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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to hftofoa@ee.doe.gov."]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange within this spreadsheet."]
[4,"DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. "]
[5,"All questions should be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[6,"Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
[7,"Questions are assigned a topic area by DOE when reviewed."]
[]
["TIPS"]
[1,"Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
[2,"Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

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["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA0002920 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office FOA in Support of Hydrogen Shot"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2023-01-27","Other","How to submit a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List","Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Opportunity Announcement for instructions on how to submit a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List."]
[2,"2023-01-27","Technical Topics","While the notice does not specifically mention methanol as a hydrogen carrier fuel either as a small molecule (e.g., ammonia and formic acid) or as a LOHC, certainly methanol meets all the identified objectives as an attractive hydrogen carrier.  My question for you, would project proposals focusing on methanol as a hydrogen carrier fuel be considered applicable under this notice?","Both methanol and formic acid are hydrogen carriers of interest under Topic 1. As with all carriers investigated under Topic 1, applications should describe the carrier in the context of the targeted end use case(s), and emissions associated with the carrier system (e.g., dehydrogenation and hydrogenation or other relevant steps) should be described and considered as part of the overall value proposition and feasibility assessment. Applications solely focusing on production of the carrier material will only be considered if those improvements would result in the feasible demonstration of the overall carrier process for a specified, relevant hydrogen end use, as confirmed through detailed analysis and benchmarking against incumbent storage technologies."]
[3,"2023-01-28","Application Content/Format","When trying to open SF-424 application form, the following error message appears and the document does not open, \"There was an error opening this document. The file is damaged and could not be repaired.\"","The SF-424 application form has been replaced. Please try to access this document again and report any further issues."]
[4,"2023-01-30","Foreign Entities/Work","Is this FOA open to foreign entities and women led businesses (social enterprise)?","Yes, foreign entities, whether for-profit or otherwise, are eligible to apply for funding under HFTO FOA 2920. Please see Sections III.A.iii, IV.D.xv, and IV.J.iii of the FOA for a full discussion of foreign entity eligibility.  In summary:\n-- Foreign entities are eligible to apply as prime recipients for Topics 1-4 of HFTO FOA 2792. A “Waiver for Foreign Entity Participation as the Prime Recipient” is required with the Full Application.\n-- Foreign entities may apply to all topics of HFTO FOA 2920 as a subrecipient.  Any work to be performed outside of the United States must be approved through the DOE foreign work waiver process (a “Foreign Work Waiver” is required with the Full Application)."]
[5,"2023-01-30","Technical Topics","As mentioned in this call for proposals, using perovskite materials as catalysts is a key area of interest for Topic 1: Hydrogen Carrier Development. Would formic acid generation as a hydrogen carrier also fit within the scope of this grant opportunity?","Please see response to Question #2."]
[6,"2023-01-30","Cost Sharing","The City of St. Cloud and its partners submitted an application for DE-FOA -0002855. (2855-1566 Cost effective integration of Green Hydrogen Production into the Resource Recovery and Renewable Energy Management Systems of WWRFs). Could you please confirm if this funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002920) could be applied for/ used in conjunction with the above mentioned source, or if they cannot be combined.","The submissions cannot be combined.  The application for this FOA would have to contain a completing different Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO). If the same SOPO is submitted, the federal funding can only be awarded to one project."]
[7,"2023-01-31","Intellectual Property","1. Do you have agreements with any patent office in order to make the process less expensive? 2. Can we start the loan process before having the patent ready?","EERE HFTO does not have any agreements with any patent offices and EERE HFTO does not process loans. "]
[8,"2023-01-31","Other","Is it still possible to be added to the Teaming Partner List?","Yes, you can submit a request to be included on this list. Please refer to page 12 of the FOA for more information. You may also access and register for this Teaming Partner List at the following link: https://eereexchange.energy.gov/TeamingPartners.aspx?foaid=385313fc-691d-4362-b28bbe1fc04f5772."]
[9,"2023-01-31","Technical Topics","Is Topic 2 of this FOA (DE-FOA-0002920) open to aerospace companies working on LH2 storage systems for aircraft? Could cargo and/or passenger aircraft qualify as MD/HD vehicles? ","Cargo and/or passenger aircraft would not qualify as MD/HD vehicles for the purposes of applications for Topic 2."]
