Funding Opportunities Update – Energy and Critical Minerals Research (2/10/2025)
Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program
Deadline: Solicitation 1 May 7, 2025 Deadline: Solicitation 2 Nov 2025 Summary: The Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program creates a pathway for you to advance your PhD thesis research while working at a Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratory, collaborating with world-class scientists, and using state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge scientific instrumentation. While maximizing the impact of your own research, you will also expand your professional network and develop new opportunities for your future.
Funding Number: NOFOAFRLAFOSR20250003 Deadline: Apr 07, 2025 Award Ceiling: $5,750,000 Summary: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) describes a newly proposed initiative of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) concerning standing up a University Center of Excellence (uCoE) for “Compositional Optimization, Dynamical Systems and Control (CODAC)” with educational institutions in the United States. The uCoE is defined as a joint effort among multiple technical directorates (TDs) of the Air Force Research Laboratory to include: the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Information Directorate (RI), Autonomy Capability Team (ACT3), and Munitions Directorate (RW), referred to collectively as “we, our, or us,” in this NOFO, and an outstanding university or team of universities that will perform high priority unclassified and collaborative basic / applied (6.1/ 6.2) research which addresses the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Space Force (USSF) research needs in the CODAC area with relevance to joint optimization and decision making.
Funding Number: HQ003423NFOEASD01 Deadline: Feb 08, 2028 Award Ceiling: $10 million Summary: The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) seeks innovative applications on mechanisms to implement and research the effectiveness of STEM education, outreach, and/or workforce initiative programs, here onto referred as STEM activities. In response to this NFO, the Department intends to release amendments and solicitations, such as Industry Days, Opportunity Days, etc., detailing funding opportunities through award(s) in STEM activities. These activities include, but are not limited to:
- STEM Education and Outreach
- Support for STEM Education at Two-Year Institutions/Community Colleges (2YI/CCs)
- Manufacturing Engineering Education Program
- Education and Workforce Development aligned to the DoD Critical Technology Areas
- Enhanced Civics Education
- STEM Scholarship Programs
- Strategic Partnerships
- Program Evaluations and Assessments
- Data Analytics and Visualizations
- Activities aligned to the DoD STEM Strategic Plan
- Other NDEP Congressional Initiatives and Programs
U.S. Army STEM Education Consortium (ASEC) Cooperative Agreement
Funding Number: W911SR-25-R-ASEC Deadline: Mar 14, 2025 Award Ceiling: $277,000,000 Summary: The U.S. Department of the Army Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Army STEM), under its Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) and 10 U.S. Code 2192, seeks to enter into a cooperative agreement with a Consortium of like-minded organizations (herein “Consortium Members”) to provide a continuum of meaningful STEM learning experiences for students and educators through effective STEM education and outreach programs. The Consortium will be named the Army STEM Education Consortium (ASEC). The Department intends to award ONE (1) cooperative agreement (COA) award of up to $277M over a period of performance of (up to) ten-years. This cooperative agreement will consist of ONE (1) two-year base period of up to $52M, followed by up to FOUR (4) two-year option periods of $53M to $60M each, totaling up to ten years and up to $277M total. Optional renewal periods are subject to availability of funds based on annual budget appropriations.
Funding Number: DE-FOA-0003549 Deadline: Feb 28, 2025 Summary: The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to obtain input to inform planning of the Office of Electricity’s Applied Grid Transformation Solutions (AGTS) program. The AGTS program was initiated in 2023 with a focus on facilitating the adoption of innovative grid technologies that broaden the reliability, resilience, security, and affordability of the Nation’s electricity delivery infrastructure as it is being transformed to meet a more dynamic, decentralized, and complex operating environment, including new and emerging threats and challenges. This is solely a request for information and is not a Notice of Funding Opportunity. The Department of Energy is not accepting applications to this Request for Information.
NSF Small Business innovation Research/ Small Business Technology Transfer Fast-Track Pilot Programs
Funding Number: 24-582 Deadline: Mar 05, 2025 Award Ceiling: $1,555,000 Summary: The NSF SBIR/STTR and SBIR/STTR Fast-Track pilot programs support moving scientific excellence and technological innovation from the lab to the market. By funding startups and small businesses, NSF helps build a strong national economy and stimulates the creation of novel products, services, and solutions in private, public, or government sectors with potential for broad impact; strengthens the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs; increases the commercial application of federally supported research results; and develops and increases the US workforce, especially by fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. These NSF SBIR/STTR Fast-Track pilot programs provide fixed amount cooperative agreements for the development of a broad range of technologies based on discoveries in science and engineering with potential for societal and economic impacts.
NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Programs
Funding Number: 24-579 Deadline: Mar 05, 2025 Award Floor: $305,000 Summary: The NSF SBIR/STTR and SBIR/STTR Fast-Track pilot programs support moving scientific excellence and technological innovation from the lab to the market. By funding startups and small businesses, NSF helps build a strong national economy and stimulates the creation of novel products, services, and solutions in private, public, or government sectors with potential for broad impact; strengthens the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs; increases the commercial application of federally supported research results; and develops and increases the US workforce, especially by fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. These NSF SBIR/STTR Fast-Track pilot programs provide fixed amount cooperative agreements for the development of a broad range of technologies based on discoveries in science and engineering with potential for societal and economic impacts.
NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II Programs
Funding Number: 24-580 Deadline: Mar 05, 2025 Award Floor: $12 million Summary: The NSF SBIR/STTR and SBIR/STTR Fast-Track pilot programs support moving scientific excellence and technological innovation from the lab to the market. By funding startups and small businesses, NSF helps build a strong national economy and stimulates the creation of novel products, services, and solutions in private, public, or government sectors with potential for broad impact; strengthens the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs; increases the commercial application of federally supported research results; and develops and increases the US workforce, especially by fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. These NSF SBIR/STTR Fast-Track pilot programs provide fixed amount cooperative agreements for the development of a broad range of technologies based on discoveries in science and engineering with potential for societal and economic impacts.
Funding Number: N0001425SF003 Deadline: Aug 29, 2025 Award Ceiling: $600,000 Summary: This NOFO is for STEM education programs and activities vital to the Department of the Navy, which is formal or informal education that is primarily focused on physical and natural sciences, technology, engineering, social sciences, and mathematics disciplines.