Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR)

Pre-Applications Due April 23

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $35 million to build research capacity, infrastructure, and expertise at institutions historically underrepresented in the DOE Office of Science (SC) portfolio, including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs). This funding spans all of the DOE SC programs.

The Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR) initiative will enhance research at these institutions on clean energy, climate, and additional topics spanning the Office of Science portfolio. This investment will help develop a diverse, vibrant, and excellent scientific workforce and contribute to the science innovation ecosystem.

The FAIR initiative supports mutually beneficial relationships between MSIs or ERIs and partnering institutions, including DOE national laboratories, Office of Science scientific user facilities, and other MSIs. FAIR will support basic research in all fields supported by the Office of Science, including applied mathematics, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geoscience, isotope research, materials science, fusion energy science, and physics. This funding will expand the talent pool that will further DOE’s missions, transform our understanding of nature, and catalyze scientific discoveries that can lead to technical breakthroughs.

The lead institution must be a non-R1 MSI/ERI and must partner with a team member in one of the following categories: a DOE national laboratory, an SC scientific user facility, or an R1 MSI/ERI. All applications must be submitted on behalf of the lead institution and include a single partnering team member. Learn more about institution designations/classifications.

Please see the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for agency contacts and more details.

SCHEDULE AND FOA DOWNLOAD

• Office hours will be held to answer administrative questions about submissions on April 17 and July 2 and 10, 2024, at 2 p.m. Eastern. Learn more.
• The deadline for required pre-applications is April 23, 2024, at 5 p.m. Eastern.
• Download DE-FOA-0003207 – FY2024 Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR) (PDF).
• See all DOE funding announcements.

The principal investigator (PI) and institution representative submitting on behalf of the PI must register for an account in the Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) before it will be possible to submit a pre-application. All PIs and those submitting pre-applications on behalf of PIs are encouraged to establish PAMS accounts as soon as possible to avoid submission delays.

In addition, all PIs are encouraged to read the FOA carefully for new requirements related to Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans, current/pending support, and biographical sketches.

Please reach out to the BER Program Managers with any questions: Boris Wawrik and Vijay Sharma, Biological Systems Sciences Division; or Justin Hnilo, Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division.

Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) 

PRE-APPLICATIONS DUE APRIL 30

DOE recently issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for applications from non-R1 Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

The FOA is part of DOE’s Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) initiative, which aims to build foundations for research at academic institutions historically underrepresented in DOE’s research portfolio. RENEW leverages DOE’s unique national laboratories, Office of Science scientific user facilities, and other research infrastructure to provide training opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers at academic institutions not currently well-represented in the U.S. science and technology ecosystem.

The hands-on experience gained through RENEW is designed to open new career avenues for participants, forming a nucleus for a future pool of talented young scientists, engineers, and technicians with the critical skills and expertise needed for the full breadth of DOE research activities.

The FOA targets student experiential training and capacity building in non-R1 ERI and MSI programs that are relevant to DOE’s Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program. Funding may be requested to support training and mentoring activities in partnership with DOE national laboratories conducting BER-relevant science and/or with one or more of BER’s research efforts at the DOE national laboratories, Office of Science user facilities, Bioenergy Research Centers, or DOE Isotope Program Production Sites. Learn more about institution designations/classifications.

Please see the FOA for agency contacts and more details.

SCHEDULE AND FOA DOWNLOAD

• Office hours will be held to answer administrative questions about submissions on April 25 and July 10 and 18, 2024, at 2 p.m. Eastern. Learn more.
• The deadline for required pre-applications is April 30, 2024, at 5 p.m. Eastern.
• Download DE-FOA-0003280 – FY2024 Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) (PDF).
• See all DOE funding announcements.

The principal investigator (PI) and institutional representative submitting on behalf of the PI must register for an account in the Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) before it will be possible to submit a pre-application. All PIs and those submitting pre-applications on behalf of PIs are encouraged to establish PAMS accounts as soon as possible to avoid submission delays.

In addition, all PIs are encouraged to read the FOA carefully for new requirements related to Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans, new forms for current/pending support, and biographical sketches.

Please reach out to the BER Program Managers with any questions: Dawn Adin and Kari Perez, Biological Systems Sciences Division; or Brian Benscoter and Bob Vallario, Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division.