Direct Funding Opportunity (DFO) for Computational Science to Enable Bioenergy DEADLINE March 31, 2020

Energy (DOE)Federal Agency/Executive Branch Feedstocks grants

February 19, 2020

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(Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry (CCPC) of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) of the U.S. Department of Energy) Overview: The Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry (CCPC) of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is offering directed funding assistance for interested industry or university partners to leverage unique computational capabilities at the US DOE national laboratories to address the most-pressing technical challenges in bioenergy. More information on the CCPC computational capabilities can be found at the CCPC website (cpcbiomass.org).

How the Process Works:

Step 1. Notice of Intent to Propose:
Interested industry or university representatives identify a technical need for computational support and send an email to the CCPC at CCPC@ornl.gov to facilitate partnering with CCPC modelers. This can occur any time up to one week before March 31, 2020. To facilitate partnering and technical scope development, the CCPC website (cpcbiomass.org) has examples of modeling capabilities and expertise.
Step 2. Proposal Submission:
Industry or university entities submit a joint proposal with the CCPC representative(s) by March 31, 2020 that includes commitment of cost share contributions of 20% of the project funding.
Step 3. Proposal Review:
A BETO review panel reviews all proposals based on review criteria outlined below; proposals are ranked in priority for funding. Notification of awards is sent to proposers by June 5, 2020.
Step 4. Project Launch:
Awarded projects are expected to begin by August 5, 2020. A short-form CRADA (Cooperative Research And Development Agreement) must be signed by the industry/university and national lab partners prior to project start to protect intellectual property. Funding has already been allocated by BETO and will be distributed to the national lab partner immediately after completion of the CRADA. Details and other information for all steps in the process follow.

Step 1. Notice of Intent to Propose:
Interested industry or university representatives identify a technical need for computational support and send an email to the CCPC at CCPC@ornl.gov to facilitate partnering with CCPC modelers. This can occur any time up to one week before March 31, 2020. Upon receipt of the email, the CCPC will identify the relative modelers for the technical research of interest and facilitate contact between the industry representative and modeler(s). In this manner, technical exchange can occur prior to submission of the proposal, and appropriate CCPC modelers can be identified for the proposed research. If the industry representatives have already contacted or identified CCPC modelers, then please state the CCPC modelers contacted in the notice of intent to propose email. The purpose of this step is to ensure that proposals submitted in step 2 have a high technical relevance to CCPC capabilities and personnel. To facilitate partnering and technical scope development, the CCPC website (cpcbiomass.org) has examples of modeling capabilities and expertise.

Step 2. Proposal Submission:
Proposed projects must benefit the biofuels and bioproducts industry. Proposals will be accepted in two topic areas:

projects related to biomass feedstock pre-processing, feeding, or deconstruction/conversion
projects related to catalyst design and optimization and/or catalytic upgrading processes.

Industry or university entities submit a joint proposal with the CCPC representative(s) by March 31, 2020 to the email CCPC@ornl.gov that includes commitment of cost share contributions of 20% of the project funding. Proposals should be no more than six pages in length. In addition to project title and contact information for both industry and national lab partners, the proposal should follow the elements (suggested length given in parentheses) with more information provided in a proposal template:

Project Overview (~0.5 pg)
Research Plan and Technical Challenges Addressed (~1.5 pg) [Weight: 30%]
Impact of Proposed Research on the Biofuels and Bioproducts Industry (~0.5 pg) [Weight: 30%]
Key Personnel, Resources, and CCPC Capabilities (~0.5 pg) [Weight: 20%]
Requested Budget, Milestones, and Appropriateness of Government Funding (~1 pg) [Weight: 20%]

Research project funding levels should range between $150k and $300k per national lab involved in the project. Multiple national labs can participate in a single project provided cost share is provided at 20% of total project funding. For example, a $600k research project may be proposed with $300k going to national lab A, $200k going to national lab B, and $100k (20%) cost share provided by the proposing entity or entities. The total program funding available for this program is $2.5M.

Step 3. Proposal Review:
A BETO review panel reviews all proposals based on review criteria in the table below. Reviewers will score the proposals based on the associated weighting of each criteria; proposals will be ranked in priority for funding. Notification of awards will be sent to proposers by June 5, 2020.

Table. Criteria and Associated Weighting for Reviewing Proposals

Criteria	Weight
Impact of Proposed Research on the Biofuels and Bioproducts Industry	30%
Research Plan and Technical Challenges Addressed	30%
Key Personnel, Resources, and CCPC Capabilities	20%
Requested Budget, Milestones, and Appropriateness of Government Funding	20%

Step 4. Project Launch:
Awarded projects are expected to begin by August 5, 2020. A short-form CRADA (Cooperative Research And Development Agreement) must be signed by the industry/university and national lab partners prior to project start to protect intellectual property [see cpcbiomass.org/DOE-Model-Short-Form-CRADA-2015.pdf for the short-form CRADA template document]. Funding has already been allocated by BETO and will be distributed to the national lab partner immediately after completion of the CRADA. An awarded project may start any time before August 5, 2020 so long as the short-form CRADA agreement has been signed. Once a project begins, the project will be subject to normal review and monitoring by BETO. Projects will be expected to participate in the 2021 BETO Project Peer Review to take place in the spring of 2021. It is encouraged to provide notice of significant outcomes from the project to BETO and the CCPC in a timely manner; outcomes may include: publications in peer-reviewed journals, technical highlights citing impact to the industry partner or bioenergy field, realized cost savings or risk mitigation for the industry partner, and intellectual property (with rights to intellectual property defined by the short-form CRADA). READ MORE