Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000368
Apply for DE FOA 0000368
- The Chicago Service Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Genomic Science and Technology for Energy and the Environment" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049 Office of Science Financial Assistance Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 20, 2010 and posted on May 20, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 10, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $10,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 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.
- All types of entities are eligible to apply, except other Federal agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) Contractors, and nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), offered this grant opportunity to fund genomics-driven research that directly supports DOE missions in energy production and environmental stewardship. The call sits within BER's Genomics Science Program and is aimed at projects that use modern genomics and systems biology to explain, predict, and ultimately harness biological functions that matter for bioenergy, biogeochemical cycling, and environmental processes. A notable feature of the announcement is its explicit encouragement of innovative, higher-risk ideas, as long as the potential payoff is high and the proposed work addresses important knowledge gaps.
The opportunity organizes its scientific interests into three main research areas. The first area, Microbial Environmental Processes, focuses on building a systems-level understanding of what microbes and microbial communities are doing in the environment and why. The emphasis is on linking what happens inside cells (metabolic pathways, regulation, and functional networks within individual species) to what happens outside cells in real-world settings (their measurable biogeochemical activities). In practical terms, this area targets research that can connect microbial genetics and metabolism to outcomes such as nutrient transformations, carbon cycling, and other environmental processes where microbial consortia act as drivers of ecosystem-scale chemistry.
The second area, Microbial and Plant Processes for Bioenergy, targets fundamental and applied systems biology relevant to biofuel production. This includes work on plants and microbes that can improve understanding of how biomass is produced, deconstructed, and converted into fuels. The announcement explicitly mentions lignocellulosic biomass, which signals interest in the biology and chemistry of plant cell walls and the biological machinery needed to break them down efficiently. It also calls out microbial synthesis of advanced biofuels, pointing to research on metabolic pathways and engineered or naturally capable microbes that can produce next-generation fuel molecules beyond traditional ethanol, as well as the systems-level understanding needed to make those processes robust and scalable.
The third area, Characterizing Key Molecular Species, Events, and Multicellular Processes for Genomic Science, is more technology-forward and methods-oriented. It seeks new and innovative approaches to characterize biological processes and networks at multiple biological scales, including subcellular, cellular, and multicellular levels. The intent is to enable deeper and more precise measurements of how genomic information translates into function, interaction, and emergent behavior across cells and tissues. This area is designed to fill critical capability gaps, and it explicitly welcomes exploratory, high-risk approaches that could substantially change what genomic science can measure and infer.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, this was a discretionary DOE grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000368) under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049). DOE anticipated making about 25 awards, with an estimated total funding level of $10,000,000. Individual awards were expected to fall between $250,000 (floor) and $750,000 (ceiling). No cost sharing or matching was required, which generally lowers barriers for applicants and signals DOE's intent to directly support the proposed R&D effort.
Eligibility was broadly open to many entity types, with a few specific exclusions: other Federal agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995. The opportunity was posted on May 20, 2010, and applications were due September 10, 2010, with the announcement later archived on December 10, 2010. The administering agency office listed is the Chicago Service Center, and the announcement provided points of contact for both grants management and programmatic questions, including Kimberlie J. Laing (Grant Analyst) and Arthur M. Katz (Program Manager).
Overall, the grant opportunity is best understood as a targeted investment in genomics and systems biology that can explain complex biological function in environmentally and energetically relevant contexts, while also pushing measurement and characterization technologies forward. It encourages applicants to propose ambitious, potentially transformative research, with DOE explicitly stating that it will weigh the risk-reward tradeoff as part of its funding decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is this funding opportunity?
This is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science funding opportunity offered through the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), within BER's Genomics Science Program. It supports genomics-driven research that directly advances DOE missions in energy production and environmental stewardship.
2) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) for this grant?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0000368.
3) What program and CFDA is this opportunity associated with?
The opportunity is under the DOE Office of Science Financial Assistance Program, CFDA 81.049.
4) What kinds of research does this FOA aim to fund?
