Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001607

  • The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "RFI - Lower Grade Waste Heat Recovery" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Aug 15, 2016.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 2016 This is a Request for Information only. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.. (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 $1.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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.
Apply for DE FOA 0001607

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Opportunity Summary:

The Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) issued this notice as a Request for Information (RFI) focused on "Lower Grade Waste Heat Recovery" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001607, CFDA 81.135). The key point is that this is not a grant competition and it is not accepting applications for financial assistance. Instead, ARPA-E is collecting technical and market input strictly for internal program-planning purposes, to help the agency decide whether and how to shape a future funding program in this area. The agency also emphasizes that the information provided will be used without attribution, and respondents should not include proprietary or confidential details.

The RFI is aimed at accelerating the development of next-generation technologies that can convert lower-temperature (lower-grade) waste heat into useful energy, with a strong emphasis on approaches that are genuinely disruptive rather than incremental improvements or straightforward integration of existing products. ARPA-E is specifically seeking perspectives from communities working on waste heat recovery systems, materials development, and novel solid-state materials technologies. Examples of the kinds of technical directions they call out include emerging material compositions, new synthesis and processing routes, high-throughput or combinatorial screening and optimization methods, and robust module designs that could survive real industrial environments. In other words, ARPA-E is interested in early-stage research and development concepts that could change the performance, cost, durability, manufacturability, or deployment potential of waste heat recovery, especially for heat sources that are currently difficult to use efficiently.

The audience for responses is intentionally broad. Eligibility is listed as "unrestricted," meaning ARPA-E welcomes input from essentially any type of organization or individual, subject to any clarifications contained in the RFI guidelines. The notice explicitly encourages participation not only from researchers and technology developers but also from end-users and operators who deal with waste heat in practice, such as power plants, factories, utilities, manufacturers, data centers, and similar facilities. That end-user input is important because it can highlight real-world constraints like temperature ranges, space limitations, maintenance cycles, contamination and fouling, reliability expectations, safety requirements, and how systems must fit into existing operations.

In terms of timing and administrative details, the RFI was created on August 15, 2016, with an original closing date of September 30, 2016. Although the listing format includes fields like award ceiling and expected awards, the substance of the notice makes clear that no funding opportunity announcement (FOA) exists at this time and the RFI should not be treated as a solicitation for proposals. The practical purpose is to let ARPA-E gauge the state of the art, identify promising white spaces where breakthroughs could matter most, understand technical barriers and commercialization hurdles, and collect ideas that could translate into a future ARPA-E program focused on lower-grade waste heat recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): ARPA-E RFI on Lower Grade Waste Heat Recovery (DE-FOA-0001607)

1) What is this opportunity (DE-FOA-0001607) actually asking for?

This notice is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) focused on "Lower Grade Waste Heat Recovery." It is asking for technical and market input that ARPA-E can use for internal program-planning purposes.

2) Is this a grant competition or a call for proposals?

No. The notice explicitly states this is not a grant competition and it is not accepting applications for financial assistance. It should not be treated as a solicitation for proposals.

3) Can I apply for funding through this RFI?

No. ARPA-E is not accepting applications for funding under this RFI. The purpose is information gathering only, to help ARPA-E decide whether and how to design a potential future funding program.

4) Why is ARPA-E issuing this RFI?

ARPA-E is collecting input to gauge the state of the art, identify promising "white space" opportunities where breakthroughs could matter most, understand technical barriers and commercialization hurdles, and gather ideas that could translate into a future ARPA-E program focused on lower-grade waste heat recovery.

5) What topic area does the RFI focus on?

The RFI focuses on "Lower Grade Waste Heat Recovery," meaning technologies that can convert lower-temperature (lower-grade) waste heat into useful energy, particularly where current approaches are inefficient or difficult to deploy.

6) What kinds of solutions is ARPA-E interested in?

ARPA-E emphasizes next-generation, genuinely disruptive approaches rather than incremental improvements or straightforward integration of existing products. The RFI points toward early-stage concepts that could change performance, cost, durability, manufacturability, or deployment potential.

7) What does ARPA-E mean by "disruptive" versus incremental?

Based on the notice, ARPA-E is looking for ideas that could materially alter what is possible for lower-grade waste heat recovery (for example, by enabling step-change improvements in performance, cost, durability, manufacturability, or real-world deployability), rather than modest refinements or simple packaging of existing commercial components.

8) What technical communities is ARPA-E specifically trying to hear from?

The RFI specifically seeks perspectives from communities working on waste heat recovery systems, materials development, and novel solid-state materials technologies.

9) What example technical directions does the RFI highlight?

The notice calls out examples such as emerging material compositions, new synthesis and processing routes, high-throughput or combinatorial screening and optimization methods, and robust module designs that could survive real industrial environments.

10) Is this focused more on research, development, or deployment?

The notice points strongly toward early-stage research and development concepts, especially those that could unlock future deployment by improving durability, manufacturability, and fit with real industrial settings.

11) Who is eligible to respond?

Eligibility is listed as "unrestricted," meaning ARPA-E welcomes input from essentially any type of organization or individual, subject to any clarifications contained in the RFI guidelines.

12) Does ARPA-E want input only from researchers and technology developers?

No. The RFI explicitly encourages participation not only from researchers and technology developers, but also from end-users and operators who deal with waste heat in practice.

13) What types of end-users or operators does the RFI mention?

Examples in the notice include power plants, factories, utilities, manufacturers, data centers, and similar facilities.

14) Why is end-user input important for this RFI?

End-user input can highlight real-world constraints that shape whether a technology can work outside the lab, such as temperature ranges, space limitations, maintenance cycles, contamination and fouling, reliability expectations, safety requirements, and how systems must fit into existing operations.

15) What real-world constraints does ARPA-E want respondents to consider?

The RFI mentions constraints including temperature ranges, space limitations, maintenance cycles, contamination and fouling, reliability expectations, safety requirements, and integration with existing operations.

16) How will ARPA-E use the information submitted in response to the RFI?

ARPA-E states that responses will be used strictly for internal program-planning purposes, including shaping whether and how to develop a future funding program in lower-grade waste heat recovery.

17) Will submitted information be attributed to specific respondents?

No. The notice emphasizes that the information provided will be used without attribution.

18) Should respondents include proprietary, confidential, or sensitive information?

No. The notice explicitly instructs respondents not to include proprietary or confidential details.

19) Is there a current Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) tied to this topic?

No. The notice makes clear that no funding opportunity announcement exists at this time, and the RFI should not be treated as a solicitation for proposals.

20) What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA listing for this notice?

The notice lists Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001607 and CFDA 81.135.

21) What are the key dates mentioned in the notice?

The RFI was created on August 15, 2016, with an original closing date of September 30, 2016.

22) The listing includes fields like award ceiling and expected awards. Does that mean money is available?

No. Even if the listing format displays fields such as award ceiling or expected awards, the substance of the notice states that this is not a grant competition and is not accepting applications for financial assistance.

23) What is ARPA-E trying to learn from the responses?

ARPA-E is looking to understand the state of the art, identify promising breakthrough opportunities, pinpoint technical barriers and commercialization hurdles, and gather program-shaping ideas for lower-grade waste heat recovery.

24) What kinds of outcomes could this RFI influence?

The information collected could influence whether ARPA-E launches a future program in this area and, if so, how that program is structured and which technical directions it prioritizes.

25) Is this RFI limited to any particular organization type, sector, or facility?

No. The audience for responses is intentionally broad, and eligibility is listed as unrestricted. The notice also encourages input from a wide range of real-world operators and industrial contexts where waste heat exists.

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