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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to FY20AMOCriticalMaterialsFOA@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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["QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA0002322 - FY2020 AMO Critical Materials FOA: Next-Generation Technologies and\nField Validation"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2020-05-18","How can my company join or otherwise participate in the Critical Minerals Institute?","Projects selected under all Topic Areas are encouraged to collaborate with the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), a DOE Energy Innovation Hub led by Ames Laboratory. Partnership with CMI is also encouraged. A list of CMI Partners can be found at the following link: https://www.ameslab.gov/cmi/cmi-partners . For applicants interested in partnering or collaborating with CMI in some capacity, they may direct questions to CMIdirector@ameslab.gov . For all Topic Areas, applicants may consider all CMI relevant partners as well as non-CMI partners."]
[2,"2020-05-19","I am interested in developing a concept paper for Topic 2, area of interest 1.  1) Are concepts in the area of modeling and simulation acceptable? Or does it have to be an experimental work proposal? 2) If the answer to 1) is yes, is there a CMI contact person to collaborate on the concept paper?","1) It is entirely up to the applicant to assess if their proposal meets the objectives of the FOA.  The FOA is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA. 2) Please refer to the answer posted to question #1"]
[3,"2020-05-20","I would like identify and to work with a University on this project and FOA, but I don't think that I have enough time to meet your deadline.  Can you provide me with an extension?","At this time DOE does not expect to extend the deadline of Concept Papers or Full Applications. Per page i. of the FOA, applicants must submit a Concept Paper by 5:00pm ET June 25, 2020 to be eligible to submit a Full Application.  Also, it is suggested you monitor Grants.gov and EERE-Exchange.energy.gov for future Funding Opportunity Announcements."]
[4,"2020-05-26","Regarding the “industry partner”, I am wondering whether it is allowed that several companies can participate and form a consortium type of partnership.","Section III, A, i. of the FOA, states, “For Topic Area 1, each application must propose an industry-led partnership. To qualify as an industry-led partnership, the proposed prime recipient must be a domestic Industry Partner and the project team must include at least two other entities. The term ‘Industry Partner’ includes non-profit and for-profit entities engaged in critical materials production or processing, or a related industry. Industry Partner does not include national laboratories, institutions of higher education, or government entities.”\n\nA consortium could be eligible to apply for funding under Topic Area 1, but the requirements differ slightly depending on whether the proposed consortium would be an incorporated or unincorporated consortium. Please see below. In all cases, the consortium must have at least three members and have an internal governance structure and a written set of internal rules. Upon request, the consortium must provide a written description of its internal governance structure and its internal rules to the DOE. \n                \nIncorporated Consortium: The incorporated entity/consortium must qualify as an “Industry Partner”, which includes non-profit and for-profit entities engaged in critical materials production or processing, or a related industry per Section III, A, i. of the FOA.  All consortium members must be domestic entities per Section III, A. of the FOA. If the incorporated consortium includes foreign members, the applicant must submit a separate written waiver request in the Full Application for each foreign member. Appendix C of the FOA lists the necessary information that must be included in a waiver request. \n\nAn unincorporated consortium must designate one member of the consortium to serve as the prime recipient/consortium lead and if selected, DOE would issue the award to the prime recipient/consortium lead. The prime recipient/consortium lead must qualify as an “Industry Partner”.  All consortium members must be domestic entities. If the consortium includes foreign members, the applicant must submit a separate written waiver request in the Full Application for each foreign member. Appendix C of the FOA lists the necessary information that must be included in a waiver request.\n\nSee Section III of the FOA for further eligibility requirements.\n"]
[5,"2020-05-26","1) What name & address should the contracting officer letters from FFRDC’s be addressed to?\n2) For planning purposes of the financial documents, what month is it estimated that awarded projects would begin? The FOA just states “winter 2020”.\n","1) Please address to: \nGeoffrey Walker \nContracting Officer\nU.S. Department of Energy\nGolden Field Office\n15013 Denver West Parkway\nGolden, CO 80401\n2) The exact start date will be subject to negotiations with the selected applicant. As noted in the FOA schedule, selections are anticipated to occur in Winter 2020.\n"]
[6,"2020-05-27","Topic 2, Area of Interest 2, seeks projects to demonstrate or advance economic, next-generation technologies, with an emphasis on low-temperature processes, to economically convert REOs to RE-metals. How do you define low-temperature?","Topic Area 2 seeks alternative, cost-competitive technologies that represent significant improvements over current industrial processes. The intent of the example of low-temperature processes is to demonstrate a potential way to achieve a cost-competitive, alternative technology."]
