Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001434
Apply for DE FOA 0001434
- The DOE-GFO in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels (No. DE-FOA-0001433)" 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 22, 2015 and posted on Dec 22, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Applications are not being solicited for the Notice of Intent.. (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 $2.00 in funding.
- 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 Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), issued this Notice of Intent to announce an upcoming Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) called "MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels." The central purpose is to support BETO's broader objective of making hydrocarbon biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass cost-competitive, specifically aligning with BETO's 2022 target of producing these fuels at about $3 per gallon gasoline equivalent (gge). The opportunity is framed around the idea that getting to low-cost, scalable biofuels often becomes more financially attractive when a biorefinery can also generate revenue from valuable bioproducts, especially in the earlier years of commercialization when fuel margins alone may not deliver an acceptable return.
A key shift highlighted in the notice is that, in earlier efforts, BETO often emphasized fuel-only conversion pathways, with limited attention to co-producing chemicals or other products. Under MEGA-BIO, BETO signals stronger interest in integrated strategies where bioproducts help "enable" fuels by improving overall project economics and reducing risk, particularly for the costly front-end steps of biomass handling and processing. The notice points out that value-added products can help de-risk stages such as feedstock logistics, pretreatment, and deconstruction, which are essential regardless of the final fuel pathway. At the same time, DOE is explicit about what it does not want: it is not looking to fund research and development (R&D) that focuses only on bioproducts without a clear fuels component tied to hydrocarbon biofuel production.
The technical concept behind the FOA is to identify R&D projects that develop conversion pathways from biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels that can flex between producing fuels and producing products depending on external conditions like market demand. In practice, that could mean a pathway that makes a platform chemical intermediate that can be upgraded into either fuels or higher-value products, or a pathway designed to co-produce fuels and chemicals in parallel. The emphasis is on flexibility and on designing systems that can respond to changing economics while still keeping fuels as a core outcome.
Applications envisioned under this FOA would be expected to do more than propose interesting chemistry or biology. DOE indicates that strong proposals should justify why the selected target molecule(s) make sense to produce from biomass, clearly explain how the product slate improves the economic viability of hydrocarbon biofuel production, and back up the story with analysis. Specifically, the notice calls out the importance of techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle analysis (LCA), signaling that applicants should quantify both cost/performance and sustainability implications rather than relying on qualitative claims.
The notice anticipates two main "Areas of Interest" that may appear in the eventual FOA. Area of Interest 1 is focused on R&D to optimize a single unit operation within a proposed conversion pathway, which could include improving yield, selectivity, robustness, separations performance, catalyst lifetime, microbial performance, or other metrics tied to one step. Area of Interest 2 is broader and targets R&D to optimize and integrate multiple unit operations, meaning DOE is also looking for pathway-level progress where steps are connected and validated as a system rather than in isolation. The overall goal across both areas is to move conversion pathways toward practical, economically credible configurations for producing hydrocarbon biofuels with supportive coproducts.
From an administrative standpoint, EERE stated it expected to make multiple awards using cooperative agreements, which typically implies substantial DOE involvement during project execution compared to more hands-off grant mechanisms. The estimated period of performance was described as approximately three years per award. This posting, however, is only a Notice of Intent, meaning it is not itself a solicitation and DOE was not accepting applications at the time of the notice. It also states that DOE would not respond to questions about the notice, and that questions would only be taken once the actual FOA was released.
The notice indicated the FOA was planned for release around January 2016 and would be hosted on the EERE Exchange platform (https://eereexchange.energy.gov/). Interested parties were advised to register on EERE Exchange to receive official updates, and the notice emphasized that once released, applications would be accepted only through that site. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open broadly to many entity types), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that would appear in the full FOA text. The posted record also characterizes the program as a discretionary energy funding opportunity under CFDA 81.087, administered by DOE-GFO, and reiterates that all details in the notice were subject to change once the final FOA was issued.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the MEGA-BIO funding opportunity?
MEGA-BIO stands for "Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels." It is an upcoming Department of Energy (DOE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) announced via a Notice of Intent by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), specifically through the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO).
What is the main goal of MEGA-BIO?
The central goal is to support BETO's broader objective of making hydrocarbon biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass cost-competitive. The notice specifically references BETO's 2022 target of producing these fuels at about $3 per gallon gasoline equivalent (gge).
Why does the opportunity emphasize bioproducts alongside biofuels?
