EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements

*******FULL APPLICATION DEADLINE UPDATE********

Due to several formatting issues with the required forms for the Full Application phase, USDA/DOE are extending the Full Application deadline to Friday, September 29^th, 2017. All documentation for the Full Application is due by 5:00 PM EDT on the new deadline. If there are fields that are locked or un-editable in any of the following documentation it will not negatively impact the overall application score. These forms include: SF-424, RR Budget, RR Subaward Budget, RR Personal Data, RR Key Person Expanded, RR Other Project Info, Performance Site, and NIFA Supplemental Info.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announce that up to $9 million in funding will be made available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) to increase the nation’s energy independence by supporting the development of bioenergy feedstocks, biofuels, and biobased products.

The projects funded through BRDI—a joint USDA and DOE program—will help develop economically and environmentally sustainable sources of renewable biomass, increase the availability of renewable fuels and biobased products, and diversify our energy portfolio. Both DOE and USDA have been given statutory authorities to support the development of a biomass-based industry in the United States, under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA) and the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

USDA and DOE will make up to $9 million available through BRDI in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. Applicants will be permitted to address any or all of the following three legislatively mandated technical areas: (A) feedstocks development, (B) biofuels and biobased products development, and (C) biofuels development analysis.

In support of these goals, USDA and DOE are soliciting applications from all interested parties, including for-profit entities, universities, nonprofits, and national laboratories. For FY 2017, DOE anticipates funding 1 to 6 awards, and USDA anticipates funding 3 to 14 awards. Awards are anticipated to range from $500,000 to $2 million per award. All DOE funding is subject to the availability of annual congressional appropriations.

Information on where to submit questions regarding the content of the announcement and where to submit questions regarding submission of applications is found in the full RFA posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website.

To apply to this RFA, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through EERE Exchange (this website), EERE’s online application portal.

The Exchange system enforces hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the RFA Deadline:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission PRIOR to the deadline, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE Exchange System Administrators (Exchange@ee.doe.gov ) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission that results in a late submission, the Applicant should contact the Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov).

The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues (including finalizing the submission on behalf of and with the Applicant’s concurrence). DOE will only accept late applications when the Applicant has a) encountered technical difficulties beyond their control; b) has contacted the Exchange helpdesk for assistance, and c) has submitted the application through Exchange within 24 hours of the RFA’s posted deadline.

********UPDATE**********

EERE-DOE/USDA-NIFA is updating the Content and Form of Application Submission related to the following documentation: SF 424 R&R Cover Sheet, SF 424 R&R Project/Performance Site Location(s), R & R Other Project Information Form, R & R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded), R & R Personal Data, SF 424 (R & R) Budget Fed & Non-Fed, and Supplemental Information Form. These forms are now combined into the form Blank SF 424 Editable Full File (posted below under "Required Application Documents"). This new file includes all the files previously listed, and has several links between the SF 424 and all preceding documents. This update should fix the documentation errors that many applicants have been experiencing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) intends to issue a Request for Applications (RFA) entitled "Fiscal Year 17 Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI)."

For fiscal year (FY) 2017, the BRDI program requires that funded projects address at least one (1) of the following three (3) legislatively mandated technical (topic) areas:

1) Feedstocks development – The intent of this Topic Area is to address research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities regarding feedstocks and feedstock logistics (including harvest, handling, transport, preprocessing, and storage) relevant to production of raw materials for conversion to biofuels and biobased products. The BRDI program is designed to support near-term commercial systems. Projects should emphasize development and optimization of existing feedstocks that will be available for testing and demonstration during the life of the project. Proposals that include breeding or genetic improvement of feedstocks should reconcile this work with the Program’s emphasis on near-term impacts.

2) Biofuels and biobased products development – The intent of this Topic Area is to address RD&D activities to support (i) development of diverse cost-effective, innovative technologies for the use of cellulosic biomass in the production of biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products; and, (ii) product diversification through technologies relevant to the production of a range of biobased products (including chemicals, animal feeds, and cogeneration power) that potentially can increase the feasibility of fuel production in a biorefinery.

3) Biofuels development analysis – The intent of this Topic Area is to apply systems evaluation methods that can be used to optimize system performance and market potential and to quantify the project’s impact on sustainability; therefore, successful applications will consider the lifecycle (cradle-to-grave) impacts including environmental, social, and economic implications that are attributable to the project. Successful projects should include these sustainability data in engineering process models and be used over the life of the project to improve the system and quantify sustainability impacts.

NIFA and EERE envision awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of grants and cooperative agreements, respectively. The estimated period of performance for each award will be approximately three (3) years.

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of NIFA’s and EERE’s intention to issue the RFA in the near term. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. Neither NIFA nor EERE will respond to questions concerning this Notice. Once the RFA has been released, NIFA will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.

NIFA and EERE plan to issue a RFA titled “Fiscal Year 17 Biomass Research and Development Initiative” in mid February 2017 via the EERE Exchange website (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/default.aspx).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), intends to issue, on behalf of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a Request for Applications (RFA) entitled “Fiscal Year 15 Biomass Research and Development Initiative (“BRDI”).”

The RFA will address USDA and DOE programmatic objectives, administrative roles, and areas of interest in implementing Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) grants. Section 9001(a) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA) (Pub. L. 110-246) re-authorized the BRDI competitive grants program by amending section 9008 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA), as amended, (Pub. L. 107-171) (7 U.S.C. 8108).

For fiscal year (FY) 2015, BRDI will require that funded projects address only one (1) of the following three (3) legislatively mandated technical areas:

1. Feedstocks development – The intent of this Topic Area is to address research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities regarding feedstocks and feedstock logistics (including harvest, handling, transport, preprocessing, and storage) relevant to production of raw materials for conversion to biofuels and biobased products. The BRDI program is designed to support near-term commercial systems. Projects should emphasize development and optimization of existing feedstocks that will be available for testing and demonstration during the life of the project. Proposals that include breeding or genetic improvement of feedstocks should reconcile this work with the Program’s emphasis on near-term impacts.

2. Biofuels and biobased products development – The intent of this Topic Area is to address RD&D activities to support (i) development of diverse cost-effective technologies for the use of cellulosic biomass in the production of biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products; and, (ii) product diversification through technologies relevant to the production of a range of biobased products (including chemicals, animal feeds, and cogeneration power) that potentially can increase the feasibility of fuel production in a biorefinery.

3. Biofuels development analysis – The intent of this Topic Area is to apply systems evaluation methods that can be used to optimize system performance and market potential and to quantify the project’s impact on sustainability; therefore, successful applications will consider the lifecycle (cradle-to-grave) impacts including environmental, social, and economic implications that are attributable to the project. Successful projects should include these sustainability data in engineering process models and be used over the life of the project to improve the system and quantify sustainability impacts.

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of NIFA's and EERE's intention to issue a RFA in the near term.  NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE.  Please do not submit questions or respond to this Notice of Intent.  Prospective applicants to the RFA should begin developing partnerships, formulating ideas, and gathering data in anticipation of the issuance of this RFA.  It is anticipated that the RFA will be posted to Grants.gov in November 2014.