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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to FCTOFOA@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-FOA0001874 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell R&D FOA"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Topic Area","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2018-04-19","Application Reviews","All","Is there a time I could call to discuss our concept paper and our general approach? ","This FOA is a competitive solicitation and private discussions, while the announcement is open, is prohibited. "]
[2,"2018-04-19","Application Content/Format","All","Is there a guideline document for this and some samples of how the submission paper should be composed?","On the Exchange FOA landing page, the \"Required Application Documents\" section includes the following templates for Full Applications: \nSF-424; SOPO; Budget Justification; Summary Slide; SF-LLL.  \nThe remainder of the full application submission requirements and the Concept Paper do not have templates/forms and must conform to the requirements of the FOA, including page limits and formatting."]
[3,"2018-04-19","Budget","All","Are budget items such as monthly rent, internet access and utilities allowable costs for the subject FOA? All the items will be used exclusively for the goals of FOA.","These types of budget items are typically included as Indirect Costs on projects but may be included as Direct Costs in some circumstances.  Applications that are selected for award negotiation will go through a budget review process to determine if costs are allowable, allocable, and reasonable to the project and whether or not any revisions need to be made.\nRefer to the following applicable Federal cost principles for more information:\n• FAR Part 31 for For-Profit entities; and\n• 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles for all other non-federal entities."]
[4,"2018-04-18","Eligibility","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","“Only industry applicants are eligible to apply as prime recipients to Topic 2A in this FOA; however, all entities are eligible to apply as subrecipients.” Can you please provide more definition as to which types of applicants are excluded from being prime recipients under topic 2A?","In the context of topic 2A of this FOA, “industry applicant” refers specifically to for-profit entities. All other entities are able to participate on applications to Topic 2A as subrecipients."]
[5,"2018-04-22","Technical Topics","3A: Innovative Fuel Cell Membrane","I have a couple of questions about Topic 3A alkaline exchange membranes (AEMs). On page 21 (last paragraph), it state “therefore, FCTO seeks applications for stable AEMs that can enable the use of PGM-free catalysts in fuel cells. \"...The proposed materials should demonstrate potential to exceed the interim 2019 FCTO targets of 0.6 V at a current density >600 mA/cm2 in H2/O2 at 1.5 atm... ”. 1. Does this fuel cell performance target require the use of a PGM-free catalyst? 2. Even if does not require, does this FOA still encourage to use PGM-free catalyst for a demonstration?","1. It is not required that the milestone be demonstrated with a PGM-free catalyst.\n2. Use of PGM-free catalysts for a demonstration is acceptable; however, the focus of this FOA topic is on fuel cell membrane R&D.\n"]
[6,"2018-04-23","Technical Topics","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","We plan to build a hydrogen production facility, connected to various merchant/industrial users for hydrogen, can this application be for commercial roll-out, as opposed to strictly research and development? ","As described on page 13 of the FOA, duplication or deployment of existing commercial integrated systems must be avoided.  Applications should focus on early-stage R&D, and not on commercial rollouts."]
[7,"2018-04-23",null,"All","Would it be possible to post the Q&As as a pdf file","Both PDF and Excel formats will be available going forward. "]
[7,"2018-04-23","Cost Sharing","All","Does the cost share partner and/or commitment amount need to be identified in the concept paper stage?","Values for both “Federal Share (DOE)” and “Non-Federal Share” on the Funds and Costs tab are required in order to submit the Concept Paper, however, partners and specific commitments do not have to be included in the Concept Paper.  "]
[8,"2018-04-24","Technical Topics","3B Reversible and Liquid Fuel Cell Component","In the description of Topic 3B: Innovative Reversible and Liquid Fuel Cell Component R&D, only hydrogen is mentioned as a fuel for the unitized reversible fuel cells (URFCs). Is it the case that only proposals for URFCs using hydrogen as the fuel will be considered, or will proposals involving other fuels such as formate/formic acid be considered as well?","Applications involving the use of other fuels besides hydrogen for URFCs will be considered."]
[9,"2018-04-24","Technical Topics","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","Topic 2A says it wants \"industry-led efforts on hydrogen-focused integrated renewable energy production\". Does this mean that it is a requirement that the PI be from a company rather than a university? And a 20% industry cost-share is required, but only for topics that fall under Topic 2A?","See answer to question 4. Regarding the industry cost share, 20% cost share is required for all topics under this funding opportunity. "]
[10,"2018-04-24","Technical Topics","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","I was also wondering if you could expand on what is meant by \"Applicants are also encouraged to explore research already being pursued at other DOE offices (e.g., on solar fuels)\"? Is this meant to encourage solar fuels related proposals, or is it saying that they are discouraged because other offices are already pursuing that? ","Solar fuels are responsive to this topic, but applicants are encouraged to review ongoing research to ensure that the specific work being proposed is not redundant with work that has alrady been funded.”"]
