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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to FY20BETOMultiTopicFOA@ee.doe.gov. "]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange within this spreadsheet."]
[4,"DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. "]
[5,"All questions should be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[6,"Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
[7,"Questions are assigned a topic area by DOE when reviewed."]
[]
["TIPS"]
[1,"Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
[2,"Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

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["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA0002245 - Joint FY20 Bioenergy and Advanced Manufacturing FOA BOTTLE Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
["Column1","Column2","Column3","Column4","Column5"]
[1,null,"Eligibility","Can we apply for the grant under the above FOA?","Please review DE-FOA-0002203, the  FY20 Bioenergy Technologies Office Multi-Topic FOA found at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ for specific eliligibilty requirements, Topic Areas, and Areas Specifically not of Interest. "]
[2,null,"Technical Topics","Are program officers associated with these topics available to discuss which AOI is the best fit?","DOE Personnel are prohibited from discussing FOA Topics with specific applicants until the application period has closed.  Please submit specific clarifying questions to the FOA mailbox. "]
[3,null,"Cost Sharing","Is there a minimum cost sharing rate that is require for this Funding Opportunity?","Please see section III.B and Appendix A."]
[4,null,"Due Dates","How long after the submission of the concept paper do we get feedback about whether or not we would be encouraged to submit the full proposal?","Applicants that submit a responsive Concept Paper should receive an encourage/discourage notification in Spring 2020."]
[5,null,"Concept Paper","Are there any examples of completed Concept Paper Submission that are public and can be shared?","No there is not.  Please see the FOA, section IV.C for requirements of the Concept Paper."]
[6,null,"Application Content/Format","This FOA states that only new applications will be accepted.  Will DOE treat a resubmission of a proposal that was declined by DOE before as a new application? If yes, are the PIs required to disclose that this is a resubmission?","The purpose of the statement found in the FOA, section II.A.iii is to note that \"renewal\" or continuation applications will not be accepted.  Previously declined applications are considered \"new\" applications.  No disclosure is necessary."]
[7,null,"Application Content/Format","The FFRDC Contractor Authorization letter that’s required should be addressed to whom, name and mailing address, please?","Please Address FFRDC authorization letters to:\nTo Whom It May Concern\nU.S. Department of Energy, \n1000 Independence Ave, SW \nWashington, D.C., 20585"]
[8,"2020-03-16","Cost Sharing","How much is the cost sharing for the above subject?","Per FOA section III.B. \"Cost Sharing,\" the cost share for all Topic Areas must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs."]
[9,"2020-03-17","Technical Topics","In regard to the technologies that can be used under section 2: Novel Methods for Deconstructing and Upcycling Existing Plastics: generate energy efficient recycling technologies (mechanical, chemical, or biological) that are capable of breaking plastic streams into intermediates which can be upgraded into higher value products. The methods cited three times in the introduction are energy efficient mechanical, chemical, biological or hybrid recycling methods. My question is: are thermal recycling methods permitted? In our case, no monomers are recovered, but a salable byproduct and a renewable natural gas are recovered that can be reused. The gas can be used to either create energy, liquid fuels, or other beneficial products. ","Any technologies which can achieve the metrics and other requirements for a given topic area are allowable. Specifically, in response to your question, thermal methods are allowable for this topic area"]
[10,"2020-03-17","Technical Topics","What are the expected Initial and Final TRLs for this FOA, for each of the topic areas?","This FOA is targeting novel research in the TRL 2-4 range, but work at other TRL levels is not excluded."]
[11,"2020-03-23","Eligibility"," It is required for 3 or more entities to team up. Would an entity constitute a department at a school? For example, if one faculty member from the plastics engineering department teams up with someone in the mechanical engineering department at a univeristy, could that be count as two entities?","Please see FOA Section III.A. Eligible Applicants for information pertaining Research Partnerships required under this Funding Opportunity Announcement.   A Department at an Institution of Higher Education would not constitute an Entity.  The Institution of Higher Education is considered the Entity.  Please see FOA Section III.G. Questions Regarding Eligibility.  “EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant.”"]
[12,"2020-03-24","Technical Topics","Under Topic Area 2: Novel Methods for Deconstructing and Upcycling Existing Plastics, is it a requirement to address both Areas of Interest as listed, or can an applicant choose one or the other to address? ","Please see FOA Section I.B.ii. Topic Area 2 Specific Areas of Interest and Topic Area 2 Specific Requirements.  Applications are not required to address both Specific Areas of interest, however they are required to address the Specific requirements which include: \n\n• Applications must target energy efficient chemical, biological, mechanical, or hybrid recycling strategies using an acceptable Plastic Waste as defined in Appendix C. \n• Proposed systems must target upgrading of deconstructed plastic intermediate streams or monomers into a high-value end product that would improve on the value of outputs from current recycling technologies and could reduce the embodied energy in products. \n"]
[13,"2020-03-24","Eligibility","(1)  After review of your documentation it appears that a single entity cannot apply for the grant, but the application must include a group of at least three (3) entities.  Please clarify, and advise if a single business entity can apply for the grant.\n\n(2) Our technology/plans include waste plastics sorting/refining, gasification, and Fischer-Tropsch fuels production.  We only plan to make transportation fuels as our final products.  We do not plan to make upcycled plastics.  Since we do not plan to make upcycled plastics as the final products it appears our technology/system may not qualify for the grant.  Please clarify, and advise if our technology/plans qualify for grant consideration.\n","\n1) Please see FOA Section III.A. Eligible Applicants.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement requires a research partnership consisting of three (3) or more entities. The research partnership must designate one member of the project team to serve as the lead entity. \n\n2) Please see FOA Section I.C. Applications Specifically Not of Interest. Applications that fall outside the technical parameters specified in Section I.A. and I.B. of the FOA will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered. Thermal methods including pyrolysis are potentially allowable as long as they meet these requirements and metrics.\n"]
[14,"2020-03-24","Technical Topics","  I know a way to separate plastic bottles from other waste. \n \nThis is the major task at hand. The other two topics I have no ability.\n\nThis separation can be done per each county at their landfill facility with state of the art sorting machines.\n\nEach machine cost about $600k\n\nPlease let me know if this is worth me moving forward on. \n","Please see FOA Section I.B. for Topic Areas of Interest under this Funding Opportunity Announcment. "]
[15,"2020-03-25","Technical Topics","I request that I receive a written response as to whether our use of a pyrolysis process qualifies…when the product produced is syn-gas. Is thermal conversion allowable? Does syngas qualify as an \"upcycled\" product? Does a project need to meet the metrics proposed in the FOA?  We are interested in producing syn-gas and other byproducts that can be sold.","1) Thermal methods are allowable as long as all other requirements are met.\n2) A product must be produced which meets the following Specific Requirement: “target upgrading of deconstructed plastic intermediate streams or monomers into a high-value end product that would improve on the value of outputs from current recycling technologies and could reduce the embodied energy in products.” Intermediates like syngas can potentially be used to create high-value end products, and this solicitation requires applications to propose a specific end product.\n3) The metrics to be addressed are “Energy savings when compared to production of the same or similar product from virgin material” and” Chemically recyclable, as measured by % recovered monomers or intermediate chemicals”. Products do not necessarily have to be new polymers to meet these metrics – applications must, however, show that their intermediate chemicals streams after deconstruction meet the second metric.\n"]
[16,"2020-03-25","Technical Topics","Regarding the “Energy savings…” metric. What does DOE’s expectation for energy savings specifically refer to? Such as, does energy savings refer to the amount of total primary energy used or process energy saved, compared to the equivalent for fossil-based plastics? Is there a formula that can be provided?","Applicants should provide a complete accounting of energy use from a life cycle perspective.  To the best extent possible, applicants should show a full accounting of the energy implications of the upcycling process of the secondary feedstocks.  This should include a thorough accounting of cradle-to-gate life cycle energy use, which includes both primary energy and process energy and accounts for energy of recycled/secondary feedstock content through the product end of life. The proposed technology should be compared against a “baseline” that represents the conventional production processes of the product that it would displace. The applicant should use standard life cycle assessment methodologies with transparency in the results provided and information on the data sources used, and explain them in their application. \n \nDOE does not specify a formula to use. There are a number of ways to account for recycling in an LCA. NREL has used both the “cutoff” approach and the waste valuation approach. The “cutoff” approach assumes the secondary material has no value.  The “waste valuation approach” assumes the fraction of impacts associated with the recycled plastic’s “first life” to be attributed to the overall impact for the “second life” material and is defined as the ratio of the market price of the recycled plastic to the market price of the equivalent virgin plastic. An example that looks at both approaches can be found in this article: Rorrer et al, “Combining reclaimed PET with bio-based monomers enables plastics upcycling”, Joule. (2019) 3, 1006-1027. \n \nAn example of the life cycle based approach for Additive Manufacturing that could be reasonably extended to upcycling of plastics is here: https://energyefficiency.ornl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/AM-Energy-Impacts-Assessment-Tool-and-Case-Studies-Guidebook-FINAL-02262015.pdf \n\nThe Materials Flow through Industry (MFI) Supply Chain Modeling Tool may also be useful for calculating embodied energy of conventional materials and can be found here: https://www.nrel.gov/manufacturing/mfi-modeling-tool.html.  \n"]
[17,"2020-03-25","Due Dates","I want to confirm that the schedule above still pertains to DE-FOA-0002245, in light of the shut downs and delays due to COVID-19. ","An amendment to the FOA has been published which has extended the submission due dates for both the Concept Paper and Full Application."]
