Pre-applications are due February 21; an informational webinar is scheduled for January 26

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently issued a new Biological and Environmental Research (BER) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for applications from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and non-R1 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

The BER FOA is part of DOE’s Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) initiative, which aims to build foundations for research at institutions historically underrepresented in DOE’s research portfolio. RENEW leverages DOE’s unique national laboratories, user facilities, and other research infrastructure to provide undergraduate and graduate training opportunities for students and 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 HBCU and non-R1 MSI programs that are relevant to DOE’s 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 and/or the Bioenergy Research Centers.

More information on institution designations/classifications is available from DOE’s Office of Science.

• Funding Opportunity Announcement: DE-FOA-0002929 (PDF)
• Pre-application deadline: February 21, 2023, at 5 p.m. Eastern time
• Informational webinar: January 26, 2023, at 1 p.m. Eastern time (register today)
• For questions about this FOA, contact: Brian Benscoter and Shaima Nasiri.
• View all BER funding announcements.
• Learn more about the RENEW initiative.

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.