[11,"2018-04-24","Technical Topics","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","So for instance, would a proposal on a concept for a high-efficiency semiconductor particulate Type 1/2 solar hydrogen system have any place in this FOA? Would it have to be Topic 2A?","Yes, this would be responsive to Topic 2A, if the approach is at a TRL of 2-5."]
[12,"2018-04-24","Technical Topics","2B: Electrolyzer","One of the other areas of our work that seems relevant to me is our low-PGM catalysts for electrolysis. It looks like Topic 2B is the only area where that might fit, would you agree? I don't see any industry requirement for projects under this topic, is that correct?","Thank you for your interest in the FY18 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell R&D Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The FOA posted at EERE eXCHANGE is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA. We cannot predetermine the suitability or viability of a proposal in advance of the merit review process. It is up to prospective applicants to review the requirements of the FOA and assess the merits of their proposed project to determine whether to submit a concept paper/application. All questions concerning this announcement must be submitted via e-mail to FCTOFOA@ee.doe.gov not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. All questions and answers related to this FOA will be posted publicly on EERE eXCHANGE at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ "]
[13,"2018-04-24","Intellectual Property","All","Would like to get an idea on how I.P. protection is assured for companies applying for this funding?","Please see FOA Sections VIII (E) and (I) on how application information is treated.  FOA Sections (L) through (O) discuss treatment of intellectual property under an award."]
[14,"2018-04-24","Eligibility","All"," I am a citizen from another country on a H1B Visa working at a Domestic Entities , am I eligible to apply?","The award will be made to the domestic entity and not to an individual. The domestic entity must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in Section III Eligibility Information of the FOA Document. Please consult with your employer if you have questions about your visa."]
[15,"2018-04-25","Technical Topics","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","Please advise if the following idea fits into any of the topics of the current FCTO FOA (DE-FOA-0001874)\n\nH2 Production, NREL and Nzyme2HC: The idea is based on the electrochemically-mediated production of H2 from acidic water using purified hydrogenase enzyme immobilized onto an electrode surface. In preliminary experiments at NREL, funded under an SBV, we demonstrated feasibility of the process, although various improvements will be needed to keep the process operating continuously with industrial acidic water as the source of protons. Nzyme2HC has found partners within Toyota and GM, and we would be testing a novel membrane (provided by another industrial partner) to pre-treat the waste water before utilizing it in our electro-reactor.\n\nIf so, which topic?\n","Thank you for your interest in the FY18 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell R&D Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The FOA posted at EERE eXCHANGE is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA. We cannot predetermine the suitability or viability of a proposal in advance of the merit review process. It is up to prospective applicants to review the requirements of the FOA and assess the merits of their proposed project to determine whether to submit a concept paper/application. All questions concerning this announcement must be submitted via e-mail to FCTOFOA@ee.doe.gov not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. All questions and answers related to this FOA will be posted publicly on EERE eXCHANGE at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ "]
[16,"2018-04-25","Eligibility","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","We are interested in submitting a concept paper for topic 2A. On page 31 (Section 3.B.ii) the FOA states that \"only industry applicants are eligible to apply as prime recipients.\" Would an academic institution be allowed to be the prime recipient if there was a strong industry partner included in the concept paper? Alternatively, could an academic institution be a co-prime recipient along with the industry partner?","See Question 4."]
[17,"2018-04-25","Technical Topics","3B Reversible and Liquid Fuel Cell Component","For Topic 3B, Unitized Reversible Fuel Cells, would solid oxide cells utilizing CH4, CO2, or other carbon-containing energy storage media be responsive, or is the focus specifically on hydrogen storage? ","We are not excluding."]
[18,"2018-04-25","Cost Sharing","All","Can useful equipment purchased by the U.S. Navy or U.S. Army - that is authorized to be dispositioned and used by an industrial recipient for this FOA - count towards the 20% cost share requirement?","Government owned equipment can only be used as cost share if the equipment is necessary for the project and if authorized by law. Please review the following sections of the Code of Federal Regulations regarding equipment: 2 CFR 200.306, 2 CFR 200.313, and 2 CFR 910.360."]