[10,"2023-02-01","Technical Topics","On p 18 it says expected to  work with H-MAT, does this mean that H-MAT labs are not eligible for this topic (they are not limited per p 27-28) ? How does the DOE envision, the applicants will work with the H-MAT labs? Should they formally be on the teams, or will there be a different mechanism like in Topics 1 and 4? ","The FOA states on page 27: \"DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are eligible to apply for funding as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as a prime recipient.\" Therefore, H-Mat labs cannot apply as a prime recipient but may as a subrecipient. The FOA also states on page 18 in Topic 3: \"Applicants should collaborate with H-Mat as appropriate...\". It is up to the applicant to determine whether their proposal warrants collaboration with H-Mat and what kind of arrangement that collaboration would require."]
[11,"2023-02-01","Application Content/Format","What is the formal process for submitting a proposal?","Concept papers and proposals must be submitted by following the process detailed in the FOA (Reference Section IV. Application and Submission Information beginning on page 37). Any materials submitted outside of this process will not be reviewed or considered. "]
[12,"2023-02-01","Cost Sharing","Many DOE National Laboratories are Government Owned, contractor operated FFRDCs. If the contractor operating the NL is a non-profit organization, is the cost share for that portion of the budget not required (see p 30)?  ","The cost share determination is based on the entity type (FP,HE, NFP) of the prime recipient. The entity type of the subrecipients is not a determining factor.  FFRDC involvement does not affect the cost share requirement."]
[13,"2023-02-03","Cost Sharing","Page 21 indicates that a 20 % cost share needs to be provided (topic 4) although Universities are exempt. Does that mean that other organizations that are not universities have to provide a higher cost share so that in aggregate terms the overall cost share will be 20 %? In other words, if a consortium of organizations include universities, will the overall cost share be less than 20 %?","The cost share determination is based on the entity type (FP,HE, NFP) of the prime recipient and remains at 20% required cost share."]
[14,"2023-02-03","Concept Paper","How do I submit a concept paper?","Please refer to application instructions beginning on page 37 of the FOA and submit all application materials at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/."]
[15,"2023-02-04","Cost Sharing","I’m hoping for some guidance regarding cost-share requirements for teams containing for-profit (FP) private institutions, institutions of higher education (HE), and not-for-profit (NFP) institutions on DE-FOA-00002920. P.L. 117-167 seems to indicate that institutes of higher education and not-for-profit institutions do not have cost-share obligations under this proposal.  If a FP institution led a team including HE and NFP institutions, would the cost-share requirement still be 20%, or could it be less than 20% to reflect HE and NFP participation. Alternatively, if a HE institution leads a team that includes a FP institution, would there CS requirements have to be 20% because of the presence of the FP institution on the team.  If CS automatically bumps up to 20% upon the presence of a FP institution, I can see a disincentive to including FP institutions on proposal teams…","The cost share determination is based on the entity type (FP,HE, NFP) of the prime recipient. The entity type of the subrecipients is not a determining factor."]
[16,"2023-02-04","Cost Sharing","Where do FFRDCs like national labs fall on this taxonomy – are they considered NFP institutions and exempted from cost share?","The cost share determination is based on the entity type (FP,HE, NFP) of the prime recipient."]
[17,"2023-02-04","Technical Topics","With respect to Topic 1, would a project which focuses on process and hardware selection for a LOHC-catalyst system be considered responsive?","As mentioned in the FOA topic description, Topic 1 “seeks applications for RD&D on novel hydrogen carriers and hydrogen carrier hydrogenation/dehydrogenation catalysts and catalyst supports.” Therefore, an application which does not propose RD&D on a carrier and catalyst system of interest would not be considered responsive to the topic."]
[18,"2023-02-06","Technical Topics","The topic area 1 for H2 carriers states that selected participants are expected to collaborate with HyMARC team. Is this a mandatory requirement to apply? If so, does collaboration need to be in place prior to concept paper/full proposal submission?","As stated in Topic 1, \"Since these projects will be integrated into HyMARC, the application and proposed work plan should include potential activities that leverage HyMARC's national lab core team capabilities.\" Collaborations are not required to be in place prior to submission, but applicants should consider which HyMARC capabilities would provide the most benefit to the proposed project and include these in the full application."]
[19,"2023-02-06","Application Content/Format","Since FFRDCs are prohibited from lobbying, would partnering FFRDCs still be required to provide a signed SF-LLL:  Disclosure of Lobbying Activities?","No, the FFRDC is not required to submit a SF-LLL, only the prime recipient is required to submit this form."]
