Science Foundations for Energy Earthshots | DE FOA 0003003

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003003

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science is seeking grant applications under the funding opportunity titled Science Foundations for Energy Earthshots (DE-FOA-0003003). The core purpose of this opportunity is to fund basic research that strengthens the scientific underpinnings needed to achieve DOE's Energy Earthshots initiative, a department-wide effort aimed at delivering major clean energy breakthroughs on aggressive timelines. The Earthshots concept is built around setting clear, ambitious targets for cost, performance, and deployment, then aligning research and development across DOE programs to make those targets achievable. In practice, this FOA is meant to support early-stage, foundational science that can unlock future technology progress, rather than late-stage product development.

The opportunity is framed as part of an "all-hands-on-deck" approach that links DOE's basic science portfolio with applied energy technology offices to tackle difficult technical barriers standing in the way of U.S. climate and economic competitiveness goals. It explicitly connects to broader federal planning documents on innovation needs for meeting 2050 climate objectives and transportation decarbonization strategies, signaling that DOE is looking for research that can eventually translate into real-world clean energy impact. While the FOA does not list specific technical topics in the excerpt provided, the intent is to generate the scientific knowledge, tools, and validated understanding that Earthshot-aligned technology pathways will rely on, such as new materials behavior, chemical and physical mechanisms, measurement and characterization methods, modeling capabilities, or other fundamental advances that reduce uncertainty and open new design space.

DOE indicates the FOA will support small teams, which implies proposals should be tightly scoped, highly collaborative, and focused on a compelling scientific bottleneck whose resolution would meaningfully advance one or more Earthshot goals. The emphasis on "building the scientific foundations" suggests reviewers will likely look for a strong basic research question, a clear explanation of why it is a limiting factor for Earthshot progress, a credible plan for producing broadly useful scientific outcomes, and deliverables that enable subsequent applied R and D or scale-up efforts.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the DOE Office of Science, categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA number 81.049. The funding instruments include grants and potentially other mechanisms. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility language in the full announcement. The FOA was created March 21, 2023, with an original application closing date of June 21, 2023. DOE anticipated making about 25 awards, with an award ceiling listed at $6,000,000, indicating that some projects could be funded at a multi-million-dollar level depending on scope, duration, and program fit.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as DOE Office of Science investing in the basic science that makes ambitious clean energy cost and performance targets realistic. Competitive applications would connect a high-impact fundamental research plan to Earthshot needs, show why a small, focused team can deliver decisive advances, and articulate how the resulting scientific insights, datasets, methods, or models would accelerate progress toward abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy solutions.

• The Department of Energy - Office of Science, Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Science Foundations for Energy Earthshots" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 21, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 21, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0003003

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