Commercial Domestic Production of Moly-99 without the Use of Highly Enriched Uranium | DE FOA 0002303

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002303

This funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002303) comes from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, specifically the Office of Material Management and Minimization (NA-23). Its goal is to strengthen and secure the domestic supply of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) by supporting commercial-scale production in the United States that does not rely on highly enriched uranium (HEU). Mo-99 is a critical precursor used to generate technetium-99m, which is widely used in medical imaging, so the program is aimed at improving both public health resilience and nuclear security by moving away from HEU-based production pathways.

The agency is looking for proposals from commercial entities that are ready to produce Mo-99 at true commercial scale, not early-stage research. A central requirement is that the applicant's approach must be capable of producing and selling at least 1,500 6-day curies (6-day Ci) per week of Mo-99 to the U.S. market on or before December 31, 2023. In addition to hitting that minimum production and sales threshold, applicants must also show they have the capability and a credible plan to scale up further to 3,000 6-day Ci per week. The emphasis on "produce and sell" is important: DOE/NNSA is not trying to fund laboratory development or speculative R&D here, but rather to push projects that can realistically reach operational output and market delivery on a defined timeline.

Awards are planned as Cooperative Agreements, which typically means substantial federal involvement or oversight during the project as compared to a standard grant. The federal government may provide up to $35 million total under this FOA, potentially split among one or more awards. The posted source data also notes an expectation of multiple awards (listed as 10), but DOE/NNSA explicitly reserves broad discretion to fund some, all, partially fund, or fund none of the submissions depending on merit and available appropriations. They also reserve the right to make awards with or without discussions, meaning an applicant should not assume there will be a negotiation phase to fix gaps after submission.

Cost sharing is a major structural feature. These Cooperative Agreements require a 50/50 federal and non-federal cost share, meaning every recipient must match the federal contribution dollar-for-dollar. This is not optional; it is driven by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Section 988 (42 U.S.C. 16352). Just as important, the statute bars applicants from counting future sales revenue (for example, proceeds from selling Mo-99 generated by the project) as part of the required non-federal match. The match must come from non-federal sponsors and must be credibly committed up front. To enforce that, investor letters of commitment are required as part of the application to demonstrate that matching funds are actually available. While repayment of the federal share is not required as a condition of the award, failing to meet cost share rules or relying on prohibited sources of match makes an application ineligible.

The project period is set for three years from the date of award, with funding beginning at or near award. DOE/NNSA also indicates it may set a maximum funding ceiling before or after award, so the final budget structure could be constrained even if an applicant proposes a larger scope. Because awards depend on available funds and because acceptance for review does not guarantee an award, applicants are expected to present a complete, compliant, and well-supported plan that stands on its own merits.

Eligibility is limited to for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding within the energy activity category (CFDA 81.009). The application deadline was September 30, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, and the FOA stresses that late applications will not be considered for any reason, including technical submission problems. Applicants were explicitly warned to submit early and to follow the application instructions carefully, because incomplete applications or missing forms would be rejected without evaluation. DOE/NNSA also states it does not intend to reissue the FOA, so missing the window would mean losing that specific chance to compete for this funding. Finally, if a Cooperative Agreement were terminated after award, DOE/NNSA reserved the option to consider other qualified candidates from the same FOA for possible selection, reinforcing the idea that the agency wants to ensure the program ultimately results in real domestic production capacity.

• The Department of Energy, NNSA in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Commercial Domestic Production of Moly-99 without the Use of Highly Enriched Uranium" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.009.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 31, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 2020 Submission Deadline for Applications September 30. 2020, 1159 pm ET. (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 $35,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: For profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for DE FOA 0002303

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: