Bridging Research Interactions through Collaborative Development Grants in Energy (BRIDGE) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): BRIDGE Collaborative Development Grants in Energy (BRIDGE)

1) What is the BRIDGE funding opportunity?

Bridging Research Interactions through Collaborative Development Grants in Energy (BRIDGE) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity designed to accelerate progress on key solar energy technology challenges by connecting researchers, methods, and facilities that do not typically work together in routine academic or laboratory research.

2) What is the official funding opportunity number (FOA number)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0000654.

3) Which DOE office administers this FOA?

This FOA is administered by DOE's Golden Field Office.

4) What is the CFDA program associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 81.087, Renewable Energy Research and Development.

5) What initiative is BRIDGE intended to support?

BRIDGE was created to support the SunShot Initiative by expanding both the range of disciplines and the level of expertise applied to solar energy technology challenges.

6) Which solar technology areas are specifically targeted?

BRIDGE focuses on solar energy challenges in photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP).

7) What is the main purpose of BRIDGE in practical terms?

The program is meant to push forward PV and CSP device and system design by deliberately linking researchers and capabilities that are not always connected during normal research activities, with the goal of accelerating progress toward solar technology impact.

8) What is the core program concept behind BRIDGE?

BRIDGE uses a two-part "linking" approach: (1) funding new Collaborative Research Teams (CRTs) and their work, and (2) encouraging purposeful use of existing DOE research infrastructure and expertise, particularly resources housed in DOE Office of Science environments.

9) What is a Collaborative Research Team (CRT) in this FOA?

A CRT is a newly formed team supported by BRIDGE that is expected to share a clear, coherent scientific goal while bringing diverse but complementary methods, such as theoretical modeling, advanced computation, and experimental work.

10) What kinds of methods and capabilities are CRTs expected to combine?

The FOA emphasizes complementary approaches such as theoretical modeling, advanced computation, and experimental research working together under a single coherent scientific goal.

11) Does BRIDGE encourage use of existing DOE research facilities and resources?

Yes. BRIDGE explicitly encourages teams to leverage DOE research infrastructure and expertise, particularly in DOE Office of Science environments.

12) Which DOE Office of Science resources are highlighted as potential leverage points?

The FOA highlights potential leverage of DOE Basic Energy Sciences (BES) Scientific User Facilities, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) associated with Biological and Environmental Research (BER), and capabilities supported by Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR).

13) What is DOE trying to achieve by emphasizing connections among people, tools, and facilities?

The FOA emphasizes strengthening U.S. national capability by connecting researchers with specialized tools and facilities that can accelerate progress on PV and CSP challenges.

14) Were there key clarifications added through amendments?

Yes. DOE issued amendments that included process updates and responsiveness clarifications, including a notable clarification about the expected translational nature of proposed projects.

15) What does "near term translational character for solar technologies" mean in the context of this FOA?

DOE added language stating that projects must have "near term translational character for solar technologies," signaling that proposed work should have a credible nearer-term pathway toward practical PV or CSP technology impact, rather than being purely exploratory with no plausible connection to translation.

16) Did DOE change any language related to projects with no translational character?

Yes. Language that had referred to projects "with no translational character" was removed, reinforcing that responsiveness depends on having a credible, nearer-term connection to PV or CSP technology outcomes.

17) Was a Project Management Plan (PMP) required?

Yes. DOE updated application requirements to add a Project Management Plan (PMP) as a required document.

18) How was the PMP supposed to be submitted?

The PMP was required to be submitted as an addendum to the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO).

19) Did DOE provide guidance for the SOPO and PMP?

Yes. DOE posted new instructions and examples for both the SOPO and PMP in EERE Exchange.

20) Were the FOA appendices updated?

Yes. DOE updated appendices, including revising a table heading from "National Laboratory" to "Eligible SC User Facility," adding a row for "Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing," and adding an appendix describing informational webinars planned for prospective applicants.

21) Was a Letter of Intent (LOI) required?

The LOI requirement changed across amendments. Amendment 002 made the LOI mandatory as an eligibility prerequisite, but Amendment 003 superseded that and made the LOI optional again.

22) If the LOI became optional, did DOE still want applicants to submit one?

Yes. Even though Amendment 003 made the LOI optional for eligibility, DOE still requested that applicants submit an LOI as soon as possible to help the agency plan the merit review process.

23) What was the full application deadline?

The full application deadline was May 21, 2012, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

24) When did the opportunity archive?

The opportunity ultimately archived on June 20, 2012.

25) How were applications required to be submitted?

Submissions had to be made electronically through the EERE Exchange website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.

26) Do applicants need an EERE Exchange account?

Yes. Applicants needed to register and create an Exchange account before submitting an application.

27) Did DOE provide instructions for using EERE Exchange?

Yes. DOE provided an Exchange user guide to help applicants navigate the submission process.

28) Who was eligible to apply?

The opportunity was listed as open to unrestricted eligible applicants, meaning it was broadly open to entity types, subject to any FOA-specific clarifications.

29) Was cost sharing or matching required?

Yes. The opportunity required cost sharing or matching.

30) What type of funding instrument was used?

The funding instrument used for this opportunity was a grant.

31) What were the award floor and ceiling amounts?

In the summarized dataset, the award floor and ceiling values were shown as 0. Applicants were expected to rely on the full FOA for the actual funding structure, anticipated award sizes, number of awards, and any topic-specific constraints.

32) Where can applicants find the full FOA and amendments?

The full FOA and any highlighted amendment changes were available via EERE Exchange.

33) Where should questions or access issues be directed?

Questions and access issues were directed to the BRIDGE FOA mailbox at SunShotBRIDGEFOA@go.doe.gov.

34) What is the overall theme DOE emphasized for strong applications?

Based on the description provided, DOE emphasized deliberate collaboration across complementary disciplines, purposeful use of DOE Office of Science resources (including user facilities and advanced computing capabilities), and a credible near-term translational connection to PV or CSP technology outcomes.