University Training and Research for Fossil Energy Applications | DE FOA 0002398

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002398

The Department of Energy, through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), offered the grant opportunity "University Training and Research for Fossil Energy Applications" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002398) to support university-led research and workforce development tied to fossil energy, with a strong emphasis on coal-related science and engineering. The opportunity was structured as a discretionary grant program (CFDA 81.057) and was designed to fund long-term, high-risk, merit-based fundamental research that can advance coal technologies while also strengthening university research infrastructure and training future scientists and engineers. In practical terms, the program blends research objectives with an explicit education and capacity-building mission, aiming to keep university talent and facilities aligned with the technical challenges facing fossil energy development, including environmental acceptability and technology barriers that still limit progress.

A key feature of the FOA is that it actually contains two separate programs under one umbrella, each with its own goals, requirements, and restricted eligibility: the University Coal Research (UCR) Program and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions (HBCU-OMI) Program. The solicitation makes clear that applicants must pay attention to which program they are applying under, because the expectations and eligibility are not interchangeable even though both tracks support DOE Fossil Energy priorities and emphasize fundamental research connected to coal conversion and utilization. Both tracks also place unusual weight on the involvement of faculty and students, treating student participation not as an add-on but as a central ingredient for success because it brings new ideas into the research pipeline and ensures continued workforce development.

Under the University Coal Research (UCR) Program, DOE focused on sustaining a national university research base in energy and environmental science and engineering as it relates to coal. UCR traces back to FY1979 and has consistently pursued three objectives at the same time: maintaining a strong national research program through innovative fundamental investigations in coal conversion and utilization, maintaining and upgrading coal research capabilities and facilities at US universities, and supporting education and training for the next generation of technical professionals. The FY2021 emphasis continued the tradition of requiring meaningful professor and student engagement, reflecting the program's view that universities are not just contractors delivering results, but long-term incubators of ideas, expertise, and laboratory capability. The research areas offered through the FOA were intended to address specific problems and barriers that slow fossil energy technology development, with an explicit expectation that work be carried out in an environmentally acceptable manner.

The HBCU-OMI Program track pursued similar technical themes but with an additional workforce and equity rationale grounded in federal statutory authority and DOE strategic priorities. The FOA ties this program to the Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act and related provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, framing the program as part of a broader national need for a highly skilled and diverse technical workforce that can keep the US competitive. In this track, the grants are meant to build and strengthen research, education, and training capacity at eligible HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions in scientific and technological fields related to fossil energy resources. The program also emphasizes "crosscutting" fossil energy research and aims to involve groups of students and faculty who have not historically been tapped at scale for research in these subject areas, enabling them to build advanced technical skills while contributing directly to DOE Fossil Energy mission needs.

Another distinguishing element of the HBCU-OMI track is its strong push for collaboration and real-world linkages. The FOA highlights two essentials for success: active collaboration among HBCU-OMI faculty and students with the commercial sector, and the deliberate creation of linkages between these institutions and the private-sector fossil energy community to generate and execute new research ideas. That framing signals that DOE was not only looking for publishable research, but also for relationship-building that can translate academic work into practical relevance while expanding the professional networks and career pathways available to participating students and researchers.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, the opportunity was offered as a grant with an award ceiling of $400,000 per award, with an expectation of making about 12 awards. Eligible applicants were limited to institutions of higher education, including public and state-controlled universities as well as private universities, with eligibility restrictions applying depending on whether the application was submitted to the UCR track or the HBCU-OMI track. The FOA was posted on December 11, 2020, with an original closing date of February 15, 2021. Overall, the opportunity can be read as a combined research-and-training investment: advancing fundamental coal and fossil energy science, maintaining and upgrading university research capability, and building a stronger, more diverse pipeline of researchers and engineers through structured student and faculty involvement and, especially in the HBCU-OMI track, intentional engagement with industry.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the education, energy, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "University Training and Research for Fossil Energy Applications" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.057.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 11, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 15, 2021. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

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