[20,"2023-02-06","Eligibility","I was hoping for some clarification on participation eligibility, from the perspective of a faculty member at a US university. Would I be able to be the primary recipient on two different concept paper submissions for two different topics? If not, would I be able to be the primary on one and sub on another? ","Yes, the prime project investigator (PI) can be on two concept papers, however, the PI can be on only one award should both projects be accepted for award. Yes, the PI can be a prime recipient on one award and a subrecipient on another award, provided the work done on each project involves different topics. \"A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other federal awards directly from a federal awarding agency. Also, a DOE/NNSA and non-DOE/NNSA FFRDC may be proposed as a subrecipient on another entity’s application. See section III.E.i.\" (See page 111 of the FOA for more information.)"]
[21,"2023-02-06","Application Content/Format","DOE FFRDCs should address the required authorization for DOE/NNSA FFRDCs to whom, name, title, and mailing address, please?  Past funding announcements have provided this information via the FAQ.","The federal agency sponsoring the FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The use of a FFRDC must be consistent with the contractor’s authority under its award. Save the Authorization in a single PDF file using the following convention for the title “ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_FFRDCAuth”. (See page 57, xiii. Authorization for non-DOE/NNSA or DOE/NNSA FFRDCs (if applicable) section.                                                                     Please address to:                                                                                                                                                                          U.S. Department of Energy - Golden Field Office\n\t15013 Denver West Parkway\n\tGolden, CO 80401"]
[22,"2023-02-06","Application Content/Format","In most cases partnering FFRDCs will be funded independently of the project team.  Should those partnering FFRDCs still provide their project lead a completed sub-recipient budget justification for the Full Application submission if the FFRDCs proposed federal share will exceed $250K or 25% of the total project costs?","Please refer to page 43 of the FOA, Section E. Other Eligibility Requirements, part i.v. Limit on FFRDC Effort. \"The FFRDC effort, in aggregate, shall not exceed 25% of the total estimated cost of the project, including the applicant’s and the FFRDC’s portions of the effort.\"  "]
[23,"2023-02-07","Cost Sharing","Would a university functioning as a primary applicant partnering with an FFRDC be responsible for providing the FFRDC’s cost-share portion even though the university is receiving a cost-share waiver under this funding announcement?","Funds from other federal sources MAY NOT be counted as cost share. This prohibition includes FFRDC subrecipients. (Reference page 98, #3 of the General Cost Sharing Rules on a DOE Award in the posted FOA document.)"]
[24,"2023-02-07","Technical Topics","Do we need to have a team in place to address the R&D CBP by the time the concept papers are due?","No. The R&D Community Benefits Plan (CBP) is only required for full applications. As described in section IV. C of the FOA, the addendum to the concept paper should succinctly describe the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the project team. Applicants may choose to include qualifications, experience, and capabilities as they will relate to the CBP here."]
[25,"2023-02-13","Concept Paper","Because of the prior registration to the teaming partner list TPL-0000006, can I submit a Concept paper under the DE-FOA-0002920?","Submitting information to any teaming partner list is not a requirement and does not preclude application submission to any other FOA. If you submitted your information for TPL-0000006, which is for a different funding opportunity, you may apply under this opportunity, DE-FOA-0002920. The teaming partner list for this FOA is TPL-0000008. If wish to be express interest to other applicants and explore potential partners effectively, you should submit your information to the teaming partner list for the FOA to which you intend to apply. Teaming partner lists and the information contained therein are unique to each FOA and are not automatically shared or transferred between FOAs."]
[26,"2023-02-13","Other","Is this the FOA “DE-FOA-0002920” that is advertised under TPL-0000006 and under DE-FOA-0002921?","These are two different funding opportunities - please see the table above. DE-FOA-0002920 (HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE FOA IN SUPPORT OF HYDROGEN SHOT) is not associated with TPL-0000006 (TEAMING PARTNER LIST, BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW: CLEAN HYDROGEN ELECTROLYSIS, MANUFACTURING, AND RECYCLING, NOTICE OF INTENT NO. DE-FOA-0002921) which is the teaming partner list for DE-FOA-0002921 (NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT NO. DE-FOA-0002922 “CLEAN HYDROGEN ELECTROLYSIS, MANUFACTURING, AND RECYCLING). EERE will not respond to questions concerning this notice of intent. Once the funding opportunity announcement is published, EERE will provide an avenue for potential applicants to submit questions."]
