Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000646
Apply for DE FOA 0000646
- The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integrated Nuclear Medicine Research and Training Projects of Excellence" 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 Jan 20, 2012 and posted on Jan 20, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 28, 2012. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 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. Synergistic collaborations with researchers in Federal Laboratories and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), including the DOE National Laboratories are permitted. Collaborations should be limited to filling critical voids in expertise and can represent no more than 50 percent of the total budget.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Science and its Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), offered this grant opportunity to build and support "Integrated Nuclear Medicine Research and Training Projects of Excellence." The program is designed to push forward the development of next-generation nuclear medicine imaging tools while also strengthening the workforce pipeline in radiotracer chemistry and clinical nuclear medicine research. In practical terms, DOE is looking for projects that do serious, high-impact radiotracer research and that deliberately weave in structured training for both chemistry-focused and clinically focused fellows, so that discoveries can move from the lab bench toward real-world imaging studies and, where appropriate, eventual human use.
The scientific centerpiece of the opportunity is the research and development of new and highly innovative radiotracer methods and radiotracers. These radiotracers are intended to serve as imaging agents for nuclear medicine research, with applications that range from improving understanding of normal human physiology and gene expression to improving disease diagnosis and management. The announcement also highlights use cases in drug research and development and broader translational science, signaling an interest in radiotracers that can help answer biological questions, evaluate therapeutic response, or support decision-making in clinical or near-clinical contexts. The emphasis is not only on incremental improvements, but on innovation in both tracer design and the methods used to produce and deploy them.
A second major goal is deep, integrated involvement of trainees across the translational spectrum. DOE explicitly calls for inclusion of postdoctoral fellows who are Ph.D. radiochemists, along with M.D. fellows or M.D.-Ph.D. fellows who specialize in nuclear medicine and have a clear interest in human health applications. The intent is that these trainees are not peripheral participants, but are embedded into the process of developing, validating, and using new radiotracers for nuclear medicine imaging, including disease-specific imaging applications and potential clinical use in humans. In other words, DOE is encouraging teams that connect radiochemistry and synthesis expertise with physician-scientist insight into clinical needs, patient populations, imaging endpoints, and practical constraints of clinical translation.
The third goal is workforce development at a broader level: enhancing training opportunities so the United States continues to have people capable of doing highly specialized radiotracer development chemistry, clinical nuclear medicine research, and closely allied disciplines. This reflects a recognition that radiotracer science depends on rare skill sets (for example, radionuclide production knowledge, rapid synthesis and purification, quality control, regulatory-aware practices, and specialized imaging analysis) and that sustained national capacity requires a steady stream of well-trained researchers and clinician investigators.
Because the program is framed as an integrated "projects of excellence" effort, applicants are expected to already have substantial infrastructure and a genuinely interdisciplinary team. The announcement requires access to existing advanced facilities and a collaborative environment that includes radiochemists, synthetic chemists, biochemists, and other relevant expertise. It also calls for physician-scientists with specialization in nuclear medicine imaging tied to specific human diseases or disorders, reinforcing that proposals should not be chemistry-only or imaging-only, but should demonstrate a realistic path from tracer design to meaningful imaging applications. Institutions must have easy access to nuclear medicine imaging capabilities, specifically PET and SPECT, and should be able to support broad-ranging collaborations that span radiotracer R and D through translation toward potential human clinical use.
On the funding and administrative side, this was a discretionary grant opportunity under the DOE Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049). DOE anticipated making about 10 awards, with an estimated total program funding level of $10,000,000. The ceiling for an individual award was $2,000,000, with no stated award floor, and there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted January 20, 2012, with an application deadline of March 28, 2012, and it was later archived on June 28, 2012.
Eligibility was broadly open to most entity types, with a few key exclusions: other federal agencies could not apply, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors were excluded as applicants, and certain 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 were not eligible. At the same time, the FOA encourages synergistic collaborations with federal laboratories and FFRDCs, including DOE National Laboratories, as long as those collaborations are focused on filling critical gaps in expertise and do not exceed 50 percent of the total project budget. This structure supports leveraging unique national lab capabilities while keeping the primary leadership, scope, and budgetary control within the applicant institution.
For applicants seeking more detailed requirements, the announcement points to supplementary information and provides agency contacts: Kimberlie J. Laing (Grant Analyst) and Prem C. Srivastava (Program Manager), both at DOE, for assistance with accessing the full announcement and programmatic questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity about?
This DOE Office of Science (Office of Biological and Environmental Research, BER) opportunity supported "Integrated Nuclear Medicine Research and Training Projects of Excellence." It focused on advancing next-generation nuclear medicine imaging tools by funding high-impact radiotracer research that is intentionally paired with structured, integrated training.
What are the main goals of the program?
The opportunity emphasized three tightly linked goals: (1) research and development of new and highly innovative radiotracer methods and radiotracers for nuclear medicine imaging; (2) deep, integrated involvement of trainees across the translational spectrum (from radiochemistry through clinically relevant imaging and potential human use); and (3) broader workforce development to strengthen U.S. capacity in radiotracer development chemistry, clinical nuclear medicine research, and closely related disciplines.
What kind of science does DOE want to fund under this program?
The scientific centerpiece is the R&D of new, highly innovative radiotracer methods and radiotracers intended to serve as imaging agents for nuclear medicine research. The emphasis is on innovation in both tracer design and the methods used to produce and deploy them, not just incremental improvements.
