Department of Energy: Energy Frontier Research Centers
Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline: January 13, 2022
FAS/SEAS/OSP Pre-Proposal Deadline (if nominated): February 10, 2022
Sponsor Pre-Proposal Deadline (if nominated): February 15, 2022
FAS/SEAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): April 26, 2022
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): May 3, 2022
Award Amount: $2M-$4M/year for up to four years
Limit on Number of Applications: Three (3) per institution; an individual may be named an EFRC Director on only one pre-application. Directors of existing EFRC awards that do not have project end dates in 2022 cannot be named as the EFRC Director on any pre-application or application in response to this FOA. There is no restriction on the number of pre-applications or applications in which an individual may participate as a senior or key personnel.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) has announced a call for Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) proposals. The EFRC program brings together diverse world-class teams of scientists to perform energy-relevant, basic research with a scope and complexity beyond what is possible in single-investigator or small-group awards. These multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary centers accelerate transformative scientific advances for the most challenging topics in materials sciences, chemical sciences, geosciences, and biosciences. EFRCs integrate synthesis, characterization, theory, computation, and data science; develop innovative experimental and theoretical tools that illuminate fundamental processes in unprecedented detail; and create an enthusiastic, inter-disciplinary, diverse community of energy-focused scientists.

EFRCs conduct fundamental research to address grand challenges identified in the report Directing Matter and Energy: Five Challenges for Science and the Imagination (December 2007) and transformative opportunities identified in the report Challenges at the Frontiers of Matter and Energy: Transformative Opportunities for Discovery Science (November 2015). In addition, EFRCs perform use-inspired basic research to fill scientific knowledge gaps identified in major strategic planning efforts by BES and the scientific community. EFRCs under this FOA will include awards for fundamental science that underpins the Energy Earthshots Initiative.

This is a limited submission opportunity and Harvard may not submit more than three applications. Those interested in submitting a proposal must first submit a short pre-proposal to the Office of the Vice Provost of Research online here by January 13, 2022.

Questions from FAS and SEAS investigators regarding this opportunity may be directed to Erin Hale (erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu) or Susan Gomes (sgomes@fas.harvard.edu).