[27,"2023-02-13","Application Content/Format","Should I respond with my technical paper on “DE-FOA-0002920” after registering on under TPL-0000006 and under TPDE-FOA-0002921?","You should follow the instructions for application detailed in the FOA to which you are applying. For DE-FOA-0002920, these instructions can be found in section IV. Application and Submission Information, starting on page 37 of the FOA."]
[28,"2023-02-13","Other","I was hoping to get just a briefing on partnering or communicating about just the process to supply my research as requested. Do you have an online video or briefing on the Hydrogen Shot requirements, or anything that would help?","There is not an online briefing or video on the FOA requirements. For more information on Hydrogen Shot and other program areas, you can see proceedings from recent meeting and workshops here: https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/workshop-and-meeting-proceedings. The application process is detailed in section IV. Application and Submission Information of the FOA. "]
[29,"2023-02-14","Technical Topics","While the FOA suggests that an initial “Phase 1 should be planned for a maximum of $300,000 and a 12 to 18-month duration to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed carrier material concept,” would an accelerated Phase 1 for 6 months and $300k be acceptable as long as the project Go/No-Go meets the feasibility requirements?  ","While the 12-18 month duration is preferred, a shorter Phase 1 could be considered, as appropriate, depending on the scope of work proposed. The budget and schedule must be commensurate with the proposed tasks in the workplan."]
[30,"2023-02-14","Concept Paper","Will extensions be granted for the Concept Paper deadline for submission?","No, extensions will not be granted."]
[31,"2023-02-15","Technical Topics","Topic 2 of FOA-0002920 outlines the properties that must be addressed with a next generation hydrogen storage technology for heavy-duty trucking: \"a higher energy density than compressed gaseous hydrogen...enable greater storage capacity, longer ranges, and faster refueling times.\"  However, Topic 2 considers cryo-compressed hydrogen storage as Not of Interest. Cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH2) can indeed meet all the problems that Topic 2 is trying to address for the trucking market, and additionally meets the need for \"zero boil-off.\" Given the importance of identifying the optimal way to meet industry needs, and the DOE's commitment to growing a rich US ecosystem of innovation, we are confused as to why a technology that can meet these needs was excluded from this funding opportunity. Given this, could you please explain the rationale for the exclusion of cryo-compression from this FOA? ","Cryo-compressed hydrogen storage is not of interest under Topic 2 of this FOA. "]
[32,"2023-02-15","Eligibility","Is a a company outside the US eligible for this grant?","Yes, foreign entities, whether for-profit or otherwise, are eligible to apply for funding under HFTO FOA 2920. Please see Sections III.A.iii, IV.D.xv, and IV.J.iii of the FOA for a full discussion of foreign entity eligibility.  In summary:                                                                                                                                                                             -- Foreign entities are eligible to apply as prime recipients for Topics 1-4 of HFTO FOA 2792. A “Waiver for Foreign Entity Participation as the Prime Recipient” is required with the Full Application.\n-- Foreign entities may apply to all topics of HFTO FOA 2920 as a subrecipient.  Any work to be performed outside of the United States must be approved through the DOE foreign work waiver process (a “Foreign Work Waiver” is required with the Full Application)."]
[33,"2023-02-16","Cost Sharing","Here, the 20%* c/s requirement is footnoted: “ *For Institutions of Higher Education and Non-Profit Organizations, cost sharing is not required” If a higher education institution or non-profit submit a full application as prime, would this mean that ZERO cost sharing is required on the project budet?  …even if we have subrecipients that are for-profit companies budgeted to receive federal funds (if awarded)?  Or would the for-profit companies incur (to the project budget overall), a 20% c/s on any federal funds that they used on the project?","The cost share determination is based on the entity type (FP,HE, NFP) of the prime recipient. The entity type of the subrecipients is not a determining factor.  FFRDC involvement does not affect the cost share requirement."]
[34,"2023-02-16","Technical Topics","In relation to DE-FOA-0002920, topic 3 related to hydrogen fueling/transfer components and systems, could a novel compressed gas system part of a pipeline network for heavy-duty transportation applications be of interest?","The Topic 3 Description and Objectives states: \"EERE seeks applications to develop LH2 technologies and approaches to enable high-flow LH2 fueling and transfers to support the deployment of MD/HD vehicles and other transportation applications.\" This excludes compressed gas systems."]
[35,"2023-02-16","Cost Sharing","The FOA mentions that Phase 1 for Topic 1 should be planned for a maximum of $300,000. Is the $300,000 limit for the federal share or for the overall costs for Phase 1?","The $300,000 maximum is for the federal share."]