[19,"2018-04-25","Technical Topics","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","For Topic 2A, Integrated Energy Production and Fueling R&D, can ethanol be considered as a Biomass Feed stock(Figure 1 in subject FOA) for hydrogen production via reforming? ","Ethanol can be considered a biomass feedstock"]
[20,"2018-04-27","Webinar","All","We are interested in applying for the FOA funding #DE-FOA-0001874 for the innovation of non-precious-metal catalyst for FC, and is preparing for the concept paper and the full application. We wonder whether there is a webinar that is focusing on proposal of non-precious-metal catalyst on 4/30? Please advise the webinar time and registration if it is available online","On April 30, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the ElectroCatalysis (ElectroCat) Consortium co-leads, Debbie Myers (Argonne National Laboratory) and Piotr Zelenay (Los Alamos National Laboratory), will provide an overview of the consortium and the ElectroCat funding opportunity announcement (FOA) topic currently soliciting proposals for platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalyst layers and electrodes. The ElectroCat Consortium aims to accelerate development of high-performing and durable PGM-free catalysts and electrodes to significantly reduce fuel cell cost. The webinar will cover the consortium’s approach to PGM-free catalyst research and development, including the national lab-based capabilities, with which applicants are expected to collaborate. Available capabilities include high-throughput, combinatorial techniques, and advanced computational tools within the consortium to guide research and development. The webinar will conclude with a 15-minute Q&A portion. For registration: http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTgwNDI3Ljg5MDgwODUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE4MDQyNy44OTA4MDg1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3OTcxODMwJmVtYWlsaWQ9Z3JlZ29yeS5rbGVlbkBnby5kb2UuZ292JnVzZXJpZD1ncmVnb3J5LmtsZWVuQGdvLmRvZS5nb3YmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&102&&&https://doe.webex.com/doe/j.php?RGID=r7503b1fd38c2acad26308e48918d4cee"]
[21,"2018-04-26","Application Content/Format","All","Page 9 of FOA says “applications should include concepts that integrate across two or more of the steps”. Could we propose two areas for example hydrogen production and  liquid fuel synthesis in one concept paper? Concept paper requirements section in page 40 says that it “must be limited to a single concept or technology”.","Yes, innovations in two areas may be proposed as long as they are part of one project proposal."]
[22,"2018-04-26","Application Content/Format","All","Could one concept paper cover two sub-topics?","No."]
[null,"2018-04-27","Technical Topics","3B Reversible and Liquid Fuel Cell Component","Do recipients have to pay for access to tools in ElectroCat?","No."]
[23,"2018-04-28","Foreign Entities/Work","All","Are the requirements for a waiver of working in US tougher than before? For example, could a waiver request by a foreign company that currently is a subcontractor of DOE funded project be rejected due to new rules now? If yes, could we get a feedback and a chance to change the foreign team member during the review process of concept papers? ","Please see FOA Section III A (iii) Foreign Entities for information regarding Foreign Entities applying to this funding notice. Please see question 14 above regarding foreign individuals working on proposed projects. Award negotiations may include team reorganization, if necessary to the successful outcome of a project."]
[24,"2018-04-28","Technical Topics","3B Reversible and Liquid Fuel Cell Component","Will redox flow batteries be considered in topic 3B?","No."]
[25,"2018-04-30","Cost Sharing","All","Are small businesses able to use a reduced cost share?","No reduced cost share will be utilized for this FOA. The standard cost share amount for all topics in this funding announcement is 20%"]
[26,"2018-04-30","Cost Sharing","All","Can company funds used to produce and file patents count as cost share for this program?","Please review the following section of the Federal Acquisition Regulations regarding patent costs for specifics: FAR 31.205-30 Patent Costs for for-profit entities or 2 CFR 200.448 Intellectual Property, 2 CFR 200.306 Cost Sharing or Matching, and 2 CFR 910.130 Cost Sharing (EPACT)"]
[27,"2018-04-30","Cost Sharing","All","If the company charges the government a lower rate than the industrial rate for labor, can the difference be cost share","No.  The resulting awards from this FOA will be cooperative agreements and not contracts, thus, recipients can not collect a fee or profit on DOE financial assistance awards. That amount can not be used as cost share. Please see 2 CFR 910.358 (d) "]
[28,"2018-05-01","Application Content/Format","All","We want to submit our Concept paper on EERE Exchange website, but it doesn’t allow image attachment. Can you please tell us how we can submit the paper including image? Maybe emailing directly to you?","Only one file per control number may be submitted on EERE Exchange for the concept paper. Please refer to Section IV. C. Content and Form of the Concept Paper for all requirements."]