[18,"2020-03-26","Eligibility","We are planning to submit a concept paper with an FFRDC. Our organization is currently registered in Japan. (Planning to set US entity in soon)  Could we submit the concept paper as a Japanese entity then we transfer the ownership of the project to the new US entity when we submit full application?  ","Please see FOA Section III.A.ii. The Lead Entity (Applicant) Must be a Domestic Entity. \"If a foreign entity applies for funding as the lead entity (prime recipient), it must designate in the Full Application a subsidiary or affiliate incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States to be the prime recipient.\""]
[19,"2020-03-27","Other","Will the Plastics Innovation Challenge program initiated by the DOE eventually include funding opportunities for more mature, near commercial solutions to address the challenges that are in this FOA (notably for Topic Area #2)?","Thank you for your interest in DE-FOA-0002245.  Please visit EERE-Exchange.energy.gov for future funding opportunities which may align with you organizations interest. "]
[20,"2020-03-27","Eligibility","• Are industries allowed to apply for this funding opportunity as standalone entities.\n• Are there any specific limitation on the size or revenue of the industry that can participate.\n• Who owns the IP of the outcome the research carried out from the funding.\n","1) Please see FOA Section III.A. Eligible Applicants for information pertaining Research Partnerships required under this Funding Opportunity Announcement. \n2)   There is no limitation on the size or revenue of the industry that can participate.\n3) Please see FOA Section VI.B.xii. Intellectual Property Provisions for information pertaining to IP. "]
[21,"2020-03-27","Technical Topics","Is Topic Area 1a distinguishable from 1b in a way, that for the latter biological technologies are undesirable?","The Specific Requirements for Topic Area 1a state that “Proposed plastics must contain at least 50% by mass bio-based feedstocks.” There is no such requirement for Topic Area 1b, but bio-based feedstocks, among others, are allowable for Topic Area 1b as well."]
[22,"2020-03-30","Labs/FFRDCs","How much of the budget can go to a National Lab?","Please see FOA Section III.E.i.6. Limit on FFRDC Effort. The FFRDC effort, in aggregate, shall not exceed 50% of the total estimated cost of the project, including the applicant’s and the FFRDC’s portions of the effort."]
[23,"2020-03-30","Technical Topics","1. Is the compatibilization/performance improvement of the mechanically recycled waste stream considered in scope for topic area # 2?\n2. For Topic area 3, does the applicant need to be a Consortium member to apply? Can we apply as one entity to participate in this topic or do we need to have a partnership of at least 3 entities for the research? Is the key focus on chemical recycling primarily? \n\n3. Do you anticipate any changes in the current timeline due to the COVID-19 situation? \n","1) Please see FOA Section I.B.ii. Topic Area 2 for Specific Areas of Interest and Applications Specifically Not of Interest. \n2) Please see FOA Section I.B.iii. Topic Area 3.  The Applicant does not need to be a BOTTLE Consortium member in order to be eligible to apply. Please see FOA Section III.A.i. “For this FOA, each application must propose a research partnership.”\n3) An amendment to the FOA has been published which has extended the submission due dates for both the Concept Paper and Full Application."]
[24,"2020-03-30","Technical Topics","Does the Topic 2 metric related to % recovered monomers or intermediate chemicals by mass refer to the entire mixed plastic waste feedstock or the target plastics within the mixed plastic waste stream?","“The % recovered monomers or intermediate chemicals by mass” refers to the total mass of plastic recoverable as an intermediate divided by the total mass of plastic in the waste feed stream, so would not include the mass of contaminants. If a deconstruction technology targets a single plastic type, then a pre-sorting technology or a technology that can valorize the remainder of the plastic stream after the targeted plastic is removed may be required to achieve the metric."]
[25,"2020-03-31","Due Dates","I understand the concept paper is due Wednesday, April 22, 2020.  Does this due date still hold, because of challenges associated with COVID-19?  Will the April 22 date be pushed back to a later date?  Any information you can provide will be most helpful.","An amendment to the FOA has been published which has extended the submission due dates for both the Concept Paper and Full Application."]
[26,"2020-03-31","Due Dates","Do you expect to extend the deadlines for \"FOA BOTTLE: Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment\" in light of the COVID-19 crisis?","An amendment to the FOA has been published which has extended the submission due dates for both the Concept Paper and Full Application."]
[27,"2020-03-31","Technical Topics","We are considering a film-material that would be a composite of cellulose, bound with lignin as a plastic film used in agriculture for weed or moisture control. \n\nWould such a proposal be considered as responsive to this FOA?\n","DOE cannot provide an advance determination of eligibility for a specific technology. Please see the definitions of acceptable feedstocks in Appendix C."]
[28,"2020-03-31","Application Content/Format","1) For topic 2, is the federal share of a DOE lab or a FFRDC as a sub recipient included in the maximum limit of the $2.5M total federal share ?  \n\n2) Is the first verification step before the start of the project or right after start of the project as Task 1 of SOPO?\n\n","1) Yes, Total Federal Share includes any funding that may be for work performed at FFRDCS. \n2) Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\""]
[29,"2020-03-26","Concept Paper","I have not received any notification emails regarding the status of my concept paper yet. Can you please look into why I didn’t receive notification email?","All applicants were notified simultaneously.  Please check any \"junk\" or spam folders for correspondence pertaining to your concept paper. "]
[30,"2020-04-01","Technical Topics","Poly(lactic acid) and thermoplastic starch are made from starches made from field/feed corn. So, according to appendix C, these blends will qualify for plastics to be developed under Topic Area 1a. Novel Bio-Based Plastics: Biodegradable Bio-Based Plastics. \n\nCould you confirm this? \n","Please see the feedstock definition in Appendix C. Starch-derived sugars as defined are eligible for Topic Area 1 A. “Starch-Derived Sugars are defined as sugars from starch-heavy crops not intended for human consumption (e.g. starches from field/feed corn)."]
