SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- Recovery Act - Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy(ARPA-E); Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0000065
- Notice Date
- 4/27/2009
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- Contracting Office
- Department of Energy, Federal Locations, All DOE Federal Contracting Offices, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave, SW WashingtonDC, 20585
- ZIP Code
- 20585
- Archive Date
- 6/30/2009
- Point of Contact
- <br />
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0000065 This is the first solicitation for the Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E). ARPA-E is a new organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), created specifically to foster research and development (R&D) of transformational energy-related technologies. Transformational technologies are by definition technologies that disrupt the status quo. They are not merely better than current technologies, they are significantly better. Often, a technology is considered transformational when it so outperforms current approaches that it causes an industry to shift its technology base to the new technology. The Nation needs transformational energy-related technologies to overcome the threats posed by climate change and energy security, arising from its reliance on traditional uses of fossil fuels and the dominant use of oil in transportation. ARPA-E will fund scientists and technologists to take an immature technology that promises to make a large impact on the ARPA-E Mission Areas and develop it beyond the valley of death that prevents many transformational new technologies from becoming a market reality. The valley of death generally occurs in two phases. The first phase occurs at the point of determining whether a laboratory stage technology can ever become a real-world technology or it has some inherent unsuitability for real-world applications. Once it has been determined through R&D that the apparent barriers can be overcome and how they may be overcome, then additional investment from many other sources causes a new field of technology options to open up. The second phase of the valley of death occurs at the point of developing the immature transformational technology to the point where key risks have been lowered enough that industry can invest in the final stages of development and incorporate the technology into products. Success for ARPA-E as an organization will be gauged by (a) whether its portfolio of investments includes the most promising transformational energy technology options and (b) the agencys ability to form and manage R&D efforts to mature these technologies rapidly. In the end, the nation will judge ARPA-E on whether these technologies come to market and are being used widely enough that they make a significant difference to reductions in domestic oil use and energy-related emissions of greenhouse gases. To accomplish these challenging goals, ARPA-E is willing to work with any R&D entity singly or in teams, that has a transformational technology idea and a credible plan to mature that technology beyond either phase of the valley of death. For early stage transformational technologies with the potential for broad transformational impact, the R&D project must carry the technology development to the point where others can recognize the major potential impact and the technology is suitable for development or can be made suitable. For the projects aimed at overcoming the later phase of the valley of death, the technology (component, system, hardware, software, or other) must be matured to the point that it can transition into industrial development and deployment. The kinds of technologies most suited to an ARPA-E style development are those that still have significant technical risks to overcome, but promise to meet the future costs and scale of products that can deeply penetrate into consumer and industrial use. ARPA-E intends to accelerate the development of these technologies and, in many cases, make possible transformational technologies that would normally not be able to reach enough maturity for industry to use them because of the risks at the current stage of development. ARPA-E intends to be a nimble, flat organization that is willing to take on high-risk projects to meet its ambitious goals. Working with the performer, ARPA-E will create an intellectual property strategy, technical data strategy, and procurement or financial assistance instrument that best manages the high risk inherent in this kind of R&D and optimizes the likelihood that the technology will move forward to market after the Government ceases funding. ARPA-E has the flexibilities to work with companies who do not traditionally work with the Federal Government. In the area of cost-sharing, ARPA-E will be flexible, working with the performer to determine the appropriate level and the appropriate type of cost-sharing arrangements, which may include monetary contributions and/or other (in-kind) contributions. As rules of thumb, when the project risk is very high, the cost sharing should be lower. When the technology is closer to market or the future market is large and potentially very profitable, the cost share should be higher. Once the R&D project begins, ARPA-E Program Managers will interact frequently with performers, helping to identify problems as early as possible and seeking solutions to keep the R&D on track. ARPA-Es role is more than simply providing R&D funds; ARPA-E will actively work to make your R&D succeed. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will focus on high-risk, high-payoff transformational energy-related R&D. In this announcement, ARPA-E asks for the kernel of your technical idea in the form of a concept paper. ARPA-E will respond to you, indicating whether a full application based on that idea is likely to receive funding. We do this first step to save you the time and expense of preparing a full application that may have little chance of success. Please read carefully about the ARPA-E mission and decide if your R&D plan really satisfies these goals. Only truly transformational technologies that can contribute greatly to the ARPA-Es Mission Areas have any chance of funding. We are not looking for incremental progress on current technologies. If you have a technical idea that can change the energy landscape and are looking to work with ARPA-E to move that technology beyond the technical risk barriers preventing its current use, read further. This initial announcement is narrowly focused on transformational R&D, but intentionally broad on applications and technologies. This announcement is open to the full range of concepts potentially covering all aspects of ARPA-Es Mission Areas. The intent is to harness the creativity of all sectors of the American science and technology communities to advance the ARPA-E Mission Areas and stimulate the pursuit of new and innovative technical opportunities that can spur great leaps forward within those mission impact areas. Concept Paper In order to reduce the administrative burden on applicants and ARPA-E, and to mitigate unnecessary costs associated with the generation of applications that are unlikely to receive funding and expedite awards, ARPA-E applicants are required to submit a concept paper as the first step of the application process. ARPA-E will review the concept paper and provide early feedback on whether the kernel of the R&D idea is likely to form a basis of a successful full application. Only after notification from ARPA-E on the concept paper will the applicant be permitted to submit a full application. Opening time for submission of concept papers begins May 12, 2009. The Concept Paper closing date and time is on 2 June 2009 at 8:00 p.m. (EST). Concept papers must be submitted to www.FedConnect.net at any time between the opening time and the closing time for concept paper submission. Early submission is strongly encouraged. This FOA will appear both on the FedConnect website stated above and on http://grants.gov/. Mr. Bradley Poston at Bradley.Poston@hq.doe.gov is the Grants Officer.
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