[29,"2018-05-02","Technical Topics","3A: Innovative Fuel Cell Membrane","Regarding topic 3A (selected text below): the document is clear that PFSA membranes are not of interest. It is less clear for catalyst layer specific applications. Does the non-PFSA requirement extend to the “development of novel ionomers?”","While the development of novel non-PFSA ionomers is encouraged, main objectives are improved high-current density fuel cell operation by addressing mass transport limitations and the reduction of cost."]
[30,"2018-05-02","Cost Sharing","All","Can in kind cost share that is not entirely incurred during the period of performance be used?","  No. Only cost share incurred during the period of performance would be eligible to use as cost share."]
[31,"2018-05-02","Cost Sharing","All","Does the prime have to have the largest portion of the budget? If yes is it the portion of federal share or total project cost?","No. It us up to each applicant to decide how the project budget will best complete project goals. However, see Section III.F.6. Limit on FFRDC Effort in the FOA. "]
[32,"2018-05-04","Application Content/Format","All","Can the prime contractor and participants be changed after the Concept Paper is submitted as long as the general project remains the same?","Yes, the participants of the project can be changed after the concept paper has been submitted. "]
[33,"2018-05-04","Application Content/Format","All","It is required that the control number be shown in the upper right header of each page.  What is the control number?","Please review section IV. Application and Submission Information "]
[34,"2018-05-04","Registration Requirements","All","Does each concept paper have to have a separate registration or can multiple papers be submitted under one company/persons registration","Each concept paper must have it's own control number. Please review Section IV. Application and Submission Information or contact EERE Exchange help desk for any issues creating multiple control numbers."]
[35,"2018-05-04","Intellectual Property","All","We recently submitted an invention disclosure to the material whose performance will be discussed in the concept paper.  A patent application will be filed after the due date of the concept paper, therefore we would like mark the sections that contain material for the upcoming patent application as “Patent Hold” along the margin.  Please let us know if this is acceptable","Yes.  It is acceptable to mark the relevant parts of the application with a “Patent Hold” marking if it applies.  Please also refer to Section VIII(E) Treatment of Application Information and (I) Notice of Potential Disclosure under FOIA of the FOA regarding use of protective markings."]
[36,"2018-05-04","Registration Requirements","All","Is it possible to submit a concept paper to DE-FOA-0001874 and list $0 in the federal and cost share fields of EERE-Exchange?  ","Yes, you can fill in the federal and cost share fields with $0 for the concept paper stage. "]
[37,"2018-05-06","Technical Topics","3A: Innovative Fuel Cell Membrane"," Pages 23 and 25 of the call mention the acronym \"ASTs\".  It would be helpful to please define this acronym - i.e. \"Accelerated Standard Tests\", etc. and to indicate which specific protocols in the DOE Fuel Cells MYRD&D Plan are being referenced, both for Topic 3A (page 23) and for Topic 3B (page 25).","The definition of AST is Accelerated Stress Test. There are no specific protocols in the plan to date, either for reversible fuel cells or alkaline membranes specifically. The applicant would need to discuss the proposed use of ASTs to track durability"]
[38,"2018-05-06","Application Content/Format","All","The Q&A for question 32 seems to indicate that the Prime Contractor can be changed after the Concept Paper is submitted, but before the full application is submitted.  ","The information in question 32 is correct. The Prime Recipient can be changed during the period between the concept paper deadline and application deadline. "]
[39,"2018-05-04","Technical Topics","3A: Innovative Fuel Cell Membrane","Topic 3, says a primary focus on reducing cost and improving durability.  If our concept paper is not focused on membrane, but propose to utilize our patented Pt-based nanocatalyst to achieve the same goal, will it be considered?  ","No, it will not be considered as it would not be responsive to the topic"]
[40,"2018-05-04","Foreign Entities/Work","3A: Innovative Fuel Cell Membrane","I would like to confirm that a Canadian company is eligible to apply this FOA.","Please see question 23 above and Section III Eligibility Requirements of the FOA Document for more information on foreign entity eligibility. "]
[41,"2018-05-11","Application Reviews","All","We were discouraged from submitting a full proposal.  Would it be possible to receive a debriefing on this decision? \n\nWill the FCTO conduct the same review process (and the following selection procedure) on the Full Application with the discouraged Concept Paper as other Full Applications with encouraged Concept Papers?\n\nShould we just give up to submit the full applications?","Other than the encourage/discourage decision, no further feedback will be provided. There is not an opportunity for a debrief on specific concept papers. As stated in the 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."]