[31,"2020-04-01","Technical Topics","Are you able to let us know if Camelina is an acceptable feedstock?","Polymer precursors grown directly in a plant would fall under the definition of biomass in Appendix C below as long as the crop was grown for the purpose of being converted to energy as per the definition below: \nEPAct 2005, §932, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 16232. BIOENERGY PROGRAM. \n(a) DEFINITIONS:—In this section: \n(1) BIOMASS.—The term “biomass” means— \n(A) any organic material grown for the purpose of being converted to energy;\n"]
[32,"2020-04-03","Other","Do you mind setting up a call so that I can ask a few questions? They relate to the format of the Concept Paper and total cost of the project. ","Please see FOA Section VII. Questions/Agency Contacts. EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process"]
[33,"2020-04-05","Technical Topics","I am very excited to submit a few concept papers, but was surprised to see that in topic 1, biodegradation requirement is a minimum of 60% within 180 days by respirometry. This is a very fast GHG production. Bioplastics have been always heavily criticized for such fast “burn rate” and pretty much 100% mineralization to CO2 (no biomass formation).  Can proposed projects comply with European standard ISO EN17033:2018?  ISO EN17033:2018 extends the soil degradation to 2 years in soil to match the rate of degradation of plant tissues. There was a lot of data showing that such natural biopolymers will not pass the 6 mo CO2 conversion requirements specified in the respirometry standards referred in the metrics. ","The metric for Topic Area 1 was chosen to agree with the current ASTM tests (D6400, D5338, D6868) to measure whether plastics are biodegradable or compostable. Applicants must propose to meet the minimum metrics outlined in the FOA to be eligible, however applicants are free to propose alternative experiments that they believe better represent relevant test conditions if desired in addition to those described in the metrics."]
[35,"2020-04-13","Due Dates","EERE exchange states that you granted a 14 day extension on this FOA. The full proposal deadline was extended by 14 days but the concept paper deadline was extended only by 7. Is the concept paper deadline definitely April 29th or should it be May 6th?","The Concept Paper deadline is April 29, 2020. "]
[36,"2020-04-13","Application Content/Format","Should Budget Period 1 only be 3 months to accommodate the Initial Verification Process rather than the suggested 12-18 months for Budget Periods?\n\nOr should Budget Period 1 last the suggested 12-18 months with the Initial Verification Process as Task 1 for the first 3 months?  \n","Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\""]
[37,"2020-04-13","Technical Topics","Is upcycle of plastic eligible if it doesn’t involve deconstructing plastic first?","Please see FOA Section I.B. for Topic Areas of Interest and Applications Specifically Not of Interest.  All applications must propose to meet all specific requirements and metrics as stated in the Topic Area descriptions. "]
[38,"2020-04-13","Eligibility","I am writing with one question regarding FOA DE-FOA-0002245. Could you please clarify what constitutes a unique entity, as part of the three required entities for a research partnership. \n\nFor example, are two separate research groups in different departments at one university considered two entities? Or does each entity need to be at a unique institution?\n","Please see FOA Section III.A. Eligible Applicants.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement requires a research partnership consisting of three (3) or more entities. A Department at an Institution of Higher Education would not constitute an Entity.  The Institution of Higher Education is considered the Entity. "]
[39,"2020-04-14","Cost Sharing","Our current proposal is in the 200-400K range. Will awards of this funding level be allocated? ","Applicants may submit applications for projects outside of the funding level range specified in the FOA. Applications requesting funding above the maximum level specified are unlikely to be fully funded."]
[40,"2020-04-15","Labs/FFRDCs","Are USDA scientists working in a USDA facility allowed to contribute cost share?","Please See FOA Section III.B. Cost Sharing. \"The cost share for all Topic Areas must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for research and development projects (i.e., the sum of the government share, including FFRDC costs if applicable, and the recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project) and must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law.\""]
[41,"2020-04-15","Technical Topics","1. Would a collection technology that removes waste micro-plastics from waterways be eligible for these grant funds?\n\n2. Would the development of a manufacturing process that uses 3-7 mixed waste plastics to build useful end products be eligible for these grant funds?\n\n3. What is the new deadline for submitting the Concept Proposal?\n","1.      Please see FOA Section I.B. for Topic Areas of Interest and Applications Specifically Not of Interest.  \n2.      Please see FOA Section I.B. for Topic Areas of Interest and Applications Specifically Not of Interest.  \n3.       Please See the FOA Coverpage.  The deadline for Concept Paper Submission is 4/29/2020\n"]
[42,"2020-04-15","Eligibility","I have a question regarding the requirements for the entities involved in the research partnership for Area 1.  Can the members of the research team be from three different colleges or departments from the same institution?  Or they should be from different institutions?","Please see FOA Section III.A. Eligible Applicants.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement requires a research partnership consisting of three (3) or more entities. A Department at an Institution of Higher Education would not constitute an Entity.  The Institution of Higher Education is considered the Entity. "]
[43,"2020-04-15","Other","Can Applicants speek directly with EERE Personnel regarding their projects and the funding opportunity titled 'Joint FY20 Bioenergy and Advanced Manufacturing FOA BOTTLE: Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment'?","Please see FOA Section VII. Questions/Agency Contacts. EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process."]
[44,"2020-04-16","Application Content/Format","Where can Applicants find the full Funding Opportunity Announcement? ","Please visit EERE-Exchange.energy.gov to view the full Funding Opportunity Announcement for DE-FOA-0002245 Joint FY20 Bioenergy and Advanced Manufacturing FOA BOTTLE Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment."]
[45,"2020-04-16","Application Content/Format","For the above referenced application, for the concept paper submission which is due on April 29 are the follow documents required, or are these documents for the full application only:\n\n• SF 424 Application for Federal Assistance\n• EERE T 540.132 Budget Justification\n• SF LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities\n• EERE_T_540-131_Statement_of_Project_Objectives_(SOPO)\n","Please see FOA Section IV.C. Content and Form of the Concept Paper for Concept Paper Submission requirements. "]
[46,"2020-04-16","Foreign Entities/Work","Can the Industrial Waste Plastics Company (as as project partner) be a foreign company with location outside of the US?","Please see FOA Section IV.D.xiv. Waiver Requests. \"As set forth in Section III.A.iii., all prime recipients receiving funding under this FOA must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a state or territory of the United States. To request a waiver of this requirement, the applicant must submit an explicit waiver request in the Full Application. Appendix B lists the necessary information that must be included in a request to waive this requirement.\""]
[47,"2020-04-17","Technical Topics","Concerning Appendix C – Acceptable Feedstocks (page 76) Topic Area 2\n\nWaste plastic is defined as synthetic material made from organic polymers…..\n\nIs polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) considered a “waste plastic” or does this just cover petroleum based plastics/polymers?\n\nWould the deconstruction of PHA for recycling fall within Topic Area 2?\n","Bio-based plastics such as PHA can be considered “waste plastics” as long as they meet the other criteria in Appendix C."]
