Fiscal Year 2024 Scientific Infrastructure Support for Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research | DE FOA 0003040

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003040

The Fiscal Year 2024 Scientific Infrastructure Support for Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research (DE-FOA-0003040) is a U.S. Department of Energy funding opportunity run through the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) under the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). It is structured as a discretionary grant opportunity (CFDA 81.121) aimed at building and modernizing the physical and technical infrastructure universities rely on to teach nuclear-related subjects and conduct nuclear energy research. The core idea is that strengthening university facilities and capabilities is a practical way to grow the talent pipeline and expand the nation’s capacity to solve nuclear energy challenges tied to energy security, emissions reduction, and long-term economic competitiveness.

The opportunity is framed around NE’s broader mission to advance nuclear energy science and technology in ways that support U.S. energy, environmental, and economic needs. NE highlights four major sector goals that its portfolio is intended to advance: keeping the existing U.S. reactor fleet operating safely and reliably, deploying new reactors (including advanced designs), securing and sustaining the nuclear fuel cycle, and expanding international cooperation on nuclear energy. The FOA also ties these technical goals to wider Department of Energy priorities such as addressing the climate crisis, supporting clean energy jobs (including an emphasis on fair access to union jobs and collective bargaining), and promoting equity and environmental justice through the delivery of innovative clean energy technologies.

This specific infrastructure FOA emphasizes that strong nuclear science and engineering research and education depends on having the right baseline capabilities in place, including well-maintained research reactors, modern instrumentation, and lab equipment that allows students and researchers to work safely and effectively with radiological materials and nuclear systems. DOE’s intent is not only to fund research projects, but also to invest in the enabling infrastructure that makes high-quality nuclear education, workforce development, and mission-relevant research and development (R&D) possible. In that sense, the program supports training across levels, including undergraduate and graduate education and two-year programs, alongside R&D connected to DOE and U.S. nuclear industry needs.

Within NEUP, the FOA lays out three main goals: (1) support, maintain, or enhance an institution’s ability to attract and educate strong students interested in nuclear energy studies, (2) build the institution’s research and/or education capabilities, and (3) improve the institution’s ability to carry out R&D that aligns with NE’s mission. To achieve these goals, the FOA identifies targeted objectives that focus heavily on tangible upgrades and capacity-building. One major objective is upgrading and improving U.S. university nuclear research and training reactors, particularly through equipment or instrumentation purchases that improve safety, performance, control systems, or operational reliability. The FOA explicitly notes that security and safety upgrades required by federal, state, or local regulators are allowable, which signals support for compliance-driven modernization that can be essential to keeping university reactors available for training and research.

A second targeted objective is the acquisition of equipment and instrumentation that meaningfully expands or improves research, instructional, training, and/or operational capabilities connected to NE mission areas. The FOA gives the example of radiation detection and measurement equipment, but the broader message is that proposals should directly strengthen what a university can do in nuclear-related education and experimentation, especially where radiological or radioactive materials are involved. A third objective is broader strengthening of the academic nuclear engineering infrastructure, reflecting an interest in reinforcing the overall university ecosystem that supports nuclear engineering programs and mission-relevant research.

A key application rule is that requests should be centered on individual, discrete, definable items or capabilities, rather than a loose collection of unrelated purchases. Applicants are expected to clearly explain how the requested equipment or capability supports education and/or R&D connected to NE’s mission. Proposals that bundle multiple uncorrelated equipment requests are described as not of interest, which suggests the program is looking for coherent, purpose-built infrastructure investments with a clear use case and measurable impact. The FOA also stresses that requests should not duplicate existing capabilities. To help applicants avoid duplication and understand what is already available nationally, DOE points to the Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Database (NEID), hosted through Idaho National Laboratory’s NSUF infrastructure portal (login required). Applicants are also encouraged to align with current NE research directions, which are available on NE’s website.

Eligibility is limited to U.S. institutions of higher education, including public and state-controlled universities as well as private universities. The issuing office is listed as the Idaho Field Office, consistent with the infrastructure database reference and INL’s role in supporting nuclear energy infrastructure visibility. The funding instrument is a grant, with an award ceiling listed at $5,000,000. The posted closing date for applications is August 24, 2023, and the FOA was created on June 12, 2023. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided text, which often means award count may depend on available appropriations, proposal quality, and program balance across needs.

Finally, the FOA notes that NE may adjust to shifts in FY 2024 priorities driven by events, policy changes, or Congressional and budget direction. In practice, that means the office is signaling flexibility in how it schedules announcements and how many and what size awards it makes, even when the FOA’s core infrastructure goals remain the same.

• The Idaho Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2024 Scientific Infrastructure Support for Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.121.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-24. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

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