The notice frames bioproducts as a way to improve overall biorefinery economics, especially in early commercialization when fuel margins alone may not provide an acceptable return. Revenue from valuable bioproducts can help make biofuel production more financially attractive and reduce risk.
How is MEGA-BIO different from some earlier BETO efforts?
The notice highlights a shift from earlier approaches that often emphasized fuel-only conversion pathways with limited attention to co-producing chemicals or other products. Under MEGA-BIO, BETO signals stronger interest in integrated strategies where bioproducts help "enable" fuels by improving project economics and reducing risk.
Does DOE want projects that focus only on bioproducts?
No. DOE explicitly states it is not looking to fund R&D that focuses only on bioproducts without a clear fuels component tied to hydrocarbon biofuel production.
What kinds of technical approaches does MEGA-BIO aim to support?
The notice describes interest in conversion pathways from biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels that can flex between producing fuels and producing products depending on external conditions such as market demand. Examples described include producing a platform chemical intermediate that can be upgraded into fuels or higher-value products, or co-producing fuels and chemicals in parallel.
What does "flexibility" mean in the context of this FOA?
Flexibility refers to designing a pathway or system that can respond to changing economics (for example, market demand for a coproduct) while still keeping hydrocarbon biofuels as a core outcome.
What parts of the biorefinery does DOE say could be de-risked by coproducts?
The notice states that value-added products can help de-risk costly front-end steps that are essential regardless of the final fuel pathway, including feedstock logistics, pretreatment, and deconstruction.
What would DOE expect a strong application to include?
Based on the notice, strong proposals would be expected to justify why the selected target molecule(s) make sense to produce from biomass, explain how the product slate improves the economic viability of hydrocarbon biofuel production, and support claims with analysis.
Are techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle analysis (LCA) important for this opportunity?
Yes. The notice calls out the importance of TEA and LCA, signaling that applicants should quantify cost/performance and sustainability implications rather than relying only on qualitative statements.
What are the anticipated Areas of Interest?
The notice anticipates two main Areas of Interest that may appear in the eventual FOA:
- Area of Interest 1: R&D to optimize a single unit operation within a conversion pathway (for example, improving yield, selectivity, robustness, separations performance, catalyst lifetime, microbial performance, or other metrics tied to one step).
- Area of Interest 2: R&D to optimize and integrate multiple unit operations, emphasizing pathway-level progress where steps are connected and validated as a system rather than in isolation.
What is meant by a "unit operation" in this notice?
The notice uses "unit operation" to refer to an individual step within a proposed conversion pathway. Examples mentioned include separations performance, catalyst lifetime, and microbial performance, indicating focus on improving performance metrics for a specific step.
What is the overall technical outcome DOE is aiming for across both areas?
The notice describes an overall goal of moving conversion pathways toward practical, economically credible configurations for producing hydrocarbon biofuels with supportive coproducts.
What kind of award instrument does DOE expect to use?
EERE stated it expected to make multiple awards using cooperative agreements. The notice indicates this typically implies substantial DOE involvement during project execution compared to more hands-off grant mechanisms.
How long is the expected period of performance?
The estimated period of performance is approximately three years per award.
Is the Notice of Intent an open solicitation?
No. The posting is only a Notice of Intent, meaning it is not itself a solicitation and DOE was not accepting applications at the time of the notice.
Can applicants submit questions to DOE based on the Notice of Intent?
No. The notice states DOE would not respond to questions about the notice, and that questions would only be taken once the actual FOA was released.
When was the FOA planned for release?
The notice indicated the FOA was planned for release around January 2016.
Where will the FOA be posted and where will applications be submitted?
The notice states the FOA would be hosted on the EERE Exchange platform (https://eereexchange.energy.gov/), and that once released, applications would be accepted only through that site.
What should interested parties do to receive updates?
Interested parties are advised in the notice to register on EERE Exchange to receive official updates.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open broadly to many entity types), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that would appear in the full FOA text.
Which DOE offices are associated with this opportunity?
The notice identifies DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and BETO (the Bioenergy Technologies Office) as the issuing program offices for the Notice of Intent.
What program classification is associated with this opportunity?
The posted record characterizes the program as a discretionary energy funding opportunity under CFDA 81.087, administered by DOE-GFO.
Can details change between the Notice of Intent and the final FOA?
Yes. The notice reiterates that all details provided were subject to change once the final FOA was issued.
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