Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002254
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science is offering a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Research to Enable Fuels From Sunlight" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002254) to support early-stage, fundamental research aimed at advancing liquid solar fuels through artificial photosynthesis. The focus is on multi-investigator, cross-disciplinary projects that tackle both long-standing scientific barriers and newly emerging research directions in the field. Awards will be made as cooperative agreements, which typically means DOE expects an active partnership role during the project rather than a hands-off grant structure.
At its core, the opportunity targets the science needed to convert sunlight into chemical energy stored in liquid fuels. Artificial photosynthesis is often defined narrowly as using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make fuels, but this FOA intentionally broadens the concept to include other abundant feedstocks beyond carbon dioxide, with nitrogen given as an example. Even with that broader definition, the central requirement stays the same: the work must be fundamentally about solar-driven conversion processes that form chemical bonds leading to liquid fuel products. The program is not framed as a late-stage scale-up or demonstration effort; it is meant to uncover and clarify the underlying scientific principles that would enable future technologies.
A major organizing feature of this FOA is alignment with the highest-priority scientific needs identified by the 2019 Liquid Solar Fuels Roundtable. Applicants are expected to build their proposed research around the Priority Research Opportunities (PROs) laid out in the 2019 Liquid Solar Fuels Roundtable Report. In practical terms, proposals need to show a clear line of sight from the proposed fundamental studies to one or more of those community-defined priorities, rather than pursuing disconnected or purely incremental work.
DOE also emphasizes leveraging and extending capabilities created through prior Basic Energy Sciences (BES) investments, including efforts associated with the Fuels from Sunlight Hub, Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs), and BES core programs. The idea is to build on proven strengths, instrumentation, teams, and conceptual advances already developed in the DOE ecosystem, while pushing into the next set of foundational challenges. Another explicit expectation is strong integration of experiment and theory, with the goal of elucidating the scientific rules governing light capture, charge and energy transfer, catalysis, and the conversion of that captured energy into stable chemical bonds in fuel molecules.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a DOE Office of Science (Office of Science, Office of Science) opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category (CFDA 81.049). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full FOA text. The FOA was created on February 19, 2020, with an original closing date of May 27, 2020. The maximum award size is up to $20,000,000, and DOE anticipated making about two awards, suggesting a small number of relatively large, team-based projects rather than many smaller individual investigator grants.Apply for DE FOA 0002254
- 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 "Research to Enable Fuels From Sunlight" 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 Feb 19, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 27, 2020. (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 $20,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Research to Enable Fuels From Sunlight (DE-FOA-0002254)
What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is titled Research to Enable Fuels From Sunlight.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The FOA number is DE-FOA-0002254.
Which DOE office is sponsoring this opportunity?
This opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science.
What kind of research is DOE seeking to fund?
DOE is seeking to fund early-stage, fundamental research that advances the science needed to produce liquid solar fuels through artificial photosynthesis, specifically research that clarifies the underlying scientific principles rather than late-stage development or demonstrations.
What is the overall goal of the research supported by this FOA?
The overall goal is to advance the science for converting sunlight into chemical energy stored in liquid fuels, including understanding and enabling the solar-driven processes that form chemical bonds leading to liquid fuel products.
How does this FOA define "artificial photosynthesis"?
The FOA uses an intentionally broadened concept of artificial photosynthesis. While artificial photosynthesis is often narrowly described as using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make fuels, this FOA expands the concept to include other abundant feedstocks beyond carbon dioxide, with nitrogen provided as an example.
Are applicants required to use carbon dioxide as a feedstock?
No. The FOA indicates that the concept is broadened to include feedstocks beyond carbon dioxide. However, the work must still be fundamentally about solar-driven conversion processes that form chemical bonds leading to liquid fuel products.
What is the central scientific requirement of proposed projects?
Projects must be fundamentally focused on solar-driven conversion processes that create chemical bonds resulting in liquid fuel products. The emphasis is on uncovering the science needed to enable future technologies.
Is this opportunity intended for technology scale-up or demonstration projects?
No. The FOA is described as supporting early-stage, fundamental research and is not framed as a late-stage scale-up or demonstration effort.
What project team structure does DOE emphasize?
DOE emphasizes multi-investigator, cross-disciplinary projects. The FOA is oriented toward team-based efforts that can address both long-standing scientific barriers and emerging research directions.
How many awards does DOE expect to make?
DOE anticipated making about two awards, indicating a small number of large, team-based projects.
What is the maximum award size?
The maximum award size is up to $20,000,000.
What award instrument will DOE use?
Awards will be made as cooperative agreements.
What does it mean that awards are "cooperative agreements"?
A cooperative agreement typically means DOE expects an active partnership role during the project rather than a hands-off grant arrangement. In practice, this implies more ongoing involvement by DOE compared to a standard grant.
What scientific priorities should proposals align with?
Proposals are expected to align with the highest-priority scientific needs identified by the 2019 Liquid Solar Fuels Roundtable and to build around the Priority Research Opportunities (PROs) described in the 2019 Liquid Solar Fuels Roundtable Report.
Do proposals need to explicitly connect to the 2019 Liquid Solar Fuels Roundtable PROs?
Yes. The FOA expects proposals to show a clear line of sight from the proposed fundamental studies to one or more of the Roundtable's Priority Research Opportunities (PROs), rather than pursuing disconnected or purely incremental work.
What does DOE mean by leveraging prior BES investments?
The FOA emphasizes leveraging and extending capabilities created through prior Basic Energy Sciences (BES) investments, including efforts associated with the Fuels from Sunlight Hub, Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs), and BES core programs. The intent is to build on existing instrumentation, teams, and conceptual advances while tackling the next foundational scientific challenges.
Is integration of experiment and theory important for this FOA?
Yes. DOE explicitly expects strong integration of experiment and theory, aimed at elucidating the scientific rules governing key processes in liquid solar fuels research.
What kinds of scientific processes does DOE want projects to help explain or enable?
The FOA highlights the need to elucidate the scientific rules governing light capture, charge and energy transfer, catalysis, and the conversion of captured energy into stable chemical bonds in fuel molecules.
What is the CFDA number and category for this opportunity?
The opportunity is in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category under CFDA 81.049.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications contained in the full FOA text.
When was the FOA created and what was the original closing date?
The FOA was created on February 19, 2020, and the original closing date was May 27, 2020.
Does this FOA focus more on incremental improvements or on major foundational barriers?
The FOA emphasizes tackling long-standing scientific barriers as well as newly emerging research directions, with proposals expected to be meaningfully connected to community-defined Priority Research Opportunities rather than being purely incremental.
Is the program focused on creating new DOE research capacity or building on existing capacity?
The FOA explicitly encourages building on and extending existing DOE ecosystem capabilities developed through BES investments (for example, the Fuels from Sunlight Hub and EFRC-related efforts), while pushing into new foundational challenges.
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