The FOA is aimed at projects using modern genomics and systems biology to explain, predict, and ultimately harness biological functions relevant to bioenergy, biogeochemical cycling, and environmental processes. The work should address important knowledge gaps and align with DOE energy and environmental stewardship missions.
5) Does the FOA encourage high-risk, high-reward proposals?
Yes. A notable feature of the announcement is its explicit encouragement of innovative, higher-risk ideas, provided the potential payoff is high and the work targets important knowledge gaps. DOE stated it will consider the risk-reward tradeoff as part of funding decisions.
6) What are the main research areas supported by this opportunity?
The FOA organizes scientific interests into three main research areas: (1) Microbial Environmental Processes, (2) Microbial and Plant Processes for Bioenergy, and (3) Characterizing Key Molecular Species, Events, and Multicellular Processes for Genomic Science.
7) What is the focus of the Microbial Environmental Processes area?
This area focuses on building a systems-level understanding of what microbes and microbial communities do in the environment and why. It emphasizes connecting inside-the-cell biology (metabolic pathways, regulation, and functional networks) to measurable real-world biogeochemical activities, such as nutrient transformations and carbon cycling driven by microbial consortia.
8) What types of outcomes or impacts are relevant to Microbial Environmental Processes projects?
Projects in this area are expected to link microbial genetics and metabolism to ecosystem-relevant outcomes, including nutrient transformations, carbon cycling, and other environmental processes where microbial communities drive large-scale chemistry.
9) What is the focus of the Microbial and Plant Processes for Bioenergy area?
This area targets fundamental and applied systems biology relevant to biofuel production. It includes work on plants and microbes to improve understanding of how biomass is produced, deconstructed, and converted into fuels.
10) Does the FOA specifically mention lignocellulosic biomass?
Yes. The announcement explicitly mentions lignocellulosic biomass, signaling interest in the biology and chemistry of plant cell walls and in biological machinery for efficient biomass breakdown.
11) Does the FOA support research on microbial synthesis of advanced biofuels?
Yes. The FOA calls out microbial synthesis of advanced biofuels, including research on metabolic pathways and microbes (engineered or naturally capable) that can produce next-generation fuel molecules beyond traditional ethanol, as well as the systems-level understanding needed for robust and scalable processes.
12) What is the focus of the Characterizing Key Molecular Species, Events, and Multicellular Processes area?
This area is technology- and methods-oriented. It seeks new and innovative approaches to characterize biological processes and networks at multiple scales (subcellular, cellular, and multicellular), enabling more precise measurement of how genomic information translates into function, interaction, and emergent behavior across cells and tissues.
13) Is the third research area also open to exploratory approaches?
Yes. It explicitly welcomes exploratory, high-risk approaches intended to fill critical capability gaps and potentially change what genomic science can measure and infer.
14) How many awards did DOE anticipate making?
DOE anticipated making about 25 awards.
15) What was the estimated total funding available under this FOA?
The estimated total funding level was $10,000,000.
16) What is the expected funding range for individual awards?
Individual awards were expected to range from $250,000 (floor) to $750,000 (ceiling).
17) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states that no cost sharing or matching was required.
18) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broadly open to many entity types, with specific exclusions. The FOA indicates that the opportunity was not open to other Federal agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors, and certain 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.
19) Which organizations are explicitly excluded from applying?
Excluded entities include: other Federal agencies; FFRDC contractors; and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.
20) When was the FOA posted and when were applications due?
The opportunity was posted on May 20, 2010, and applications were due on September 10, 2010.
21) Is this opportunity still active?
No. The announcement was later archived on December 10, 2010.
22) Which DOE office administered this opportunity?
The administering agency office listed for this FOA is the Chicago Service Center.
23) Who were the points of contact listed for this FOA?
The FOA provided contacts for both grants management and programmatic questions, including Kimberlie J. Laing (Grant Analyst) and Arthur M. Katz (Program Manager).
24) What is the overarching purpose of DOE's investment through this FOA?
Overall, the FOA represents a targeted investment in genomics and systems biology to explain complex biological function in energy- and environment-relevant contexts, while also advancing measurement and characterization technologies that can enable new capabilities in genomic science.
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