[48,"2020-04-17","Technical Topics","Appendix C of the FOA  DE-FOA-0002245/0000 states that \"Topic Area 1a requires at least 50% Biomass and Starch-Derived Sugars as feedstocks\". Can you clarify if this is intended to mean:\n- novel bio-based plastic containing at least 50% Biomass and 50% Starch-Derived Sugars\n- novel bio-based plastic containing at least 50% Biomass and/or Starch-Derived Sugars\n","Answer Pending"]
[49,"2020-04-17","Eligibility","Within the document it states eligibility for this FOA is restricted to research partnerships. A research partnership is defined herein as a collaboration of three or more entities to conduct research with the objective of developing solutions to a problem or a challenge common to the entities by pooling their resources for achieving a common goal. \n\n- Are our \"partners\" considered applicants as well? Or would the funding go to us to manage allocation among partners?\n- Please define \"partner\". \n- Our company is a joint venture partnership with a larger corporation. Are they considered a partner for this application?\n- We also work with university foundations and labs, and 3rd party labs. Would they be considered a partner for this application?\n- We are interested in possible working with USDA labs, but have not established a relationship. Would they be considered a partner for this application?\n- Our Chief Scientist is an independent consultant with his own company that bills our joint venture. Would he qualify as a partner?\n","1) Please see FOA Section III.A.ii.  The Lead Entity of the partnership is the Applicant.\n2)Please see FOA Section III.A.i \"For this FOA, each application must propose a research partnership. A research partnership is a collaboration of three (3) or more entities to conduct research and development with the objective of developing solutions to a problem or a challenge common to the entities by pooling their resources for achieving a common goal.\"\n3) Divisions or subgroups within a single corporation would not constitute an Entity, the Corporation is considered the entity. \n4) Entities directly involved with the proposed project as vendors or Subrecipients are partners.\n5) Entities directly involved with the proposed project as vendors or Subrecipients are partners.\n6) Entities directly involved with the proposed project as vendors or Subrecipients are partners.\n"]
[50,"2020-04-19","Technical Topics","    If we use lignin as a biomass feedstock to make biobased polymers and if the percentage of lignin in the final polymer is over 50% then would that constitute as meeting the metric proposed i.e. “Proposed plastics must contain at least 50% by mass bio-based feedstocks”?","Lignin is an acceptable form of biomass for this Topic Area"]
[51,"2020-04-19","Eligibility","Would an industry partnership considered as one entity even if the industry is not interested to get DOE funding but would participate in testing the application of our bioproducts?","An industry partnership in which a company receiving funding partners with another company which is not receiving DOE funding but is providing in kind cost-share through the testing of materials generated during the project would count as 2 entities. Also please note that EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant. See Section III of the FOA for further information."]
[52,"2020-04-20","Labs/FFRDCs","We are in discussions with the NREL collaborator and would like to find out if the budget for the NREL would be provided separately or would we include their budget in our total project cost?","Please see FOA Section IV.D.xi. and xii. FFRDCS need to submit a budget for proposed work at the FFRDC.  Please see FOA Section IV.D.vii. Budget Justification Workbook. \"Prime recipients must complete each tab of the Budget Justification Workbook for the project as a whole, including all work to be performed by the prime recipient and its subrecipients and contractors.\""]
[53,"2020-04-20","Eligibility","Can team members all be employed by the same company?","Divisions or subgroups within a single company would not constitute an Entity, the company is considered the entity. "]
[54,"2020-04-20","Foreign Entities/Work","For Foreign Entities, would we need to state this in the concept paper and then apply for a waiver as part of the full application?","Please see FOA Section IV.D.xiv. Waiver Requests. A Waiver Request for Foreign Entities is required with Full Application Submissions."]
[55,"2020-04-20","Due Dates"," If Applicants are experiencing difficultly coordinating between multiple collaborating companies due to Covid19 lockdowns/quarantines/stay-in-place orders, will the Concept Paper and Full Application deadlines be extended to a date post-Covid19?","An amendment to the FOA has been published which has extended the submission due dates for both the Concept Paper and Full Application."]
[56,"2020-04-20","Application Content/Format","Could we submit the same concept paper with different control numbers and if encouraged, decide on the lead entity at the time of full proposal submission?","Applicants may change the Lead Organization in between the submission of a Concept Paper and the submission of the Full Application. "]
[57,"2020-04-20","Labs/FFRDCs","The FFRDC Contractor Authorization letter that’s required should be addressed to whom, name, and mailing address, please?  Past EERE opportunity announcements have provided this information via FAQ.","Please Address FFRDC authorization letters to:\nTo Whom It May Concern\nU.S. Department of Energy, \n1000 Independence Ave, SW \nWashington, D.C., 20585"]
[58,"2020-04-21","Cost Sharing","We understand that the proposal must be a research partnership between  \n3 or more entities. May one of the entities be one that only  \ncontributes cost share, and does not receive any federal funding? The  \nconcept paper submission site asks for the percentages of the budget  \nthat each entities would receive; is a percentage of \"0 (zero)\" ok for  \nan entity that will only be cost sharing? \n","Please see FOA Section II.B.ii Cost Share Allocation. \" Each project team is free to determine how best to allocate the cost share requirement among the team members. The amount contributed by individual project team members may vary, as long as the cost share requirement for the project as a whole is met.\""]
[59,"2020-04-22","Eligibility","Does a legally constituted Limited Liability Company (LLC) organized for the purpose of conducting joint research that has three members submitting an application in the name of the LLC, and contemplating participation by all three of the member companies of the LLC, meet the definition of a “research partnership” as mandated by the FOA?","A legally constituted Limited Liability Company (LLC) organized for the purpose of conducting joint research that has three member companies could meet the definition of a “research partnership” where it is clear from the application that the member companies will participate in the proposed project. Note, EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant. See Section III of the FOA for further information.                   "]
[60,"2020-04-24","Technical Topics","Is there a ballpark TRL that would be reasonable for an award of this magnitude and time frame under this FOA?","This FOA is targeting novel research in the TRL 2-4 range, but work at other TRL levels is not excluded."]
[61,"2020-04-26","Concept Paper","I am preparing a CONCEPT paper for DE-FOA-0002245 / 000001 FOA Type: Initial CFDA Number: 81.087 and 81.086\nIt requires a CONTROL number to be included on the paper.\nWhere is that number obtained and HOW?\n","Please visit EERE-Exchange.energy.gov to view the full Funding Opportunity Announcement for DE-FOA-0002245 Joint FY20 Bioenergy and Advanced Manufacturing FOA BOTTLE Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment.  "]
[62,"2020-04-26","Due Dates","When is the due date to solicit and file the application. Ive read that the concept letter is already due, If I didn’t file the concept paper, can I still Apply?","Please visit EERE-Exchange.energy.gov to view the full Funding Opportunity Announcement for DE-FOA-0002245 Joint FY20 Bioenergy and Advanced Manufacturing FOA BOTTLE Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment.  The Concept Paper deadline is April 29, 2020."]