[42,"2018-05-14","Application Content/Format","All","How do we submit letters of commitment and letters of support for our Full Application ?  To whom should the letters be  addressed ?\nDo you require, or desire, letters of commitment from all entities supplying a component of the funding match ?\nShall these letters be sent to us, the applicant, for FWD to EERE portal with our Full Application, or to other portal you specify ?\nShould all letters be assembled in a single .pdf file for submission ?","Please see the table in Section IV.D.ii - \"Technical Volume\" of the FOA.\n\nAddress for Cost Share Commitment and FFRDC Authorization:\nLalida Crawford\nDOE Contracting Officer\n15013 Denver West Parkway\nGolden CO, 80401"]
[43,"2018-05-14","Eligibility","All","In composing our Full Application from concept paper, to what extent may we expand the scope and budget we presented in submitting the concept paper, to make this a more valuable project for the purposes and goals of the FOA ?","Scope and budget may be adjusted in the Full Application."]
[44,"2018-05-14","Eligibility","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","Concept Paper was encouraged.  In more thorough review of the solicitation, we want to clarify the eligibility for submission of the full application.  However, page 31, section III. B. ii. Indicates that only industry applicants are eligible to apply as prime recipients to Topic 2A.  ","See Questions 4 and 32"]
[45,"2018-05-10","Labs/FFRDCs","All","Page 37 of the call states: \"The scope of work to be performed by the FFRDC may not be more significant than the scope of work to be performed by the applicant.\"  It would help to clarify if \"the FFRDC\" refers to all FFRDC sub-awardees combined together, or just one at a time.","FFRDC effort should be measured by the percentage of total project costs. For each FFRDC sub recipient, the level of effort should be less than the prime applicant. Therefore, it is possible for two (or more) FFRDC subs to have an aggregate level of effort that exceeds the prime applicant. Applicants are reminded that FFRDC’s cannot provide cost share towards total project costs."]
[46,"2018-05-17","Cost Sharing","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","Page 13 of the FOA  says \"must include 20% industry cost share.\" However, Section 3.C.iii (page 33) states that \"Cost share may be provided by the Prime Recipient, Subrecipients, or third parties (entities that do not have a role in performing the scope of work).\"\nWithin topic 2a, can we (as a university subrecipient) provide cost share? Does the entire cost share amount have to be provided by our industrial prime recipient? Can we include cost share from other third-party industrial partners?","While the Prime Recipient is legally responsible for providing the entire Cost Share, project partners as described in Section 3.C.iii may provide cost share to all Topic Area projects."]
[47,"2018-05-18","Foreign Entities/Work","All","For a project in topic area 2A, can international entities (a non-US headquartered company and a university in Europe) participate as subcontractors?  The prime contractor is a U.S. company and there would additionally be a US university subcontractor. ","Applicable to all Topic Areas: \nEach foreign subrecipients would require a waiver as described in Section IV.D.xi \"Performance of Work in the United States\" and Appendix B.2 \"Waiver for Performance of Work in the United States\"."]
[48,"2018-05-18","Labs/FFRDCs","All","The FFRDC Contractor Authorization letter that’s required should be addressed to whom, name and mailing address, please?  ","See Question 42"]
[49,"2018-05-20","Application Content/Format","All","How does one, and / or how does the applicant, submit support letters (not commitment letters) for an \"encouraged\" Full Application","Support letters may be attached as an Appendix to the Technical Volume (would not count against the page limit) or submitted as an \"Additional File\" in the \"Upload and Submit\" tab of the Full Application."]
[50,"2018-05-21","Eligibility","All","We have 7 different entities as team members and are proposing a 3-year program. Is it possible to request more than the Max Federal Funding per Award amount? ","Applicants are expected to propose at or below the maximum Federal funding level per award. EERE will not provide Federal funding beyond the maximum funding level per award. Applicants are reminded that, as stated in Section V.C.i, the Selection Official may consider … the degree to which the proposed project, including proposed cost share, optimizes the use of available EERE funding to achieve programmatic objectives."]
[51,"2018-05-17","Application Content/Format","All","Could you please indicate if “Market Transformation Plan” is required for DE-FOA-0001874 full applications?\nThe FOA mentions it in the “Technical Volume” section under “Work plan and Market Transformation” but it does not provide any guidelines.","The Market Transformation Plan is not required.  The FOA will be modified to remove the discrepancy. "]
[52,"2018-05-22","Application Content/Format","All","Regarding the “Summary/Abstract for Public Release,” can you tell me how long after the full application submittal date (12 June 2018) the Summary/Abstracts would be made public?  We are in process in getting a patent on the product/process we’re considering for submittal","The “Summary/Abstract for Public Release” will only be used if the application is selected for negotiation of award.  The expected timeframe for selections is late August 2018.  Applicants are reminded to not include any proprietary or sensitive business information."]
