FY 2024 Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR) | DE FOA 0003207

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003207

FY 2024 Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0003207) designed to expand participation in DOE Office of Science research by strengthening research capacity at institutions that have historically been underrepresented in the SC portfolio. The focus is on fundamental research in scientific fields supported by the Office of Science, but the core purpose goes beyond producing research results alone. The program is explicitly meant to help eligible institutions build the long-term ability to compete and contribute in SC-supported research areas by developing people, capabilities, and the kinds of research ecosystems that sustain future funding and discovery.

A central theme of the FAIR opportunity is capacity building through partnerships. Applicants are expected to form mutually beneficial relationships with DOE national laboratories, SC scientific user facilities, or with R1 institutions that themselves are MSIs or ERIs. In practice, this means proposals should be structured not only around a strong research question, but also around a plan for knowledge transfer and capability development, such as access to specialized instrumentation, methods, data resources, facility time, mentorship, training, and joint research activities. The intention is to create durable research connections and increase institutional readiness, including improvements in infrastructure and expertise, so that the applicant institution can expand its footprint in Office of Science-relevant research over time.

Eligibility is tightly defined and is restricted to domestic applicants, with a specific exclusion for certain nonprofit organizations (notably 501(c)(4) entities that have engaged in lobbying after December 31, 1995). Eligible applicants must be institutions of higher education that are not classified as R1. Within that non-R1 requirement, an applicant must meet one of two categories: (1) be a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) that is not listed as an R1 institution, or (2) be an Emerging Research Institution (ERI) that is not listed as an R1 institution. MSI status is tied to the U.S. Department of Education eligibility matrix and includes categories such as HBCUs, HSIs, TCCUs, AANAPISIs, PBIs, NASNTIs, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions. ERI status follows the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 definition and generally targets institutions with established undergraduate or graduate programs and less than $50,000,000 in annual federal research expenditures (based on NSF Higher Education Research and Development Survey data, FY 2021). DOE provides an official designation list for institutions to help applicants confirm status.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology / Research and Development category (CFDA 81.049). The opportunity is open to both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education that meet the eligibility criteria. DOE listed an award ceiling of $800,000 per award and anticipated making about 80 awards, indicating a relatively broad distribution of grants intended to reach many campuses and build a wider base of research participation. The original closing date for applications was July 16, 2024, and the FOA was created on March 12, 2024.

Overall, FAIR is best understood as a research-and-capacity program: it supports fundamental science aligned with the Office of Science while deliberately investing in institutions that are positioned to grow their research enterprise. Competitive applications will typically make a clear case for why the proposed research matters within SC mission areas, and they will also spell out how the project will tangibly increase the applicant institution’s capacity through concrete partnership activities, access to facilities and expertise, training pathways for students and faculty, and infrastructure or capability gains that persist after the grant ends.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2024 Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR)" 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 2024-03-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-16. (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 $800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 80 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for DE FOA 0003207

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