[36,"2023-02-16","Intellectual Property","Will we as a large US business have the ability to retain the IP?","The standard DOE financial assistance intellectual property provisions applicable to the various types of recipients are located at http://energy.gov/gc/standardintellectual-property-ip-provisions-financial-assistance-awards."]
[37,"2023-02-17","Cost Sharing","Our institution is an Institution of Higher Education (IHE) and would be the prime. Is the FOA waiving the cost share for IHE? Or is the 20% cost share requirement required for IHE? If cost share is waived for IHE, would this flow down to the subrecipients regardless of entity type? ","The cost share determination is based on the entity type (FP,HE, NFP) of the prime recipient. The entity type of the subrecipients is not a determining factor"]
[38,"2023-02-19","Labs/FFRDCs","If a partnering FFRDC’s proposed federal share exceeds $250K, will that FFRDC be required to complete the Subrecipient Budget Justification, or will the budget included in their FFRDC’s Field Work Proposal (Budget for DOE/NNSA FFRDC) suffice?","FFRDC's are not required to submit a budget justification regardless of the cost share amount."]
[39,"2023-02-20","Application Content/Format","What are the additional required documents due 2/24 besides the Concept Paper? ","There are no additional documents required for submission of a Concept Paper."]
[40,"2023-02-20","Concept Paper","Is an “abstract” required under a Concept Paper submission? When I look at the FOA application instructions I see an “abstract/summary” required under a Full Application but not under the Concept Paper instructions. However, as I’m submitting the concept paper on EERE, there’s a section that asks for an “Abstract”, so I’m not sure if it’s truly for an abstract or the full Concept Paper or not a required section? ","The section on EERE eXCHANGE for \"Abstract\" is an opportunity to include a short summary of the Concept Paper, and not the full Concept Paper. The Concept Paper should be uploaded as described in Section IV of the FOA. An abstract is not required per the FOA guidelines, but can be useful to reviewers."]
[41,"2023-02-20","Application Content/Format","Is there a screen after executing the “Create Concept Paper” button that allows for the upload of a document? Our concept paper is composed of a few pages that include supporting charts (consistent with the instruction in the FOA), and I want to make sure there’s a section for me to upload the document before moving forward and executing the Create Concept Paper button. ","The “Create Concept Paper” button allows for the upload of the Concept Paper. "]
[42,"2023-02-21","Technical Topics","Our technology can produce hydrogen gas with zero emissions for less than $1/kg. Would this technology be eligible for Topic 1? ","As stated in the FOA, the carrier and catalyst or catalyst supports investigated under this topic must demonstrably provide benefits over traditional compressed or liquid hydrogen methods of transport and storage for a specified use case. Potential environmental and human health and safety impacts relevant to the carrier must be included. Applicants must address emissions of the carrier system, including hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, or other relevant steps. All of these factors will be assessed for the specific carrier chosen and this information will inform the degree to which the carrier can provide benefits over traditional storage methods."]
[43,"2023-02-22","Application Content/Format","In the context of submitting a concept paper, is it necessary to complete, in full detail, the Organizations tab of the EERE submission?  And does the same apply to the \"Percent Effort\" calculations in the EERE submission portal?  If we do have to complete those elements of the submission we will do so with our best knowledge, but can they be updated if we move to the application process?  ","Please follow the directions outlined in the FOA to the best of your ability. "]
[44,"2023-02-22","Application Content/Format","I receive an error when attempting to submit my concept paper without 20% cost share, but believe my institution is eligible for a cost share waiver. How can I resolve this error?","Thank you for pointing out that the eXCHANGE submission process indicates this error. Please include 20% in the cost share percentage and include in the Reduced Cost Eligible Text box:  “Eligibility under Section 10725 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act, P.L. 117-167 (Aug. 9, 2022) which extends the cost share waiver pilot program enacted by Section 108 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act, Public Law 115–246 (Innovation Act) and provides an exemption for institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations from the 20% cost share requirement for Research and Development activities.\""]
[45,"2023-02-22","Eligibility","I have a question regarding FFRDC eligibility under topic 1 in DE-FOA0002920. The FOA states that “FFRDC members of the HyMARC consortium are not eligible to apply as either a prime recipient or subrecipient.” Does this exclude individual researchers at an FFRDC (say NREL) who are not themselves members of HyMARC?","Individual researchers at an FFRDC who are not themselves members of HyMARC are not eligible as either a prime or subrecipient."]