[53,"2018-05-22","Application Content/Format","All","Can the summary slide include confidential information?  If so what markings should be used?","The Summary Slide is only used for Merit Review and may contain confidential information.  The slide will not be released publically and information does not need to be marked."]
[54,"2018-05-25","Eligibility","All","If we have 2 proposals in 2C, 1 as prime, 1 as partner, are we limited to just 1 possible award? Our option would be to try and combine these proposals into one application, or drop one of them.","You are not limited to 1 possible award.  However, we are unlikely to fund redundant work.  It is feasible for a project to be selected, and then down-scoped during award negotiations to ensure that only the tasks of interest are funded.  To that end, two proposals with overlapping work could be selected, and subsequently down-scoped to prevent redundancy."]
[55,"2018-05-31","Application Content/Format","All","I am trying to fill out the required form SF-LLL.  We have not ever used our lobbyists to influence anything related to this funding opportunity, but I cannot determine how I indicate that on this form. The form seems to ask for disclosure of that kind of lobbying activity, but we want to submit a testament indicating that we have *not* engaged in such lobbying. How do I indicate that we have not engaged in such lobbying using this form?","To indicate that the applicant does not engage in lobbying in support of this Federal funding (additionally if an applicant does not have lobbyist at all):\nBox 4: Entity Information\nBox 10a&b: None - N/A\nSign and date."]
[56,"2018-06-01","Cost Sharing","All","If a for profit entity A provides resources (e.g. access to facilities that are important for the execution of the project) to a for profit subrecipient B, can B use these resources as a cost share in the two cases below?\n1. For profit A receives funding from B, acting as a vendor for B\n2. For profit A does not receive funding from B. \nFor any of the two cases above that the answer to the above question is affirmative, can the cost share level be determined simply by entity A monetizing the value of the provided resources in their commitment letter?","This cost share should be included in entity A’s budget.  A vendor may not provide cost share to a project.  Case 2 is allowable and should be documented in the Cost Share tab of the budget and as part of their commitment letter.  If selected for negotiation of award, EERE may request additional information to approve the cost share."]
[57,"2018-06-01","Labs/FFRDCs","All","We are a DOE FFRDC and hope to submit a proposal listing the DOE FFRDC as the Prime Applicant/Recipient for technical reasons.  Mindful of the prohibitions on cost share contribution by FFRDCs found in Section II.C.iv. for use of federal funds for this purpose, we hope to propose that a Subrecipient or third party is responsible for the required cost share contribution.  However, Section III.C.i. indicates that the Prime Recipient is “solely responsible for managing cost share contributions by the Project Team and enforcing cost share obligation assumed by Project Team members in subawards or related agreements.”  Does this mean that if the cost share contributions by the other Project Team members are not actually met by those who originally promised to pay them, the DOE FFRDC will be legally responsible for making up the unpaid cost share obligation to DOE using its Management Fee or another non-Federal source, or otherwise taking legal action against the Project Team Members who failed to pay the promised cost share so that that amount can be paid to DOE? ","Yes. The Prime Recipient is solely responsible for managing cost share contributions by the Project Team and enforcing cost share obligations assumed by Project Team members in subawards or related agreements.  EERE does not have privity of contract with Project Subawardees."]
[58,"2018-06-01","Cost Sharing","All","1. Does DOE allow Unrecovered Indirect Cost (UIC) as a type of cost share and if so will you provide written authorization stating this?\n2. Does DOE allow Unrecovered Pro-rated Direct Costs (UPDC) as a type of cost share and if so will you provide written authorization stating this?","There is no distinction under the cost principles between Federally funded costs and Cost Share.  Any allowable cost may also be used as Cost Share.  2 CFR 200.306 (c),states “Unrecovered indirect costs, including indirect costs on cost sharing or matching may be included as part of cost sharing or matching only with the prior approval of the Federal awarding agency...” EERE will approve unrecovered indirect costs as cost share.  All costs, whether Federally funded or Cost Share, must be included in the budget as Total Project Costs, and detailed in the appropriate section.  Specifically, all Cost Share items must also be included in the applicable budget cost category."]
