Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003097
The Marine Energy University Foundational R&D funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0003097) is a U.S. Department of Energy initiative released through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), specifically on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). It is designed to strengthen early-stage, foundational research at U.S.-based universities, with an explicit interest in supporting the participation of Minority Serving Institutions. The overall aim is to tackle persistent technical and market-facing challenges in marine energy and offshore wind, while also building the research pipeline and workforce that these industries will rely on over the long term. The mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means awardees should expect more active federal involvement than a standard grant, such as collaboration, technical checkpoints, or DOE engagement during project execution.
A key administrative note in the posted description is that Modification 0001 changes the deadlines for the Full Application and the Reply to Reviewer Comments submissions. In other words, applicants need to pay close attention to the updated schedule in EERE Exchange because the original due dates may no longer apply. This kind of modification usually matters for institutions planning internal review cycles, subrecipient documents, budgeting, and required approvals, since university proposal development can be time-intensive and deadline-driven.
Programmatically, the FOA emphasizes the unique role universities play in energy innovation: access to specialized facilities and instrumentation, deep disciplinary expertise, and the ability to train students and early-career researchers while producing publishable, shareable knowledge. DOE is positioning this funding to help create a stronger foundational base for ocean renewable energy by supporting research that can feed into later-stage technology development, testing, demonstration, and eventual commercialization. The opportunity is also clearly oriented toward outcomes that benefit the broader community, such as shared data resources, reusable platforms, and research that can be generalized across sites and device concepts.
The FOA lays out four topic areas that define what DOE is looking to fund. The first topic area focuses on publicly available marine energy data analysis and test platform(s) that produce publicly available data. This signals an emphasis on open, standardized, and reusable datasets and tooling that can reduce duplication of effort across the field and accelerate learning curves for developers, researchers, and regulators. Projects under this theme may center on methods and infrastructure for analyzing marine energy performance, resource characterization, device behavior, survivability, or other aspects where data quality and comparability have historically been limiting factors, with the added expectation that outputs are made accessible to the public.
The second topic area targets sustainable and scalable offshore wind, marine energy, and aquaculture. This points to research at the intersection of ocean energy and ocean co-use, including compatibility with aquaculture operations, environmental and logistical constraints, shared infrastructure concepts, and pathways for development that are more sustainable and easier to scale. The framing suggests DOE is interested in approaches that reduce conflicts over ocean space and improve overall project viability, potentially by integrating uses or designing systems and practices that can coexist with other marine stakeholders.
The third topic area is centered on undergraduate senior design and/or research projects. This is a workforce and pipeline-oriented element that encourages hands-on, practical involvement of undergraduate students in marine energy and offshore wind problem solving. Funding in this lane can help universities run structured design experiences, capstone projects, or applied research efforts that connect students to real technical challenges, generate prototypes or analyses, and build familiarity with ocean renewable energy systems early in students academic careers.
The fourth topic area is an open topic area, which provides flexibility for applicants to propose high-value foundational research that may not fit neatly into the first three categories but still advances marine energy and offshore wind technology progress. An open topic category typically invites creative or emerging ideas, new methodologies, cross-cutting tools, or enabling technologies that address barriers the community recognizes but may not have mature solutions for yet.
In terms of eligibility and scale, the FOA is open to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education. The issuing office listed is the Golden Field Office. The award ceiling is $1,000,000 per award, and DOE anticipates making around 32 awards, indicating an intent to support a fairly broad portfolio of university-led projects rather than a small number of large demonstrations. The activity category is energy (CFDA 81.087), aligning it with DOE clean energy and efficiency program funding. The original closing date shown is May 6, 2024, but because the FOA includes Modification 0001 specifically changing deadlines for the full application and the reply to reviewer comments, applicants should treat the Exchange posting as the source of truth for the current due dates and any revised submission milestones.
Anyone intending to apply is directed to review the full Funding Opportunity Announcement on EERE Exchange (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), where the complete requirements, updated deadlines, submission instructions, merit review criteria, and any required templates or forms will be provided.Apply for DE FOA 0003097
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Marine Energy University Foundational R&D" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-17.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-06. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 32 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the name and number of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Marine Energy University Foundational R&D and is identified as DE-FOA-0003097.
2) Which U.S. Department of Energy offices are sponsoring this FOA?
This is a U.S. Department of Energy initiative released through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO).
3) What is the overall purpose of this FOA?
The FOA is designed to strengthen early-stage, foundational research at U.S.-based universities focused on marine energy and offshore wind. It aims to address persistent technical and market-facing challenges while also building a long-term research pipeline and workforce for these industries.
4) Does the FOA have a stated interest in supporting Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)?
Yes. The FOA explicitly notes an interest in supporting the participation of Minority Serving Institutions.
5) What type of award mechanism will DOE use for this opportunity?
The mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means awardees should expect more active federal involvement than a standard grant, such as collaboration, technical checkpoints, or DOE engagement during project execution.
6) What is Modification 0001 and why does it matter?
Modification 0001 changes the deadlines for the Full Application and the Reply to Reviewer Comments. This matters because institutions should not rely on earlier dates and should plan proposal development, internal reviews, subrecipient documentation, budgets, and approvals around the updated schedule.
7) Where should applicants look for the most current deadlines and submission milestones?
Applicants should treat the EERE Exchange posting as the source of truth for current due dates and revised milestones. The FOA and updates are available at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.
8) What is DOE trying to achieve by targeting universities?
The FOA emphasizes universities unique role in energy innovation, including access to specialized facilities and instrumentation, deep disciplinary expertise, and the ability to train students and early-career researchers while producing publishable and shareable knowledge.
9) What kinds of outcomes does DOE appear to value in this FOA?
Based on the description, DOE is oriented toward outcomes that benefit the broader community, such as shared data resources, reusable platforms, and research that can be generalized across sites and device concepts. The FOA frames foundational research as feeding into later-stage development, testing, demonstration, and eventual commercialization.
10) How many topic areas are included, and what are they?
The FOA describes four topic areas:
- Topic Area 1: Publicly available marine energy data analysis and test platform(s) that produce publicly available data
- Topic Area 2: Sustainable and scalable offshore wind, marine energy, and aquaculture
- Topic Area 3: Undergraduate senior design and/or research projects
- Topic Area 4: Open topic area (flexible foundational research that advances marine energy and offshore wind)
11) What is the focus of Topic Area 1 (publicly available data and platforms)?
Topic Area 1 emphasizes open, standardized, and reusable datasets and tools. It highlights publicly available marine energy data analysis and test platforms that produce publicly available data, aiming to reduce duplication across the field and accelerate learning for developers, researchers, and regulators.
12) What kinds of work might fit under Topic Area 1?
Based on the description, projects may center on methods and infrastructure for analyzing marine energy performance, resource characterization, device behavior, survivability, and other areas where data quality and comparability have been limiting factors, with an expectation that outputs are made publicly accessible.
13) What is the focus of Topic Area 2 (sustainable and scalable ocean co-use)?
Topic Area 2 targets sustainable and scalable approaches spanning offshore wind, marine energy, and aquaculture. It points to research at the intersection of ocean energy and ocean co-use, including compatibility with aquaculture operations, environmental and logistical constraints, shared infrastructure concepts, and development pathways that are more sustainable and easier to scale.
14) What is the focus of Topic Area 3 (undergraduate senior design and/or research projects)?
Topic Area 3 is workforce and pipeline-oriented. It encourages hands-on involvement of undergraduate students through senior design, capstone-style projects, or applied research experiences tied to marine energy and offshore wind problem solving.
15) What kinds of outputs could be expected from Topic Area 3 projects?
The description suggests these projects can generate practical deliverables such as prototypes or analyses, while building student familiarity with ocean renewable energy systems early in their academic careers.
16) What is the purpose of Topic Area 4 (open topic area)?
The open topic area provides flexibility for applicants to propose high-value foundational research that may not fit neatly into the first three categories but still advances marine energy and offshore wind technology progress. It typically invites creative or emerging ideas, new methodologies, cross-cutting tools, or enabling technologies that address recognized barriers.
17) Who is eligible to apply?
The FOA is open to:
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
18) What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is $1,000,000 per award.
19) How many awards does DOE anticipate making?
DOE anticipates making approximately 32 awards, suggesting a broad portfolio of university-led projects rather than a small number of large demonstration efforts.
20) What is the activity category and CFDA number?
The activity category is Energy, and the CFDA listing provided is 81.087.
21) Which DOE office is listed as the issuing office?
The issuing office listed is the Golden Field Office.
22) What closing date is shown in the description, and how should applicants interpret it?
The original closing date shown is May 6, 2024. However, because Modification 0001 specifically changes deadlines for the Full Application and Reply to Reviewer Comments, applicants should rely on the current dates shown in EERE Exchange.
23) Where can applicants find the complete FOA requirements and review information?
Applicants are directed to review the full Funding Opportunity Announcement on EERE Exchange (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), which contains complete requirements, updated deadlines, submission instructions, merit review criteria, and any required templates or forms.
24) How does this FOA connect to later-stage technology development?
DOE positions this funding as strengthening the foundational research base that can feed into later-stage work, including technology development, testing, demonstration, and eventual commercialization in marine energy and offshore wind.
25) What is one key planning takeaway for universities considering applying?
Because university proposal development can be time-intensive and deadline-driven, applicants should pay close attention to the updated schedule in EERE Exchange, especially due to Modification 0001 affecting major submission deadlines.
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