[63,"2020-04-27","Application Content/Format","The Content and Form of the Concept Paper does not require budget, but I’m logged into EERE submitting my Concept Paper and there is a tab for Funds and Budget. Is this information required for this Concept Paper submission?","High level project costs are requested in EERE-Exchange with the submission of a Concept Paper. "]
[64,"2020-04-27","Eligibility","We had a question about the partnerships. It says that three team members are required and were wondering would multiple research labs within the USDA itself classify has having three or more partners?","Please see FOA Section III. Eligibility for guidance regarding the composition of the Research Partnerships.  Applicants may propose a research partnership with multiple labs from the same agency.  However, a FFRDC may not be the Lead Organization of the research partnership. Note, EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant. "]
[65,"2020-04-28","Technical Topics","Are processes that turn plastics back into usable fuel of interest in this FOA? ","Please see FOA Section I.B. for Topic Areas of Interest and Applications Specifically Not of Interest.  All applications must propose to meet all specific requirements and metrics as stated in the Topic Area descriptions. "]
[66,"2020-04-29","Application Content/Format","We have an in-house technical point of contact and a contact with one of our partners. Which one is the most appropriate person to list on the first page of the EERE application under Technical Pont of Contact/PI?","List the individual who will be the Principal Investigator on the project; typically that is an employee of the prime recipient organization."]
[67,"2020-05-06","Application Content/Format","I was wondering if someone could clarify the term \"Key Participant\" that is used in the Technical Volume, in the section about the Technical Qualifications and Resources. As the application requires at least 3 entities, would all of these entities be \"Key Participants?\" Or is one lead person from each entity?  Or just the PI? ","For multi-organizational or multi-investigator projects, describe succinctly the roles and the work to be performed by each PI (individual at a Key Participant organization) and each Key Participant (organization)."]
[68,"2020-05-06","Due Dates","I wanted to confirm that since my organization has missed the concept paper deadline (4/29/2020) we are ineligible to submit a full application. Is this the case? ","Correct. Per the FOA section III.C. Compliance Criteria, Full Applications will only be deemed compliant if the applicant submitted a compliant Concept Paper and the Full Application meets the other criteria. EERE will not review or consider noncompliant submissions."]
[69,"2020-05-07","Application Content/Format","I have two questions regarding the required Resumes for the full application. In the FOA, it says that one page resumes are required for key participating team members.\nMy first question is, does this also apply to key team members from the other participating organizations?\nIf so, in the naming convention for those documents, should they be saved as \"ControlNumber_ParticipatingOrganization_Resumes\" or should they be included in the same pdf packaging as the leading organization resumes?\n","FOA section IV.D.iii. states Applicants are required to submit one-page resumes for key participating team members. This should include key team members from the other participating organizations. All resumes should be included in the same “ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_Resumes” file."]
[70,"2020-05-07","Application Reviews","I recently submitted a concept paper to the DOE BOTTLE FOA, DE-FOA-0002245.  I noticed that it is currently under review, but I was wondering approximately how long the review process is.","All Concept Paper reviews have been completed. The Concept Paper decision notification message sent out by the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange website directs applicants to visit the website and open the Concept Paper Details page to see the response."]
[71,"2020-05-11","Labs/FFRDCs","Do National Labs (FFRDCs) need to submit an SF-LLL for this FOA?","Prime recipients and subrecipients are required to complete and submit SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.” National Labs (FFRDCs) are not required to submit a SF-LLL."]
[72,"2020-05-11","Application Content/Format","Can you please clarify the location for references/citations in the technical volume? There seems to be conflicting information within the FOA.\nPage 25: “References must be included as footnotes or endnotes in a font size of 10 or larger. Footnotes and endnotes are counted toward the maximum page requirement”\nPage 30: “Citations and references may be included as an appendix that does not count against the Technical Volume page limit.”","While citations and references may be included as an appendix that does not count against the Technical Volume page limit, those footnotes and endnotes within an Appendix to the Technical Volume are counted toward the maximum page limit of the total Full Application."]
[73,"2020-05-13","Application Content/Format","I am assuming that key team members from all organizations will be required to submit Resumes. If this is true, in the naming convention for those documents, should they be saved as \"ControlNumber_ParticipatingOrganization_Resumes\" or should they be included in the same pdf packaging as the leading organization resumes?\n","FOA section IV.D.iii. states Applicants are required to submit one-page resumes for key participating team members. This should include key team members from the other participating organizations. All resumes should be included in the same “ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_Resumes” file."]
[74,"2020-05-19","Application Content/Format","We are starting the application process for FOA-0002245 after receiving positive feedback on our Concept Paper.  As all of us here are new to the federal grant writing procedure, and therefore wanted to contact you in hopes of getting a better understanding of the process.  Our goal is to deliver to you what your team needs to make a decision on funding in a clear and concise manner and would greatly appreciate your input into how best to proceed.","Per FOA section VII., upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process as described in the FOA. Feedback on individual concepts will not be provided through Q&A."]
[75,"2020-05-20","Due Dates","We are planning to submit a proposal to the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: DE-FOA-0002245 / 000001. We know the submission deadline for the concept paper was 4/29/20. We are wondering if this deadline has been extended due to the current unprecedented time?","The Concept Paper due date already was extended from the original due date of 4/22/2020 to 4/29/2020. The Full Application due date was extended two weeks, from 6/18/2020 to 7/02/2020."]
[76,"2020-05-21","Concept Paper","We respectfully request a debrief on the Concept Paper.","Per FOA section VI.A., EERE will not be holding debriefings for this FOA. An applicant who receives a “discouraged” notification may still submit a Full Application. EERE will review all eligible Full Applications. However, by discouraging the submission of a Full Application, EERE intends to convey its lack of programmatic interest in the proposed project in an effort to save the applicant the time and expense of preparing an application that is unlikely to be selected for award negotiations."]
[77,"2020-05-21","Eligibility","Our concept paper has been selected for full proposal submission. But I do have a question about the research partnership in Section III A of the FOA. It requires that the team must be a research partnership of three or more entities. If we have five PI and co-PIs but from the same university, is it considered as a partnership?  Or it has to be a collaboration between three different institutions out of the six listed below\n• The following types of entities are eligible to participate in research partnerships funded under this FOA:\no 1. Institutions of higher education;\no 2. For-profit entities;\no 3. Non-profit entities;\no 4. DOE National Laboratories (eligible as a subrecipient, but not eligible as a lead entity);\no 5. State, local and tribal governments; and\no 6. Federal agencies and instrumentalities other than DOE (eligible as a subrecipient, but not eligible as a lead entity).\n","Per the FOA section III.A.i., for this FOA, each application must propose a research partnership. A research partnership is a collaboration of three (3) or more entities to conduct research and development with the objective of developing solutions to a problem or a challenge common to the entities by pooling their resources for achieving a common goal. If an application proposes a team of less than three (3) entities, it will be deemed ineligible for further evaluation.\n\nMultiple PIs from the same university would be considered as one entity."]
[78,"2020-05-22","Other","Our Concept Paper was encouraged for Full Proposal and I had a question regarding the team members. Is it possible to switch out one of the team member organizations for a different organization?","Yes, the composition of the team can change between the submission of the Concept Paper and the Full Application submission."]
[79,"2020-05-26","Due Dates","What provisions have been made by the Department of Energy to extend deadlines for both Concept Papers and Full Applications during this national emergency?","The Concept Paper due date already was extended from the original due date of 4/22/2020 to 4/29/2020. The Full Application due date was extended two weeks, from 6/18/2020 to 7/02/2020."]
[80,"2020-05-28","Foreign Entities/Work","A foreign private industry company will be providing cost share and \nperforming work outside the U.S. on the project.  The foreign company is \nnot a subrecipient and will not be receiving DOE funding.  Will the U.S. \nlead institution need a request to waive the Performance of Work in the \nUnited States as outlined in Appendix B?\n","Per FOA section III.A.ii., if any work is proposed to be conducted outside the U.S., the applicant must complete a request for waiver of the Performance of Work in the United States requirement. See Appendix B for waiver request information. The waiver must then be approved by DOE before work may be conducted outside the U.S.\n\nAlso, see 2 CFR §200.330 \"Subrecipient and contractor determinations\" for information regarding subrecipient determinations."]