What applications are the radiotracers expected to support?
The radiotracers are intended for nuclear medicine imaging research applications that can include improving understanding of normal human physiology and gene expression, improving disease diagnosis and management, supporting drug research and development, and enabling broader translational science. The announcement signals interest in tracers that help answer biological questions, evaluate therapeutic response, or support decision-making in clinical or near-clinical contexts.
Is this opportunity focused on basic research, clinical research, or both?
Both. The program is explicitly framed to connect discovery and development at the lab bench with meaningful imaging studies and, where appropriate, translation toward eventual human use. Proposals were expected to show a realistic path from tracer design and validation to imaging applications relevant to specific diseases or disorders.
What does "integrated" mean in the context of these projects of excellence?
"Integrated" refers to combining radiotracer R&D with structured training and with clinically grounded nuclear medicine imaging expertise. The expectation is that radiochemistry, synthesis, validation, imaging, and translational considerations are planned together rather than treated as separate or loosely connected activities.
What types of trainees are DOE expecting projects to include?
DOE explicitly called for inclusion of postdoctoral fellows who are Ph.D. radiochemists, along with M.D. fellows or M.D.-Ph.D. fellows specializing in nuclear medicine who have a clear interest in human health applications.
How involved are trainees expected to be?
Trainees are expected to be deeply and directly embedded in the work, not peripheral participants. The opportunity describes trainees being involved in developing, validating, and using new radiotracers for nuclear medicine imaging, including disease-specific imaging applications and potential clinical use in humans.
What is the workforce development rationale behind this program?
The program reflects DOE's view that radiotracer science depends on rare and specialized skill sets and that national capacity requires sustained training pipelines. Examples of specialized areas mentioned or implied include radionuclide production knowledge, rapid synthesis and purification, quality control, regulatory-aware practices, and specialized imaging analysis.
What kind of team and infrastructure does DOE expect applicants to already have?
Applicants were expected to already have substantial infrastructure and a genuinely interdisciplinary team, with access to existing advanced facilities. The opportunity calls for a collaborative environment that includes radiochemists, synthetic chemists, biochemists, and other relevant expertise, plus physician-scientists specialized in nuclear medicine imaging tied to specific human diseases or disorders.
Are PET and SPECT capabilities required?
Yes. Institutions were expected to have easy access to nuclear medicine imaging capabilities, specifically PET and SPECT, and be able to support collaborations spanning radiotracer R&D through translation toward potential human clinical use.
Would a "chemistry-only" proposal be competitive under this opportunity?
The announcement indicates proposals should not be chemistry-only or imaging-only. DOE emphasized interdisciplinary projects that connect radiochemistry and synthesis expertise with physician-scientist insight into clinical needs, imaging endpoints, and practical constraints of clinical translation.
What is the funding agency and program office for this opportunity?
The opportunity was offered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, through the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER).
What is the CFDA number associated with this grant opportunity?
This was a discretionary grant opportunity under the DOE Office of Science Financial Assistance Program, CFDA 81.049.
How many awards did DOE expect to make?
DOE anticipated making about 10 awards under this opportunity.
What was the estimated total funding level for the program?
The estimated total program funding level was $10,000,000.
What was the maximum award size?
The ceiling for an individual award was $2,000,000.
Was there a minimum (floor) award amount stated?
No award floor was stated in the information provided.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity stated there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted and when was it due?
The opportunity was posted on January 20, 2012, and the application deadline was March 28, 2012.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. It was later archived on June 28, 2012.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broadly open to most entity types, with specific exclusions. The information provided notes that other federal agencies could not apply, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors were excluded as applicants, and certain 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 were not eligible.
Can federal laboratories or DOE National Laboratories be involved?
Yes, as collaborators. The announcement encouraged synergistic collaborations with federal laboratories and FFRDCs (including DOE National Laboratories) when they fill critical gaps in expertise.
Are there budget limits on collaborations with federal labs and FFRDCs?
Yes. Collaborations with federal laboratories and FFRDCs were allowed as long as they did not exceed 50 percent of the total project budget.
What is the practical intent behind allowing collaborations but limiting them to 50 percent of the budget?
Based on the description, the structure is meant to let applicants leverage unique national laboratory or FFRDC capabilities while keeping primary leadership, scope, and budgetary control within the applicant institution.
What kinds of clinical expertise were emphasized?
The opportunity called for physician-scientists with specialization in nuclear medicine imaging tied to specific human diseases or disorders, reinforcing the expectation that projects connect tracer development to clinically meaningful imaging applications.
Does the opportunity emphasize translation toward human studies?
Yes. The program description explicitly references moving discoveries from bench research toward real-world imaging studies and, where appropriate, eventual human use, and it notes potential clinical use in humans as part of the intended translational spectrum.
Where could applicants get more detailed requirements?
The announcement pointed applicants to supplementary information and provided DOE contacts for assistance with accessing the full announcement and for programmatic questions.
Who were the DOE contacts listed for this opportunity?
Kimberlie J. Laing (Grant Analyst) and Prem C. Srivastava (Program Manager), both at DOE, were listed as contacts.
What types of collaborations and disciplines were explicitly called out?
The announcement explicitly referenced a collaborative environment that includes radiochemists, synthetic chemists, biochemists, and other relevant expertise, along with physician-scientists in nuclear medicine imaging, reflecting a cross-disciplinary structure from chemistry through clinical translation.
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