[46,"2023-03-21","Due Dates","I missed the date for Letter of Intent application for this announcement.  Will there be another round under this subject matter? Has date been extended?","No, there will not be another review under this funding announcement. The deadline of February 24, 2023 for Concept Paper submission will not be extended."]
[47,"2023-03-24","Concept Paper","We recently submitted a concept paper for DE-FOA-0002920 and were discouraged from submitting a full proposal. We would like to request feedback on the concept paper and why we received that decision so that we can better address future FOAs. Upon notification of discouragement for concept papers submitted to this FOA,  will DOE be offering debriefings or any feedback regarding the discouraged submittals?","DOE will not be offering feedback or debriefings for individual concept papers. While HFTO understands applicants' desire for specific information on decisions, providing individual feedback is not feasible due to the large number of applications received. Applicants may review the Concept Paper Content Requirement, section IV.C.i. (page 39), and the Technical Review Criteria for Concept Papers, section V.A.i (page 65) of the FOA. Applicants may also review the Description and Objectives and General Requirements sections for the specific topic to which they applied. Applicants should also note that the discourage decision is intended to save the time and expense of preparing a full application that is unlikely to be selected for award negotiations, under this FOA."]
[48,"2023-03-27","Application Content/Format","I submitted a Concept Paper for FOA 2920.  I was “Encouraged” to submit a full proposal.  Can I add or remove subcontractors for the full proposal (i.e., remove companies/labs who were on the Concept Paper and/or add sub(s) that were not on the CP)?  The focus/objectives of the project will not change.","Yes, applicants may modify their teams for the full application if this will not significantly modify the focus and objectives of the overall project. The Technical Volume should clearly describe and expand upon information provided in the Concept Paper."]
[49,"2023-03-27","Concept Paper","I submitted a concept paper for DE-FOA-0002920 and was confused by the “Discouraged” response. On EERE eXchange, the only comment provided was “Overall Summary: Please note, for all potential applicants: HyMARC labs are not eligible as direct subrecipients under Topic 1. Please reference pg. 28 of the FOA regarding eligible subrecipients under this award.” None of the applicants or subrecipients are HyMARC labs. Can you provide clarification on the Overall Summary statement?","The comment was provided as guidance for  those submitting a full application, and was sent to all applicants. It is not specific feedback to any single concept paper. Because this topic has specific restrictions for eligibility, HFTO would like to ensure that potential applicants review these restrictions before they prepare full applications, if they choose to do so. "]
[50,"2023-04-05","Other","If we are selected for award and had a very successful development project, we would want to add some work. If we got there, would it be an acceptable use of grant funds for this work","As described in the FOA, the applicant should provide a summary description of the overall work scope and approach to achieve the objective(s) in the Workplan. The Workplan should describe the work to be accomplished and how the applicant will achieve the milestones, will accomplish the final project goal(s), and will produce all deliverables. The Workplan is to be structured with a hierarchy of performance period (approximately annual), task and subtasks, which is typical of a standard WBS for any project. The Workplan shall contain a concise description of the specific activities to be conducted over the life of the project. The description shall be a full explanation and disclosure of the project being proposed (i.e., a statement such as “we will then complete a proprietary process” is unacceptable). It is the applicant’s responsibility to prepare an adequately detailed task plan to describe the proposed project and the plan for addressing the objectives of this FOA. The summary provided should be consistent with the SOPO. The SOPO will contain a more detailed description of the WBS and tasks. Additionally, Section IV.J. of the FOA provides detailed information on funding restrictions."]
[51,"2023-04-06","Cost Sharing","The FOA states, “Section 10725 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act, P.L. 117-167 (Aug. 9, 2022) extends the cost share waiver pilot program enacted by Section 108 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act, Public Law 115–246 (Innovation Act) and provides an exemption for institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations from the 20% cost share requirement for Research and Development activities. The exemption is available for the two-year period beginning on August 9, 2022. Codified at 42 U.S.C. 16352. What happens after August 9, 2024? Would HE institutions start having to pay 20% Cost Share at that time? As an HE prime recipient, would our subrecipients also have to start paying 20% cost share after 8/9/2024?","The cost share requirements included in an award apply for the entirety of the award regardless if the period of performance extends beyond Aug. 8, 2024 when the exemption expires."]
