The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) is issuing this restricted eligibility Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to establish up to five regional Centers of Excellence at existing Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) to coordinate with and advise IACs located in the regions of the Centers of Excellence. DOE expects to make a total of up to $18,750,000 of federal funding available for three to five awards under this FOA, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. However, DOE may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards are anticipated to be for $2,500,000 to $3,750,000 each over a five-year performance period. Awards made under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
Awards will support up to five regional Centers of Excellence for activities including: (1) Identifying new technologies, tools, and practices of particular importance to regional IAC clients and supporting development of new or expansion of existing assessment tools to incorporate these new technologies, tools, and practices; (2) Coordinating with national and regional stakeholders, including, for example, DOE Offices; the National Laboratories; the Manufacturing USA Network; NIST MEPs; State, Tribal, regional, and local offices and entities; utilities and energy service providers; education, and economic development, workforce development stakeholders; and private industry; (3) Supporting the development of materials and resources for the National Clearinghouse, with a focus on developing materials and resources of regional importance; (4) Coordinating regional outreach to small- and medium-sized manufacturers, and particularly manufacturers in disadvantaged communities, to share information about IAC Program resources and opportunities; promote regional adoption of priority technologies, practices, and tools; and ensure that the IAC Program remains apprised of regional manufacturers’ changing needs and capabilities; (5) Mentoring IAC directors and staff regionally, including providing training to IAC directors, staff, and students regarding best practices for carrying out assessments and supporting unusually complex or lengthy IAC assessments within the region; (6) Supporting development of and training on new methods of delivering IAC assessments, including both traditional and virtual assessments that expand the reach of the IAC Program by reducing or eliminating the need for IAC staff and students to travel to work on-site with small- or medium-manufacturers; (7) Supporting student-focused activities, including facilitating connections between graduates and private industry, supporting student research competitions, hosting regional events, recognizing student and alumni achievements, supporting interaction among students and alumni; (8) Forging new relationships and articulation agreements with labor unions, registered apprenticeship programs, and other joint labor-management training partnerships; and (9) Supporting regional and national clean-energy workforce development activities, including but not limited to development and implementation of new degree programs, credentials, and certifications.
Upon the issuance of a FOA, DOE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process as described below. Specifically, questions regarding this FOA must be submitted to: IACProgram@doe.gov. Questions must be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date and time. Please note, feedback on individual concepts will not be provided through Q&A. All questions and answers related to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange at: https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov. You must first select this specific FOA Number to view the questions and answers specific to this FOA. MESC will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted on the website. Questions related to the registration process and use of the EERE Exchange website should be submitted to: EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov.