Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001412
Apply for DE FOA 0001412
- The DOE-GFO in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATIONS" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 10, 2015 and posted on Dec 10, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Varies by Area of Interest. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 18 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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Opportunity Summary:
The Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and its Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO), is offering funding under the opportunity titled HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATIONS (Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0001412). The program is designed to push hydrogen and fuel cell technologies forward in a practical, technology-neutral way, meaning it is focused on solving real technical and market barriers rather than backing a single preferred pathway. The underlying goal is to enable clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy that can be produced from diverse domestic resources, while improving energy security and reducing criteria pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
This FOA supports a broad slice of the FCTO mission, spanning applied research, development, demonstration, and analysis. It targets both technical challenges and non-technical barriers that can slow adoption. On the technical side, the emphasis includes hydrogen production, hydrogen delivery, and hydrogen storage, along with improvements to fuel cell systems themselves. On the institutional side, it also recognizes that codes, standards, and related implementation hurdles are part of what determines whether these technologies can be deployed at scale, so proposals may also address those kinds of cross-cutting barriers depending on the specific Area of Interest.
The funding is organized into four Areas of Interest (AOIs), each with its own focus and, importantly, its own rules and timelines. AOI 1 is centered on research and development for hydrogen fuel technologies, which generally means advancing the underlying science and engineering needed to improve performance, reduce cost, and overcome key technical bottlenecks across hydrogen production, delivery, and storage. AOI 2 shifts toward demonstration and deployment activities tied to manufacturing technologies and the Climate Action Champions theme, indicating a stronger emphasis on showing solutions working in real-world conditions, building manufacturing capability, and supporting practical adoption. AOI 3 focuses on research and development conducted within consortia, specifically around fuel cell performance and durability and hydrogen storage materials, which points to coordinated, multi-organization efforts aimed at tackling longer-term or more complex challenges that benefit from shared facilities, shared data, and complementary expertise. AOI 4 supports cost and performance analyses across hydrogen production and delivery, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells, reflecting the DOE need for rigorous techno-economic analysis and performance modeling to guide R and D priorities and inform stakeholders about realistic pathways to scale.
Awards are expected to be made as cooperative agreements, which typically means DOE expects substantial involvement during the project period (for example, active project management, technical direction, milestone reviews, and coordination on reporting and deliverables). The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding in the energy category under CFDA 81.087. The published award ceiling is up to $3,000,000 per award, and DOE anticipates making about 18 awards, though actual amounts, project scopes, and totals can vary by AOI and by the strength and relevance of proposed work.
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the competition is broadly open to many entity types, as long as they meet any clarifications and conditions described in the FOA and the specific AOI documentation. A key point in this announcement is that submission schedules, cost-sharing requirements, whether a concept paper is required, and other applicant requirements vary by AOI. In practice, that means an applicant cannot rely on a single uniform set of instructions for the whole FOA; they need to identify the AOI that best fits their project and then follow that AOIs specific rules for deadlines, required pre-application materials, eligibility nuances, and cost share.
Applications must be submitted through EERE eXCHANGE, DOE EEREs online application portal, and applicants need to register there in order to submit materials. The FOA was originally posted on December 10, 2015, and both the original and current closing dates are listed as varying by Area of Interest, reinforcing that each AOI runs on its own schedule. For full details, including the AOI-specific documents and the exact submission requirements, applicants are directed to the EERE eXCHANGE listing at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATIONS.
2) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0001412.
3) Which DOE offices are offering this funding?
This funding is offered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and its Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO).
4) What is the overall purpose of this FOA?
The program is designed to push hydrogen and fuel cell technologies forward in a practical, technology-neutral way. It focuses on solving real technical and market barriers rather than promoting a single preferred pathway.
5) What broader goals is DOE trying to achieve through this program?
The stated goals include enabling clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy produced from diverse domestic resources, while improving energy security and reducing criteria pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
6) What kinds of activities does this FOA support (research, development, demonstrations, etc.)?