[52,"2023-04-06","Other","If we missed the deadline or were discouraged, will there be similar funding opportunity announcements in the future?","The DOE applied R&D offices, including the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), periodically release Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) to solicit proposal applications for projects in line with the Office’s mission. HFTO then selects projects to fund based on a merit review process that includes industry and technology experts. You can read in detail about the full process here. There is typically an annual FOA release for HFTO, but occasionally special FOAs may also be released, all dependent on Congressional appropriations including specific language directing the office to carry out certain activities. Current FOA announcements can be found here and complete list of past HFTO FOA topics is available here."]
[53,"2023-04-06","Other","Within the FOA, on pages 54 and 55, it requests that PIs and Senior/Key Personnel provide their Current and Pending, followed by a statement certifying that the information is true. Following this, the FOA states that SciENcv/NSF’s PDF can be used to present the Current and Pending information. SciENcv and NSF’s PDF documents both have a certification attached to them already. Would you be able to clarify if the PI will need to complete both the SciENcv/NSF certification as well as the certification listed in the FOA?","If the NSF format is used, the individual must still include a signature, date, and a certification statement using the language included in the paragraph on page 54-55 of the FOA. While the NSF certification statement is very similar, the language in the certification statement for this includes additional detail specific to DOE: “I further understand and agree that (1) the statements and representations made herein are material to DOE’s funding decision, and (2) I have a responsibility to update the disclosures during the period of performance of the award should circumstances change which impact the responses provided above.”"]
[54,"2023-04-07","Cost Sharing","Based on the Note/footnote 38 in page 21 and Note/footnote 45 in page 30 of the FOA, \"For Institutions of Higher Education and Non-Profit Organizations, cost sharing is not required\", the 20% cost share is Not required for our university, how about our company partner? Is the 20% cost share mandatory for them? For example, we are applying $4M funds, 50% efforts from our university team and the other 50% from the company, does the company have to provide the $0.5M ($4M*50%*25%=$0.5M) cost share? ","If the prime recipient is a university then cost share can be 0% using the exemption and this would flow down to their subrecipients.  Conversely, if the prime recipient is a for-profit then cost share is 20% for R&D activities and the prime is responsible for meeting this cost share requirement which it can flow down to subrecipients or not. "]
[55,"2023-04-07","Cost Sharing","There is a statement in Footnote 38 in page 21 and Footnote 45 in page 30, \"The exemption is available for the two-year period beginning on August 9, 2022.\" What does that mean? Does that mean \"The cost share exemption can be applied to the awards issued between August 9, 2022 and August 8, 2024\", or \"The cost share exemption can be applied the FOAs released between August 9, 2022 and August 8, 2024\", or \"The cost share exemption can be applied to the partial expenses occurs during August 9, 2022 and August 8, 2024\"? ","The cost share exemption applies to the entire period of performance of an award made to an Institution of Higher Education or Non-Profit Organization during the applicable time period, Aug. 9, 2022 to Aug. 8, 2024.  The cost share requirements included in an award apply for the entirety of the award regardless if the period of performance extends beyond Aug. 8, 2024 when the exemption expires."]
[56,"2023-04-14","Application Content/Format","For this full application, is the Current and Pending required for key personnel from NASA as a subrecipient?","The Recipient is required to provide current and pending support disclosure statements and a CV or Biosketch for each principal investigator (PI) and senior/key personnel, at the recipient and subrecipient level, regardless of funding source.  Current and pending support is intended to allow the identification of potential duplication, overcommitment, potential conflicts of interest or commitment, and all other sources of support.  "]
[57,"2023-04-14","Foreign Entities/Work","We are in contact with an US based customer who is interested in buying  an assembly machine from a foreign entity.  The customer is evaluating whether DOE funding would be possible.  On page 99, 2 - waiver for performance of work in the United States, it states that work under EERE funding must be performed in the US, however  that does not apply to the purchase of supplies and equipment, and no waiver is necessary as long as efforts are made to purchase equipment locally. Can you please expand or confirm this understanding is correct?","Please refer to page 56 of the FOA for the Buy American Requirement for Infrustracture Waiver and page 100 for Appendix D - Required use of American Iron, Steel, Manufactured Products, and Construction Materials."]
