Bioimaging Research and Approaches for Bioenergy | DE FOA 0001868

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001868

The Bioimaging Research and Approaches for Bioenergy funding opportunity (DE FOA 0001868) is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, within the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program. Its main purpose is to support fundamental, discovery-driven research that strengthens DOE's ability to predict how complex biological and environmental systems work in ways that matter for energy. The scientific motivation starts at the genome level: BER is interested in moving from what an organism could do based on its genetic potential to what it actually does in real biological contexts, and then using that knowledge to understand, predict, manipulate, and ultimately design biological processes that can improve bioenergy and bioproduct outcomes.

A central emphasis of this opportunity is BER's "Mesoscale to Molecules" activity, which focuses on building and advancing bioimaging capabilities. In practical terms, the FOA is aimed at research that can enable in situ visualization of where important biological components are located and how they change over time. This includes the spatial and temporal distributions of key molecules such as metabolites and enzymes, as well as cellular structures, in plant and microbial systems that are relevant to bioenergy research. The opportunity is therefore geared toward imaging approaches that can connect molecular-level biology to larger-scale cellular and tissue organization, helping researchers see biological function as it unfolds in place rather than only through bulk measurements or indirect assays.

Eligibility is broad for lead applicants: essentially all applicant types may apply as the prime (lead) institution, with specific exclusions. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, other Federal Agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors, and certain nonprofit organizations classified under IRS section 501(c)(4) that have engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 cannot serve as the lead institution. Even though these entities cannot lead, the FOA explicitly allows collaborative, synergistic partnerships with them when they provide critical expertise or capabilities that the lead team lacks. In those cases, DOE/NNSA labs, other Federal agencies, and their FFRDCs may participate as collaborators or subawardees, but their share of the total budget for the collaborative group is capped at 25 percent. The intent of this cap is to keep the project primarily driven and managed by the eligible prime recipient, while still allowing access to specialized facilities, instruments, or niche expertise that may exist in federal labs or FFRDC environments.

From an award structure standpoint, the funding instrument is a grant, categorized under science and technology and other research and development, with CFDA number 81.049. The FOA lists an award ceiling of $500,000. The original closing date for applications was March 16, 2018, and the opportunity was created on December 22, 2017. Overall, the program is best understood as a targeted basic research effort to push bioimaging forward as a toolset for bioenergy-relevant biology, with an emphasis on imaging that can reveal dynamic biological organization and function in plants and microbes at scales spanning molecules to cells and tissues.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bioimaging Research and Approaches for Bioenergy" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-03-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0001868

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