Application Notes:

Mandatory letters of intent must be received by 5:00 p.m. ET on September 6, 2023.

Letters of intent must be submitted online at eere-exchange.energy.gov.

Letters of intent must include:

• Project title
• Lead organization information
• Organization type
• Whether the application has been previously submitted to the funding agency
• Percentage of effort contributed by lead applicant organization
• Project team information
• Technical topic or area
• Abstract (200 words max)

Letters of intent must be submitted as .pdf files and formatted on standard-sized, numbered pages with one-inch margins using a black, 12-point or larger Calibri font. Each submission must include the control number issued by the online submission portal. Refer to pages 39-40 of the NOFA file for additional general formatting instructions.

Mandatory concept papers must be received by 5:00 p.m. ET on September 13, 2023.

Concept papers must be submitted online at eere-exchange.energy.gov.

Concept papers must include:

• Cover page (1 page max)
• Technology description (4 pages max)
• Research and development (R&D) community benefits plan (1 page max)
• Addendum (2 pages max)
• Summary slide (1 page max)

Concept papers must be submitted as .pdf files, except for the summary slide, which must be submitted as a PowerPoint file. Concept papers must be formatted on standard-sized, numbered pages with one-inch margins using a black, 12-point or larger Calibri font. Each submission must include the control number issued by the online submission portal. Refer to pages 39-40 of the NOFA file for additional general formatting instructions.

Concept papers will be evaluated based on overall responsiveness and viability of proposed projects. Upon the evaluation of concept papers, the funding agency will encourage full applications from some entities, and discourage full applications from others. All potential applicants may still submit full applications.

Full applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. ET on November 28, 2023.

The due date for the full application has been extended to 5:00 p.m. ET on November 30, 2023. Additional information is included in the revised NOFA file.

Full applications must be submitted online at eere-exchange.energy.gov.

Full applications must include:

• SF 424
• SF LLL
• Technical volume (15 pages max for topic area 1; 20 pages max for topic area 2)
• Resumes (3 pages max each)
• Letters of commitment (1 page max each)
• Budget justification workbook
• Summary/abstract for public release (1 page max)
• Summary slide (1 page max)
• Subrecipient budget justification (if applicable)
• Work proposal for FFRDCs (if applicable)

Full applications must be formatted on standard-sized, numbered pages with one-inch margins using a black, 12-point or larger Calibri font. Each submission must include the control number issued by the online submission portal. Refer to pages 39-40 of the NOFA file for additional general formatting instructions, and to pages 43-44 of the NOFA file for additional details regarding the contents of full applications, as well as guidance regarding the format and naming of each file.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
• SAM (System for Award Management) registration

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Refer to pages 84-86 of the NOFA file for information regarding additional required registrations.

The recording of a webinar previously held for this program can be viewed online at www.youtube.com.

Full applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Technical merit, innovation, and impact (35 percent)
• Workplan quality and likelihood of completion of goals (35 percent)
• Team and resources (15 percent)
• R&D community benefits plan (15 percent)

Refer to pages 71-72 and 75-80 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding application evaluation criteria.

Following the submission of full applications, the funding agency may provided applicants with an opportunity to reply to comments. The funding agency also reserves the right to request more information from applicants upon evaluation of full applications.

Refer to the NOFA file, as well as the Application and ConceptPaper folders, for additional application information.

Match Notes:

Generally, topic area 1 award recipients must provide at least 20 percent of project costs via nonfederal cash and/or in-kind contributions. Topic area 2 award recipients must provide at least 20 percent of the cost of all research and development activities. Topic area 2 award recipients are not required to provide matching funds for outreach activities.

Matching funds are not required from institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations.

Matching contributions may be provided by the prime recipient, subrecipients, or third parties.

Cash contributions may include personnel costs, fringe costs, supply and equipment costs, indirect costs, and other direct costs. In-kind contributions may include the donation of space or the use of equipment.

In general, costs incurred by federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) may not be used as a match. FFRDCs may contribute cost share only if the contributions are paid directly from the contractor’s management fee or another nonfederal source.

Applicants may not use the same contributions to meet matching requirements for more than one program.

The following may not be used as matching contributions:

• Funding agency loan guarantees
• Contributions by vendors/contractors
• Revenues or royalties from the prospective operation of an activity beyond the project period
• Proceeds from the prospective sale of an asset of an activity
• Federal funding or property
• Expenditures that were reimbursed by a separate federal program

Refer to pages 33-36 of the NOFA file for additional details regarding allowable and unallowable matching contributions.

Funding Notes:

An estimated $20 million is expected to be available to support four to seven cooperative agreements through this program. Awards may also be provided in the form of funding agreements with FFRDCs. Funding will be provided as follows:

• Topic area 1: a total of $12 million available to support three to six awards ranging from $2 million to $4 million
• Topic area 2: a total of $8 million available to support one award of $8 million

Award notifications are expected to be issued in April 2024. Awards are expected to be negotiated between April and August 2024.

Topic area 1 project periods are anticipated to range from 36 to 48 months. Topic area 2 project periods are anticipated to range from 48 to 60 months.

Applicants must receive written authorization from the funding agency before incurring any major construction costs.

Applicants must receive prior written approval from the funding agency to incur pre-award costs. Funds may not be used for costs incurred prior to the award selection official signing the selection statement and analysis.

Funds may not be used for:

• Applications that fall outside the program's technical parameters
• Proposed technologies that are not based on sound scientific principles
• Standalone theoretical modeling and analysis efforts
• Solutions with no clear financial or supply chain path to implementation
• Projects that develop markets for redeployment of decommissioned photovoltaic (PV) system components, rather than recycling
• Development of installation standards
• Pilot-scale testing or demonstrations of Si PV manufacturing technologies or supply chain innovations beyond a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6
• Lobbying
• Participation by individuals also participating in foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs
• Conferences not directly and programmatically related to the project, as detailed on pages 92-93 of the NOFA file
• Certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment, as detailed on pages 104-105 of the NOFA file

For FY 2023, four awards ranging from $1.3 million to $8 million were distributed through this program. Refer to the Award file for details.

October 29, 2024
Information regarding awards through this program has been released and attached as the Award file. A sample of award recipients has been added to the Eligibility section, and a brief summary of the awards has been added to the Financial section.

November 22, 2023
A revised solicitation for this program, containing an announcement concerning the changing of the due date for the full application, has been released and attached as the NOFA file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.

September 8, 2023
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.

August 25, 2023
A list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.