[81,"2020-05-29","Application Content/Format","Currently I am preparing the docs needed for the DOE BOTTLE full application for our subrecipients. Upon working on it, I ran into some confusion regarding the SF-424 requirement. Do all subrecipients need to complete this? What does the SF-424 application entail exactly? When I go to the designated site for SF-424, there are many documents but none listed by DOE.  I've been digging for a while and found 3 different sites with SF-424 templates.\n","Only the Applicant organization should complete and submit a SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424 form and instructions can be found at https://www.grants.gov/forms/sf-424-family.html under the form name \"Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424).\""]
[82,"2020-06-02","Other","I have a question about allowable expenditures.  At the University we are asked to include tuition for graduate student researchers working on the project.  Is that an allowable expenditure?","Tuition for graduate students working on the project may be an allowable expense; see 2 CFR §200.466 \"Scholarships and student aid costs.\""]
[83,"2020-06-02","Eligibility","A specific requirement of Topic 2 is: Intermediate and final verifications must be performed in realistic conditions, using a plastic stream provided through a partnership with a waste management or other industry partner.\nCould DOE please clarify the range of entities that will be considered a valid waste management or industry partner for this topic? For example, we are considering companies that provide their post-industrial scrap to the project. Or is DOE expecting companies who sort and process scrap from waste collection companies? There are also companies one step further downstream who process the sorted scrap into useable grades. Are any of these partners valid?\n","Any industrial partner with a relevant waste stream is acceptable to meet this requirement, though technologies that can address broader or more abundant waste streams may be of higher impact as per the review criteria in FOA section V.A.i. "]
[84,"2020-06-03","Concept Paper","I did not receive an email saying whether my concept paper was encouraged or discouraged from a full proposal, however I have heard that others have received emails.\nI checked the Exchange website and see that I have been encouraged to submit a proposal.\nIs there any information in the email that I didn’t receive that I need to know to complete the proposal?\n"," The Concept Paper decision notification message sent out by the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange website directs applicants to visit the website and open the Concept Paper Details page to see the response."]
[85,"2020-06-03","Other","With regard to the full application submission for FOA# DE-FOA-0002245, it is difficult to discern within the FOA whether organizations can include fee in their budgets.  There is reference to fee in Appendix A under item 4 of the “General Cost Sharing Rules on a DOE Award” section. Considering any resultant award will likely be in the form of a cooperative agreement, can EERE advise as to whether a reasonable fee is acceptable in the full application budgets?    ","Per the FOA Appendix A, Fee or profit, including foregone fee or profit, are not allowable for recipients and subrecipients as project costs (including cost share) under any resulting award. The project may only incur those costs that are allowable and allocable to the project (including cost share) as determined in accordance with the applicable cost principles prescribed in FAR Part 31 for For-Profit entities and 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles for all other non-federal entities. \n\nContractors to recipients or subrecipients may earn reasonable fee or profit; see 2 CFR §200.330 \"Subrecipient and contractor determinations\" for guidance in making subrecipient and contractor determinations."]
[86,"2020-06-03","Application Content/Format","The form titled, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” appears to be a required form based on the instructions. If an organization has not lobbied this particular federal action and therefore does not have any lobbying registrants to list for Section 10, does the organization need to provide this form.  If so, can the organization answer items 10.a. and 10.b. as “none”?","All Prime recipients and subrecipients are required to complete and submit SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.” If an organization has not lobbied and does not have any lobbying registrants to list for Section 10, the organization could answer items 10.a. and 10.b. as “none” or \"N/A.\""]
[87,"2020-06-04","Application Content/Format","Our team submitted a concept paper for TA1 Highly Recyclable or Biodegradable Plastics of the FOA 2245 and we were encouraged to submit a full proposal. As we prepare for the full application, we have a question that needs to be clarified: For the application of the material we are to develop, do we need to specify the application or can it be general? ","Per the specific requirements of Topic Area 1: Applicants must identify an end-use application for their polymer and include the performance requirements for that application. The applicant will be required to report the measurements of their material for each performance requirement. In addition, projects must propose to meet the minimum metric for “Performance advantage (outperform traditional plastics for a specific application; in this case performance advantage cannot solely be end-of-life properties or bio-based content)”."]
[88,"2020-06-04","Eligibility","If we have not submitted a concept paper, can we still apply with the\nFull Application?\n","No. Per the FOA section III.C. Compliance Criteria, Full Applications will only be deemed compliant if the applicant submitted a compliant Concept Paper and the Full Application meets the other criteria. EERE will not review or consider noncompliant submissions."]
[89,"2020-06-04","Other","Hello, I am working with faculty member who finds that the subrecipient role is appropriate for “industry partners.”  \n1.  Assuming that the subrecipient role is appropriate, do the industry partners need to be registered in SAM at the time of proposal submission?\n2. Assuming that the subrecipient role is appropriate, is it allowable for a subrecipient to not request federal funding (i.e., their DOE pass-through funding is zero), but still contribute cost share?\n","Subrecipients are encouraged but not required to register in SAM. Subrecipients may contribute cost share without receiving pass-through Federal funding. "]
[90,"2020-06-08","Application Content/Format","I am writing to inquire about the SF-LLL form for DE-FOA-0002245. The FOA states that this form is required for the submission of our application, but upon opening up the form to fill it out, it seems that it is only necessary for those reporting any lobbying activities. If we are not reporting any lobbying activities and this form is not applicable to us, how can we bypass this required form for the application? Would filling out the form in all the required spots as “N/A” be sufficient?","The SF-LLL is required for all Prime Applicants.  N/A is a sufficient response if the Prime Applicant does not engage in lobbying."]
[91,"2020-06-08","Eligibility","We recently came across the Plastic Innovation Challenge and would like to apply for the $25 million Upcycle Consortium program. However we saw the deadline for concept papers has passed (April 22, Full applications due June 18). Is it possible to still apply to the program and be considered without having submitted a concept paper? ","No. Per the FOA section III.C. Compliance Criteria, Full Applications will only be deemed compliant if the applicant submitted a compliant Concept Paper and the Full Application meets the other criteria. EERE will not review or consider noncompliant submissions."]
[92,"2020-06-08","Application Content/Format","There don’t seem to be specified budget periods for this FOA – just 36 months with one or more budget periods and some discussion of Go/NoGo decision points. \n\nCan I confirm that we can submit a budget with 3, 12 Month BPs?\n","Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\"  Please see FOA Section IV.D.ii Technical Volume,  the Workplan and Market Transformation Plan state \"unless otherwise specified in the FOA, at a minimum, each project must have at least one project-wide Go/No-Go decision point for each budget period (12 to 18-month period) of the project.\"  "]
[93,"2020-06-09","Application Content/Format","Is there a required or recommended format or template for the 1 page Resumes of key participants?  I ask because the NIH and other federal agencies often do have specific templates to use though these differ from your 1 page requirement.","There is no recommended format or template for the 1 page Resumes for key participating team members."]
