FUNDING MEMO
Title: 2023 DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program
Funding Agency: Department of Energy
External Deadline(s):
01/05/2023 02:00 PM PST (Pre-application deadline)
03/23/2023 08:59 PM PDT (Full Proposal)
Cognizant Office: Office of Sponsored Research
Description:
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it is accepting applications for the 2023 DOE Office of Science (SC) Early Career Research Program to support the research of outstanding scientists early in their careers. The program will support over 80 early career researchers for five years at U.S. academic institutions, DOE national laboratories, and Office of Science user facilities.
Total Award: $875,000
- The award size will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds. The minimum request for awards to an Institution of Higher Education is approximately $875,000 over five years. The floor for Institution of Higher Education is raised (previously ~$750,000) to encourage these institutions to increase graduate student stipends.
- Requested funding may vary year-by-year to accommodate the real and expected needs of the proposed research. The average Early Career Research award supports the PI (i.e., up to three months summer salary for university-based PIs, and at least 50% of time and effort for other PIs), research staff under the PI’s direction (including postdocs and graduate students), equipment (including fabrication), and other necessary costs (materials, supplies, and travel).
Indirect Costs:
- Caltech's federally negotiated F&A rate will apply.
Cost Sharing/Matching Requirement: No
- Cost sharing for basic and fundamental research is not required pursuant to an exclusion from the requirements of Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Duration: 5 years
- Continuation funding (funding for the second and subsequent budget periods) is contingent on: (1) availability of funds appropriated by Congress and future year budget authority; (2) progress towards meeting the objectives of the approved application; (3) submission of required reports; and (4) compliance with the terms and conditions of the award.
Discipline(s): Biology and Biological Engineering; Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Engineering and Applied Science; Geological and Planetary Sciences; Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy
Eligibility: Tenure-Track Faculty
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To be eligible for the program, a researcher must be an untenured, tenure-track assistant or associate professor at a U.S. academic institution or a full-time employee at a DOE national laboratory or Office of Science user facility.
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No more than 12 years can have passed between the year the PI’s Ph.D. was awarded and the calendar year in which this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is released.
- To address special circumstances and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Science is extending the eligibility window for this competition from 10 to 12 years for all applicants.
- For the present competition, those who received doctorates on or after January 1, 2010, are eligible. If a PI has multiple doctorates, the discipline of the one they have earned within the 12-year eligibility window must be relevant to the proposed research.
- Extensions to eligibility will be considered for individuals who have had a major life event requiring an extended absence (three months or longer) from the workplace, including but not limited to active military service, an absence due to personal disability, or an absence covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act
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No more than 12 years can have passed between the year the PI’s Ph.D. was awarded and the calendar year in which this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is released.
- U.S. academic institutions are eligible to submit applications under this FOA. An employee with a joint appointment between a university and a DOE national laboratory must apply through the institution that pays his or her salary and provides his or her benefits.
- There can be no co-PIs. Applications including co-PIs may be declined without review.
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PIs who have received awards previously under the SC Early Career Research Program are not eligible.
- PIs of early career awards funded by other agencies or entities are eligible, but the proposed research must have a scope different from that already funded by the other organization.
Research Areas of Interest:
- Early career researchers may apply to one of eight Office of Science program offices: Advanced Scientific Computing Research; Biological and Environmental Research; Basic Energy Sciences; Fusion Energy Sciences; High Energy Physics; Nuclear Physics; Accelerator R&D and Production; and Isotope R&D and Production.
- Proposed research topics must fall within the programmatic priorities of DOE's Office of Science - please see guidelines for details.
Research Exclusions:
- This FOA seeks to support basic research to advance understanding rather than to address commercial opportunities. Applications that propose research related to current commercial activity or current customer needs may be declined without merit review.
- DOE is implementing enhanced reporting requirements for applications and awards.
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Reporting requirements are identified on the Federal Assistance Reporting Checklist, DOE F 4600.2.
- Individual awards may impose additional requirements.
Guidelines & Other Information:
Program Announcement: https://www.energy.gov/science/articles/department-energy-announces-early-career-research-program-fy-2023
Full Guidelines: https://science.osti.gov/-/media/grants/pdf/foas/2023/SC_FOA_0002821.pdf
This is a Federal Opportunity. Submissions and awards for this grant program will be processed through the Office of Sponsored Research.
Opportunity ID: 1361