This FOA supports a broad range of FCTO mission work, including applied research, development, demonstration, and analysis.
7) What topic areas does the FOA emphasize on the technical side?
Technical emphasis includes hydrogen production, hydrogen delivery, hydrogen storage, and improvements to fuel cell systems.
8) Does the FOA address non-technical barriers too?
Yes. In addition to technical challenges, the FOA recognizes that non-technical barriers can slow adoption. It notes cross-cutting issues such as codes, standards, and related implementation hurdles, depending on the specific Area of Interest.
9) How is the funding organized?
The FOA is organized into four Areas of Interest (AOIs). Each AOI has its own focus and its own rules and timelines.
10) What is Area of Interest (AOI) 1 about?
AOI 1 focuses on research and development for hydrogen fuel technologies, generally advancing science and engineering to improve performance, reduce cost, and overcome key technical bottlenecks across hydrogen production, delivery, and storage.
11) What is Area of Interest (AOI) 2 about?
AOI 2 shifts toward demonstration and deployment activities tied to manufacturing technologies and the Climate Action Champions theme. It emphasizes showing solutions in real-world conditions, building manufacturing capability, and supporting practical adoption.
12) What is Area of Interest (AOI) 3 about?
AOI 3 focuses on research and development conducted within consortia, specifically around fuel cell performance and durability and hydrogen storage materials. This points to coordinated, multi-organization efforts that may leverage shared facilities, shared data, and complementary expertise.
13) What is Area of Interest (AOI) 4 about?
AOI 4 supports cost and performance analyses across hydrogen production and delivery, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells. It reflects DOE interest in rigorous techno-economic analysis and performance modeling to guide R&D priorities and inform stakeholders.
14) What type of award does DOE expect to make under this FOA?
Awards are expected to be made as cooperative agreements.
15) What does it mean that the awards are cooperative agreements?
In this FOA, cooperative agreements are described as typically involving substantial DOE involvement during the project period, such as active project management, technical direction, milestone reviews, and coordination on reporting and deliverables.
16) What is the CFDA number and category for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding in the energy category under CFDA 81.087.
17) What is the maximum (ceiling) award amount?
The published award ceiling is up to $3,000,000 per award.
18) How many awards does DOE anticipate making?
DOE anticipates making about 18 awards, though the actual number can vary by AOI and by the strength and relevance of proposed work.
19) Are award amounts and project scopes the same across all Areas of Interest?
No. The opportunity notes that actual amounts, project scopes, and totals can vary by AOI and by the strength and relevance of the proposed work.
20) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to many entity types, as long as applicants meet any clarifications and conditions described in the FOA and the specific AOI documentation.
21) Do requirements like deadlines and cost sharing differ depending on the AOI?
Yes. Submission schedules, cost-sharing requirements, whether a concept paper is required, and other applicant requirements are stated to vary by AOI.
22) Can applicants follow one uniform set of instructions for the whole FOA?
No. Because rules and timelines vary by AOI, applicants need to identify the AOI that best fits their project and follow that AOI's specific rules for deadlines, required pre-application materials, eligibility nuances, and cost share.
23) Is a concept paper required?
It depends on the Area of Interest. The FOA states that whether a concept paper is required varies by AOI.
24) Where and how do applicants submit an application?
Applications must be submitted through EERE eXCHANGE, DOE EERE's online application portal. Applicants need to register in EERE eXCHANGE to submit materials.
25) When was this FOA originally posted?
The FOA was originally posted on December 10, 2015.
26) What is the application closing date?
The closing date is listed as varying by Area of Interest. Both the original and current closing dates are described this way, indicating each AOI runs on its own schedule.
27) Where can applicants find the AOI-specific documents and exact submission requirements?
Applicants are directed to the EERE eXCHANGE listing for full details, including AOI-specific documents and exact submission requirements: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.
28) What does "technology-neutral" mean in the context of this FOA?
In this announcement, "technology-neutral" is described as focusing on solving real technical and market barriers rather than backing a single preferred pathway for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
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