[94,"2020-06-09","Application Content/Format","We plan to submit a full application to DE-FOA-0002245, but the PI would like to know if there is an issue with either replacing an industry partner that was included in the concept paper with a different partner or eliminating the partner altogether – that would bring the count from 4 partners to 3.  \n\nCan you let us know?\n","The composition of the project team can change between the submission of a Concept Paper and the submission of a Full Application. "]
[95,"2020-06-09","Cost Sharing","Appendix A of the Funding Announcement lists guidelines for “Valuing volunteer services” for cost share. It states “. . .rates must be consistent with those paid for similar work in the labor market . . .”  For-profit organizations are treat salary and benefits as personal information. What documentation is sufficient to justify that a rate for services is reasonable?","1) Cost share is considered volunteer/in-kind if the person providing services to the project is unpaid by any entity, but otherwise is considered cash cost share.\n2) The prime applicant’s Budget Justification must disclose employee salary rates.\n3) Subrecipients with work on the project valued under $250,000 are not required to disclose personnel rates; they are required to complete a detailed separate Budget Justification if the subrecipient’s portion of the project (cost shared or not) is $250,000 or more.\n"]
[96,"2020-06-10","Concept Paper","Our organizationsubmitted a concept paper for DE-FOA-0002245 and received a “discouraged” response. I have a few questions in regards to the feedback and was wondering who would be best to contact to answer these questions. ","Please see FOA Section IV.C. Content and Form of the Concept Paper for Concept Paper Submission requirements. \"An applicant who receives a “discouraged” notification may still submit a Full Application. EERE will review all eligible Full Applications.\"  \"EERE may include general comments provided from reviewers on an applicant’s Concept Paper in the encourage/discourage notification posted on EERE Exchange at the close of that phase.\" EERE will not be providing debriefs for Concept Paper Submissions."]
[97,"2020-06-11","Due Dates","Our concept paper was encouraged for submission of a full application. Because of COVID, we do not think we can meet the Full Application Deadline.\n\nWill there be a second round of submissions at a later date? Or.. do you have an alternative suggestion?\n","Please see first page of the Funding Opportunity Announcement.  EERE does not anticipate a second extension of the Full Application Submission Deadline."]
[98,"2020-06-11","Cost Sharing","Could you please tell us if unrecovered indirect costs on cash and volunteer effort cost share are allowed to be included as cost share?","Please see FOA Section II.B. Cost Share Types and Allowability.  Additional cost share guidance can be found in 2 CFR 200.306 as amended by 2 CFR 910.130."]
[99,"2020-06-11","Application Content/Format","I would like to check if having a SAM number is mandatory for industry partners that will be part of the proposal but will not be receiving federal grant funds.  Kindly let us know if SAM number is definitely needed for the proposal either during or after the submission.","Please see FOA Section IV.G. Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System and System for Award Management (SAM). \"Each Applicant … is required to : (1) Be registered in the SAM … before submitting an application …\"  Only the prime applicant is required to be registered in SAM for an application submission. "]
[100,"2020-06-12","Application Content/Format","Do you have any templates or advice that you can forward about writing/pursuing grants?","Thank you for your interest in DE-FOA-0002245.  Please visit EERE-Exchange.energy.gov for future funding opportunities which may align with you organization's interest. EERE does not have templactes or advice to provide regarding writing or pursuing grants."]
[101,"2020-06-12","Application Content/Format","Many times, in other solicitations, an actual summary slide template is provided that should be used. For this one, we do not see a template listed in the eere website under required forms for this solicitation. Can you please confirm then, in this case, there is not a set template to be used for the summary slide and we should create our own with the above information?","There is no recommended format or template for the summary slide.  Please see FOA Section IV.D.ix. Summary Slide for document requirements. "]
[102,"2020-06-12","Labs/FFRDCs","Is a Subrecipient Budget Justification workbook required for a DOE FFRDC \nNational Lab who is performing a portion of the work (> $250k), * IN \nADDITION* to the DOE WP and DOE Authorization Letter?\n","A Budget Justification is not required for FFRDC partners.  FFRDCs are only required to submit a Field Work Proprosal and Authorization Letter. "]
[103,"2020-06-12","Application Content/Format","I have a question regarding the \"BOTTLE\" opportunity FOA.  The FOA dictates a 3 month verification period initially, which is contained within its own budget period (e.g., budget period 1).  Therefore, the project work starts on month 4, and in budget period 2.  The FOA indicates subsequent verifications should occur around 18 months, and also at 3 months before the end of the project.  My question is if the second and third verifications also need to be isolated within their own 3-month budget period, during which other project work does not continue?  Or can the second and third verification tasks be added to a budget period during which other project work is ongoing?","Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\" The second and third verifications do not need to be in separate budget periods from other work. The second verification should be a part of budget period 2 directly preceding the Go/No-Go decision point. The third verification should be a part of budget period 3 prior to the end of the project.”"]
[104,"2020-06-12","Cost Sharing","Is a letter of commitment required from a subrecipient (waste plastic company) who only provides waste plastics stream and does not provide cost-share ? ","Please see FOA Section IV.D.iv. Letters of Commitment. Letters of Commitment are required from all subrecipient and third-party cost share providers. The waste plastic stream would be considered an in-kind cost share contribution."]
[105,"2020-06-12","Application Content/Format","Page 13 of the call lists that “Applicants must include this time in their schedule.”  Does this mean that the first Budget Period of the project must be a 3-month period that represents the initial verification taking place?  ","Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\" "]
[106,"2020-06-12","Application Content/Format","Can the 3 months needed for the initial verification task (Task 1, BP1) be in addition to the 36 month Project Period allowed for  AOI 8a, for a total project period of 39 months?","Please see FOA Section II.A.ii. Period of Performance. \"EERE anticipates making awards that will run up to 36 months in length for all Topic Areas, comprised of one or more budget periods.\" Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\"  Please see FOA Section IV.D.ii Technical Volume,  the Workplan and Market Transformation Plan state \"unless otherwise specified in the FOA, at a minimum, each project must have at least one project-wide Go/No-Go decision point for each budget period (12 to 18-month period) of the project.\"  "]
[107,"2020-06-12","Application Content/Format","I would like to confirm that the following breakdown of budget periods for the BOTTLE proposal are correct. \nBP1: months 0-3 (initial verification task only, no project work)\nBP2: months 4-18 (includes intermediate verification in month 18)\nBP3: months 19-36 (includes near-end of project verification in month 33)\n","Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\"  Please see FOA Section IV.D.ii Technical Volume,  the Workplan and Market Transformation Plan state \"unless otherwise specified in the FOA, at a minimum, each project must have at least one project-wide Go/No-Go decision point for each budget period (12 to 18-month period) of the project.\"  "]
[108,"2020-06-16","Application Content/Format","Can you tell us the BETO Program Manager for this FOA? ","The BETO Program Manager for this FOA is Jay Fitzgerald."]
[109,"2020-06-16","Due Dates","Is this opportunity still available and can an individual at EERE contact us about it? ","Please see FOA Section IV. Application and Submission Information.  Please see FOA Section VII. Questions/Agency Contacts.  \"Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process...\""]
[110,"2020-06-16","Concept Paper","I submitted the concept paper for the BOTTLE call DE-FOA-0002245, but haven’t got result so far. The full proposal submission deadline is 2nd July. Appreciate if you can provide some information. ","Please see FOA Section VI.A.ii. Concept Paper Notifications. \"EERE will notify applicants of its determination to encourage or discourage the submission of a Full Application. EERE will post these notifications to EERE Exchange.\""]
[111,"2020-06-17","Technical Topics","SOPO Task 1 is the verification of baseline technologies within first 3 months of the project. Since our work falls under the Topic Area 2 which concerns novel methods in deconstructing polymers, there are no baseline technologies as we are developing new mechanocatalysis based technology. Hence, by definition, our project is to build the technology and the instrument and we believe it will take us at least year 1 to build the instrument and start initial tests with polymers. Hence the Task 1 in SOPO can't be accomplished within 3 months and effectively is prohibitive for Topic Area 2. How can we continue with developing and writing our proposal in light of this?","“The baseline value for some technologies or aspects of some technologies may be zero at the start of a project. In this case, literature information on related technologies may have to be used to baseline the project.”"]