[59,"2018-06-01","Cost Sharing","All","Our proposal team would like to include Organization X as a proposal partner in such a way that they can participate on our proposed project, as a no cost and/or no financial involvement partner.  Our Team would benefit from this partner's feedback on both technical and other project-related issues.  At the same time, Organization X could benefit from being kept abreast of the development process. \nOne approach is for a representative of Organization X to occasionally join us for team meetings and to provide feedback on the project's progress and data.  (This could be interpreted as a few hours a year of in-kind labor time cost share from Organization X to the project.)\nIf our team went this route, it would help to clarify if we would be obligated to include these in-kind labor hours in the projects budgetary documents, or, if the amount of donated labor time is small enough, if this would be unnecessary.  \nIf you have any suggestions on how DOE would want this participation documented (in addition to a letter of commitment stating the in-kind labor cost share), please let us know.","It is up to applicants to structure project partnerships with no cost partners.  If the in-kind labor time is required to meet the 20% requirement, than documentation will be required.  If selected for negotiation of award, EERE may request additional information regarding project partners and negotiate budget/scope changes, accordingly."]
[60,"2018-06-01","Due Dates","All","The URL https://eere-exchange.energy.gov does not work for submitting a Full Application for DE-FOA-0001874. Is there another working URL for submitting an application?","Exchange Link"]
[{"$nulls":5},"Once the Concept Paper submission deadline has passed the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange website removes the “Apply” button from the funding opportunity announcement.  Only applicants who have submitted Concept Papers in the website are eligible to submit a Full Application.\n\nApplicants who have submitted a Concept Paper can do the following to create their full application submission record in the website:\n\n1. Log into the website.\n2. Open the “My Submissions” page.\n3. Locate the Concept Paper record.\n4. Click the Control Number to open the Concept Paper Details page\n5. Click the Create Full Application” button that is located in the Concept Paper Response section."]
[61,"2018-06-03","Application Content/Format","All","Where do we find templates or specs for required forms: \n•  Summary for public release \n•  U.S. Manufacturing Plan\n","See Question 2"]
[62,"2018-06-02","Foreign Entities/Work","All","Regarding the foreign entity waiver required as one of the documents for filing a full application. The entity applying for grant is a wholly owned US subsidiary of a foreign company.  All work under the FOA will be performed in the US by this US company. Do I need a waiver?","A waiver for foreign entity participation or performance of work in the U.S. would not be required with the Full Application."]
[63,"2018-06-04","Application Content/Format","All","If the proposal is for 3 years, but there are 2@ 18 month budget periods, do the 3 years go separately into the 335 or the 2 budget periods?","The EERE 335 Budget Justification should be filled out by Budget Periods and correspond with the Periods defined by the applicant in the Statement of Project Objectives."]
[64,"2018-06-04","Application Content/Format","All","“Applicants must provide a separate budget justification, EERE 335 (i.e., budget justification for each budget year and a cumulative budget) for each subawardee that is expected to perform work estimated to be more than $250,000 or 25 percent of the total work effort (whichever is less).”\nCan you please let me know if the $250,000 is for just federal dollars from DOE or does it include the cost share?","The total work effort is measured by total project costs, including cost share."]
[65,"2018-06-04","Application Content/Format","All","An FFRDC will be submitting proposals in response to this FOA, both as a prime and as a sub. \nCan you please clarify if we need to submit a Field Work Proposal (FWP) in addition to the Authorization Letter and if so, where will be this included in the application?","The Field Work Proposal (FWP) is not required with the Full Application.  There is a separate Upload in Exchange for the FFRDC Authorization letters."]
[66,"2018-06-04","Cost Sharing","All","We want to support a partner for a project against this FOA who would like utilize and validate our hydrogen refueling infrastructure to push forward the market.  Both of us as partners would like to utilize our hardware as cost share (possibly leased but could easily qualify for the cost share amount required in terms of amount) for the project (we would be their equipment supplier), is there a path to support them and allow them to qualify for the project ?","In-kind use of equipment is an allowable cost share contribution.\nPlease review Section III.C.iii of the FOA as well as the following sections of the Code of Federal Regulations regarding Cost Share and equipment: 2 CFR 200.306, 2 CFR 200.313, and 2 CFR 910.360."]
[67,"2018-06-04","Registration Requirements","2A: Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling","Please advise on how to re-assign access to the account to the commercial prime and whether we need to reference the Control Number to proceed?  I believe they will need login access to be able to complete the submission process as the prime on this.","The applicant (owner of the Concept Paper record) in Exchange can share permissions to other Exchange users.  Users with shared permissions to a Concept Paper have full editorial and submission control of the Concept Paper record.  The Exchange user who will be taking the lead in the Concept Paper record can create the Full Application record from the Concept Paper Details page.  The Exchange system will then make that use the applicant and the user who created the Concept Paper will have shared permissions to the Full Application record.  The applicants can then update the teaming arrangement (Lead Organization/Team Members etc.) in the Full Application record."]