[58,"2023-04-17","Due Dates","Our team has changed and we need more time to complete letters of support. Is there a chance of a deadline extension given our situation?","No, the Full Application due date remains in place and extensions will not be given to individual applicants. "]
[59,"2023-04-17","Application Content/Format","Is it legitimate to have a team different from that in the concept paper?","Please see response to Question #48"]
[60,"2023-04-18","Cost Sharing","I am currently working on a proposal to DE-FOA-0002920. I would like to confirm that, per P.L. 117-167, the 20% TPC cost-share requirement does not apply to institutions of higher learning? I also want to clarify that this exemption is for the entirety of the project, not just the section from August 9, 2022 – August 8, 2024? Our proposal project dates are 10/1/23-9/30/26.","Please see responses to Question #50, 51, 53"]
[61,"2023-04-19","Data Management","If there’s proprietary data (such as a material formulation/production process) that my company would like to protect, can we check “no” on the data rights assertion form and altogether avoid disclosure of such information during the course of the project? If we submit a data rights assertion form as “no rights asserted”, are we able to modify that during the award negotiation process (if selected) if new data needs to be considered as limited rights data?","There is no Data Rights Assertion form required for Full Application submissions under this FOA – please refer to IV.D of the FOA on Content and Form of the Full Application, and to section VIII.L on Rights in Technical Data. Further details and questions related to limited rights data, and protected data under the award can be addressed during the IP review that all selected awards will go through."]
[62,"2023-04-20","Other","As a potential “For Profit” subrecipient company to a Prime Applicant State University under the subject FOA, is the subrecipient allowed to include fee/profit in their budget? The FAR is not clear to us. Please confirm.","Fee or profit, including foregone fee or profit, are not allowable as project costs (including cost share) under any resulting award. The project may only incur those costs that are allowable and allocable to the project (including cost share) as determined in accordance with the applicable cost principles prescribed in FAR Part 31 for For-Profit entities and 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles for all other non-federal entities."]
[63,"2023-04-20","Application Content/Format","We currently do not have a federal labor rate negotiated with the government. Is there a Project Manager or Budget Justification Lead that we could speak with briefly to ensure we are using the correct labor and fringe rate based on the request?","EERE cannot directly provide assistance to applicants in completing application documents. Please follow the directions given in the Budget Justification template, which contains details on providing labor and fringe rates without a federally approved rate agreement negotiated and available. An indirect rate proposal is not required at the time of the Full Application and will only be required if the applicant is selected. Applicants should provide their best estimate of the cost to achieve the outcomes, milestones, and decision points of the proposal, in this draft Budget Justification submitted with the Full Application. Selected projects will undergo budget negotiations to arrive at a final version that is mutually agreeable to both the applicant and EERE. "]
[64,"2023-04-24","Application Content/Format","As I was uploading documents in EERE Exchange, I noticed that the Letters of Commitment file is marked as mandatory (with a red asterisk). We are submitting a topic 1 proposal from a single entity with no external cost share partners or sub-recipients. Thus, we do not anticipate having any letters of commitment to upload. Should we upload a document stating that we have no letters of commitment? I am concerned that if we do not upload any file here, then our submission will be marked incomplete.","The Letters of Commitment file is not required if there are no sub-recipients or third party cost-share providers, or other end-users/partners. Applicants with none of these entities will be able to complete the application process without uploading any Letters of Commitment files."]
[65,"2023-04-25","Technical Topics","I am inquiring about the funding for DE-FOA-0002920.  Is this funding for universities or including companies that have developed a new patented technology to produce H2 from Natural Gas?","Technologies for hydrogen production from natural gas are not solicited under any topics in this FOA."]
[66,"2023-04-25","Application Content/Format","In reference to DE-FOA-0002920, page 48 of the solicitation, the solicitation states to upload the Community Partnership Documentation as a PDF, however the EERE Exchange is requiring a JPF to be uploaded for Community Partnership Documentation.","Thank you for pointing out the incorrect file extension. This has now been resolved in eXCHANGE."]
[67,"2023-04-26","Other","Given that we expect several items to be negotiated based on responses to other questions posted in the FAQ log as well as some of the FOA docs, we are looking to confirm that if we submit a full submission and are selected, that if mutually agreeable terms are not agreed between ourselves and DOE, we are not obligated to continue with the project.","As described in Section 2 of the DOE Merit Review Guide for Financial Assistance (Merit Review Guide for Financial Assistance and Unsolicited Proposals - Current Guides | Department of Energy: https://www.energy.gov/management/articles/merit-review-guide-financial-assistance-and-unsolicited-proposals-current), after the merit review process is completed, applicants are initially selected for negotiations that can ultimately lead to a financial assistance award with DOE.  If during the negotiations process you wish to terminate that process and not accept an award, that option is available to you."]

{"sheet":"Admin Pick List","index":2,"n_rows":17,"n_cols":1,"rows_kept":17,"cut":false,"hidden":true,"merged":[]}
["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Concept Paper"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["Other"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]