[112,"2020-06-18","Application Content/Format","Do you expect your: \n\nBP1 to be months 0-3\nBP2 to be month 4—18\nBP3 to be months 19-36\n","Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\"  Please see FOA Section IV.D.ii Technical Volume,  the Workplan and Market Transformation Plan state \"unless otherwise specified in the FOA, at a minimum, each project must have at least one project-wide Go/No-Go decision point for each budget period (12 to 18-month period) of the project.\"  "]
[113,"2020-06-18","Application Content/Format","I am requesting a Proposed Start Date of DE-FOA-0002245 due to submit the full application and Budget. ","Please see the first page of the FOA Document. EERE expects negotiating awards from this FOA in the Winter of 2020.  Please select a date after the anticipated date of selection, 9/30/2020, for your project to start. "]
[114,"2020-06-18","Application Content/Format","I have some questions regarding the waiver request for the full application\n\nIs it possible to have a phone call to discuss this matter before submitting the full application ?\n","Please see FOA Section VII. Questions/Agency Contacts.  \"Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process...\""]
[115,"2020-06-18","Due Dates","Could you please verify the submission deadlines for this FOA?","As documented on the first page of the FOA Document, the Full Application Submission deadline is 07/02/2020."]
[116,"2020-06-18","Application Content/Format","I am doing the resumes and when I referred to the document , table at the bottom page 28 , it says resumes (pdf format. 1 page maximum per person).  but on page 35，iii. resumes- it says applicant are required to submit one page resumes for key participating team members. Multi-page resumes are not allowed.. \n> \n> My question is are we supposed to submit 1 page only to include all members ？ \n","FOA section IV.D.iii. states Applicants are required to submit one-page resumes for key participating team members. This should include key team members from the other participating organizations. All resumes should be included in the same “ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_Resumes” file.  The Resume for each key member should not exceed 1 page, multi-page resumes per key member are not allowed. "]
[117,"2020-06-19","Application Content/Format","Full application instructions say to use Times New Roman typeface with a font size of 12. Does this apply to items such as the resumes and summary slides as well?","Please see FOA Section IV.A. Application Process. \"All pages must be formatted to fit on 8.5 x 11-inch paper with margins not less than one inch on every side. Use Times New Roman typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 12 point or larger (except in figures or tables, which may be 10-point font).\""]
[118,"2020-06-22","Application Content/Format","Are we able to make any capital equipment purchases via the grant?  If yes, what are the suggested guidelines?","Please see FOA Section IV.J.vi. Equipment and Supplies for guidance pertaining to equipment.  Additional guidance can be found in 2 CFR 200.439."]
[119,"2020-06-22","Technical Topics","Could you comment on the definition of plastics?  For the purposes of this grant are rayons considered  plastics as a for instance.  How are natural/renewable plastics considered versus petroleum based plastics for the purposes of this grant."]
[120,"2020-06-22","Other","Is there a form or format you could recommend for us to use to propose and support an indirect rate? We have prepared a package for the negotiating a rate with USDA, so will default to providing that level of detail if there is not a a defined format.","Please see 2 CFR 200.412-200.415 for guidance pertaining to Direct and Indirect Costs."]
[121,"2020-06-22","Data Management","What is our status?   Do you encourage us to put in a full application or not?  How do we turn in a full application if the APPLY button is disabled?"]
[122,"2020-06-23","Application Content/Format","In the call it states there must be a 3 month verification task within it’s own budget period.  For the remaining 33 months of the proposed work, is there any stipulation on a minimum or maximum length of the other budget periods?","Please see FOA Section IV.D.v. \"All applicants must include the initial verification task within their scope as Task 1. It must be separated from the rest of the scope of work by a Go/No-Go decision point, and applicants should estimate a three-month duration for the verification effort.\"  Please see FOA Section IV.D.ii Technical Volume,  the Workplan and Market Transformation Plan state \"unless otherwise specified in the FOA, at a minimum, each project must have at least one project-wide Go/No-Go decision point for each budget period (12 to 18-month period) of the project.\"  "]
[123,"2020-06-23","Application Content/Format","The required SF424 document asks for an authorized signature at the bottom of the document under “Signature of Authorized Representative” but does not appear to allow for the drag and drop of a pdf signature, it offers only the option to type. Does this need to be an actual signature or can it be the typed name of the Authorized Representative? ","If your organization is having difficulty digitally signing the SF 424, Application for Financial Assistance, an ink signature scanned in is acceptable for the submission of this document."]
[124,"2020-06-24","Due Dates","Would it be possible you please extend the deadline for ~1-2 weeks?","The Full Application Submission Deadline has already been extended to 7/2/2020.  EERE does not anticipate another extension for the deadline."]
[125,"2020-06-24","Application Content/Format","1) Are third tier subawards allowed?  If so, what documentation should be included in the full proposal?\n2)What paperwork, if any, is required at the time of proposal submission, for vendors included in the budget?\n","Third tier subawards are allowed.  Subrecipients should treat their own subawards in the same manner as the Prime treats first tier subawards.  Please see FOA Section IV.D. Content and Form of the Full Application.\n\nPlease see FOA Section IV.D.vii. Budget Justification Workbook and the provided Budget Justification template for guidance pertaining to Contractual costs proposed by the Applicant."]
[126,"2020-06-24","Application Content/Format","Can you please provide the name, phone number, address, and email of the cognizant program manager for DE-FOA-0002245? ","The Program Manager for this FOA is Jay Fitzgerald.  His phone number and e-mail address are 240-562-1336 and jay.fitzgerald@ee.doe.gov. Please see FOA Section IV. Application and Submission Information. \n\nPlease see FOA Section VII. Questions/Agency Contacts.  \"Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process.\""]
[127,"2020-06-30","Due Dates","Due to Covid-19 pandemic, we are facing delay to get the partnership letter from one of our team members and their legal team approval. Can you please extend the deadline for a few days? I understand that you had extended it already to July 2, 2020 but during these \"unprecedented times\", it may be only fair to extend the deadline to accommodate the delays that are out of applicants' control? Alternatively, can we submit the missing letter of commitment later if selected for award ?","EERE does not anticipate extending the application due date beyond the current submission date of 07/02/2020.  If selected for award, applicants may submit letters of commitment at a later date in time. "]
[128,"2020-06-30","Application Content/Format"," Is the USMP actually required?  If so, can we see an example/sample or specific instruction of what is requested?","Please see FOA Section IV.D.xv. U.S. Manufacturing Plan for guidance.\n\n\"Pursuant to the DOE Determination of Exceptional Circumstances (DEC) dated September 9, 2013, each applicant is required to submit a U.S. Manufacturing Plan as part of its application. The U.S. Manufacturing Plan represents the applicant's measurable commitment to support U.S. manufacturing as a result of its award.\""]
[129,"2020-07-01","Application Content/Format","Can we change the proposal title between concept paper and the full application submission ?","Yes, the title of the proposal may change between the submission of a Concept Paper and the submission ofa full application. "]

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["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Concept Paper"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["Other"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]