[68,"2018-06-05","Application Reviews","All","“If an application is selected for award negotiations, it is not a commitment to issue an award. It is imperative that the applicant/selectee be responsive during award negotiations and meet negotiation deadlines. Failure to do so may result in cancelation of further award negotiations and rescission of the Selection.”\n\nThis is not clear if the proposal is considered legally binding for the applicant. What are the applicant’s rights in submitting a proposal?\n","Negotiations may be cancelled by an applicant prior to award.  Once an award has been negotiated, the Recipient may accept or reject the Award.  Cancelling or rejecting an award must come in writing to the DOE Contracting Officer.   In this event, EERE may make additional selection(s)."]
[69,"2018-06-07","Application Content/Format","All","I am unclear on the content in a Letter of Commitment. I see the request in Section IV.D.ii to “Attach any letters of commitment from partners/end users as an appendix (1 page maximum per letter).” But I can find no template or required contents. I am thinking it is simply to commit my organization to the required cost share. Please clarify.","There is no template for Letters of Commitment.  Letters of Commitment must be provided from Subrecipient/third party cost share providers.  Additionally, letters from project participants should be provided to detail their level of participation in the project."]
[70,"2018-06-07","Application Content/Format","All","Multiple forms for DE-FOA-0001874 request a CFDA number. I found the listing linked below (CFDA 81.087), which seems to have expired. What CFDA number should applicants use when applying for this grant?","81.087 is correct."]
[71,"2018-06-08","Application Content/Format","All","I noticed the \"Technical Volume\" component does not set a specific page limitation. There are expectations of sub-section length listed in percentages of the total technical volume. ","As stated in Section IV.D.ii of the FOA, \"the Technical Volume to the Full Application may not be more than 15 pages…\""]
[72,"2018-06-02","Technical Topics","3A: Innovative Fuel Cell Membrane","On page 21 of the FOA (Topic 3A) it states that applications for AEMs “should demonstrate potential to exceed the interim 2019 FCTO targets of 0.6 V at a current density > 600 mA/cm2 in H2/O2 at 1.5 atm and < 10% voltage degradation over 2,000 h hold test at 600 mA/cm2 and T > 60 °C.” Is it required that intermediate temperature fuel cell membranes demonstrate the same potential performance? Are there any specific performance requirements for intermediate temperature membranes aside from generally addressing thermal, phase, and mechanical stability, and activity across the entire range of operating temperatures? Are intermediate temperature membranes required to include “single cell MEA testing at a size of ≥ 50 cm” (p.22)?","Intermediate temperature fuel cell membranes do not need to demonstrate the same performance as alkaline exchange membranes. The FOA does not include targets for intermediate temperature fuel cells, but it is up to the applicant to “identify the status of the proposed technology as it relates to the state-of-the-art” (page 22). All membrane applications in Topic 3A should include single cell MEA testing at a size of ≥ 50 cm."]
[73,"2018-06-09","Due Dates","All","A national lab, one of our proposal partners, may not be able to get a DOE Authorization Letter before the submission, while they have submitted everything into the system. Can you please let us know if the letter can be submitted later or other alternatives?","Review Section III.D of the FOA.  It is recommended that all available documentation be submitted via Exchange prior to the deadline."]
[74,"2018-06-10","Due Dates","All","Our partners are kindly requesting a 2-week extension to finalize collaboration and cost-sharing arrangements.","The deadline will not be extended."]
[75,"2018-06-11","Labs/FFRDCs","All","As an FFRDC Prime, there is a domestic company that is listed as a sub recipient.  My question is how will the sub recipient receive their funding?","Typically, the FFRDC would receive the entire award and would be responsible for setting up subcontracts with its subrecipients. "]
[76,"2018-06-12","Application Content/Format","All","The SOPO has a 5 page limit including the milestone table.  Any chance that this is a typo/clerical error??","The SOPO, as a standalone document requirement, should provide a clear and concise (high-level) statement of the goals and objectives of the project.  In the Application phase, this should be a summary of the Workplan.   The 5 page limit is correct.  If selected for negotiation of award, the SOPO may be expanded into a more comprehensive contractual document."]

{"sheet":"Admin Pick List","index":2,"n_rows":15,"n_cols":1,"rows_kept":15,"cut":false,"hidden":true,"merged":[]}
["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]