Director, and
other senior/key personnel in the management of scientific teams for projects of
comparable complexity and magnitude.
• Define mechanisms by which EFRC leadership will periodically evaluate the center’s
progress;
• Define mechanisms by which research thrusts (or their equivalent) within the EFRC
will be reconfigured in response to key scientific challenges, promising
developments, or lack of progress. This includes starting or ending activities;
• Describe processes for oversight of EFRC-generated publications and intellectual
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property.
• Describe plans to ensure substantive engagement and training of early career
scientists in the EFRC.
• Present a plan to meaningfully engage partner institutions.
• Describe mechanisms for information and data sharing within the EFRC.
• Include a brief (less than one page) overview of coordination of pertinent
environmental and safety considerations at each participating institution.
• More information about management of EFRCs can be found in this document:
https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/efrc/pdf/history/other/EFRC-Ref---Good-
Practices-2017-12-v2.pdf
Buy America Preference 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 Preference applies and if they should consider the
application of the Buy America Preference 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 Preference.
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-
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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 below instructions 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 necessary 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 and do
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not count towards the page limits listed above. Please provide the Facility and Other
Resource information as an appendix to your Project Narrative.
• This appendix should be no more than one page per institution when printed using
standard letter-size (8.5-inch x 11-inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left,
and right). If an institution has six or more senior/key personnel responses should be
no more than two pages for that institution. In many cases, responses will be much
shorter.
• 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 existing equipment planned for use in this project and, if appropriate
identify location and pertinent capabilities. Provide the Equipment information as an
appendix to your Project Narrative.
• This appendix should be no more than one page per 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). In many cases, responses will be much shorter.
• 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. Subject to the applicable cost principles, applications may request costs necessary
for implementing the DMSP.
• This appendix should not exceed a page limit of four 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)8 principles will apply to
8 Wilkinson, M. D. et al. The FAIR Guiding Principles for Scientific Data Management and Stewardship. Sci.
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the anticipated data sets, software9, and models10 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/).
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 (*).
Data
3:160018, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.18
9 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
10 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
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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: 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.
APPENDIX 8: “RENEWALS” OF DOE/NNSA NATIONAL LABORATORIES OR EFRCS WITH A NEW
LEAD INSTITUTION
If a DOE/NNSA National Laboratory or EFRC with a new lead institution submits an
application that seeks to extend the performance of current work, provide a detailed listing
of all publications and other products derived from the current work. These applications
must be submitted as a new application in PAMS/Grants.gov. Therefore, the publications
and other products will not be automatically collected and attached to the application by
PAMS. The listing may be provided in any scholarly bibliographic format.
• 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
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Narrative file.
• These appendices will not count toward the Project Narrative’s page limitation.
• 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.
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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.
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 does not contradict 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
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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.
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.
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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
Your application must include the following items:
Name of Document Format Attach to
SF 424 (R&R) Form N/A
RESEARCH AND RELATED Other
Form N/A
Project Information
Project Summary/Abstract PDF Field 7
Project Narrative, including required
PDF Field 8
appendices
Identification of Merit Review Conflicts File Field 12
RESEARCH & RELATED
Senior/Key Person Profile Form N/A
(Expanded)
RESEARCH & RELATED BUDGET Form N/A
Budget Justification PDF Field L
R&R SUBAWARD BUDGET
ATTACHMENT(S) FORM (if Form N/A
applicable)
Subaward Budget Justification (if Field L of the
PDF
applicable) subaward budget
PROJECT/PERFORMANCE SITE
Form N/A
LOCATION(S)
SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Form N/A
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Name of Document Format Attach to
Activities, if applicable
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.
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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 Listings11
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.
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.
11 The Assistance Listings were formerly known as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA).
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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
Pre-applications must be submitted in PAMS at https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov.
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-
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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 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 EFRC@science.doe.gov to discuss the option of a late
submission. Contacting EFRC@science.doe.gov 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.
If a clerical error by administrative staff results in an incomplete submission of a pre-
application or application, an authorized institutional official may appeal to correct its error
by emailing EFRC@science.doe.gov within 48 business hours of the deadline. This grant of
leniency is at DOE’s sole discretion.
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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 pre-application, 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 six criteria, the first four of which are of equal importance and will be
weighted more heavily than the final two:
• 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;
• Strength of the EFRC Management Plan;
• Appropriateness of the Data Management and Sharing Plan; and
• Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget
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:
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 balanced and comprehensive is the basic research plan presented in the application
and to what extent does it support experimental, theoretical, computational, and AI/ML
efforts?
• How does the proposed work compare with other efforts in its field, both in terms of
scientific and/or technical merit and originality?
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[Document continues — 76 more pages]

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> Download XLSX file: EFRC NOFO Budget Template 2026.xlsx

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> Download XLSX file: EFRC Science Topics NOFO Template 2026.xlsx