[7,"2020-05-27","1) Topic Area 1: Field Validation and Demonstration of Extraction, Separation, and Processing Technologies, the solicitation states \"Such projects should demonstrate improvements to the current industrial processes and improve cost-competitiveness of these processes\".  What is the definition of a \"current industrial process\"?  Must it be in the US?  Would a process demonstrated at the pilot scale qualify?  Does this wording exclude any novel feedstock, as there could not be a \"current industrial process\" for it?                                                                                                                                          2) Topic 1 Area of Interest 2 – Improved Beneficiation, Separation and/or Processing, Battery Critical Materials, Cobalt, the solicitation states \"seeks projects that improve industrial production of battery grade Co precursors...\".  Must the proposed \"technology\" directly result in \"battery grade Co precursors\", or can it address specific steps along the path to \"battery grade Co precursors\", such as improved beneficiation or separation that would ultimately be processing into \"battery grade Co precursors\"?                                                                                                          3)Topic Area 1, Area of Interest 2, Specific Requirements, the solicitation states \"Proposed projects should advance technologies to improve current industrial processes and/or facilities that: de-risk and streamline processes to reduce costs such as energy requirements,  are easily integrated into existing facilities, and enable co-location of mining and extraction of critical materials with separation and processing.  Must the proposed technology meet ALL of these \"Specific Requirements\", or at least one?  ","1) Under Topic Area 1 of this FOA, “current industrial processes” refer to processes currently used in the industry worldwide to extract, beneficiate, separate, or process critical materials of interest. Topic Area 1 seeks improvements to current industrial processing of “raw materials.” For the purposes of all topics in the FOA, “raw materials” refer to materials or minerals extracted from the natural environment and any associated waste streams, but do NOT include end-of-life products. For Topic 1 Area of Interest 2, improvements to separation and processing of rare earth elements should be able to handle flexible feedstocks. Novel feedstocks may also be of interest. In lieu of a current industrial practice for the extraction, separation or processing of novel feedstocks, the proposed process must be at a Technology Readiness Level of 5. Please refer to Modification 0002 of the FOA for more details on these definitions.         2) For all battery critical materials under Topic 1 Area of Interest 2, the intent of the FOA is to improve the current industrial practices that lead to battery grade materials. Proposed projects may address specific steps in the upstream and midstream supply chain as defined in Section I.A.ii of the FOA.                                                                                                                                                                                  3) For Topic Area 1, Area of Interest 2, proposed projects should address at least one of the “Specific Requirements”."]
[8,"2020-05-27","\n1) The FOA states the limit is one Concept Paper and one Full Application to each topic area. There are two Topic Areas, with seven Areas of Interest. Does this mean an entity is permitted to submit up to two Concept Papers/Applications, or up to seven? 2) The FOA states if an entity submits more than one Concept Paper and one Full Application to the same topic area, EERE will request a determination from the applicant’s authorizing representative as to which application should be reviewed. Any other submissions received listing the same entity as the applicant for the same topic area will not be eligible for further consideration. Is an “entity” considered to be the institution, such as a university, or is the entity considered to be the investigator submitting the application?\n","1) An entity is permitted a maximum of two submissions, one per Topic Area. 2) An entity is considered to be at the institution level, not the PI level. "]
[9,"2020-05-28","I would like to verify that the funding for Topic Area 2 is $500,000 split across up to 3 years. It is not $500,000 each year for 3 years?","Correct - Per Section II. A. i. of the FOA, Estimated Funding – Topic Area 2: Next-Generation Extraction, Separation, and Processing Technologies: EERE may issue approximately up to 5 awards in this topic area. Individual awards may be up to $500,000.  EERE may establish more than one budget period for each award and fund only the initial budget period(s). Funding for all budget periods, including the initial budget period, is not guaranteed. Before the expiration of the initial budget period(s), EERE may perform a down-select among different recipients and provide additional funding only to a subset of recipients."]
[10,"2020-05-28","1. The appendix of this FOA states that under the Topic Area 1 and area of interest 1, the extraction of REEs, Co, and Li must not include the end-of-life products. Does this restriction apply to the topic area 1 area of interest 2?  If not, does the recycling of critical materials (e.g., Co and Li) from the end-of-life products (such as spent Li-ion batteries) is something you would consider to support? \n2. We would like to confirm with you the difference between the area of interest 1 and interest 2 related to Co extraction under the Topic 1. The area of interest 1 supports projects for electrolytic cobalt production from raw materials, while the area of interest 2 is looking for projects to produce battery-grade cobalt sulfate from raw materials. I assume that \"raw materials sources\" are referred to mining concentrates and mine tailings.\n","Please see Modification 0002 to the FOA document posted on the Exchange website."]
[11,"2020-06-01","For applications that focus on Topic Area 2, is it possible (or considered responsive) for proposed projects to respond to multiple areas of interest? For instance, could a project focus on both rare earth separation (area of interest 1) and conversion to RE-metals (area of interest 2)?","For Topic Area 2, proposed projects may address more than one Area of Interest for a particular critical material. "]
[12,"2020-06-01","We have a specific question related to Topic 2 Area of interest 3 – Li Extraction from Unconventional Sources. What is the exact definition of “unconventional sources”? We have some ideas about claystone. Would you consider claystone as a type of unconventional sources?","For the purposes of this FOA, “unconventional sources” refer to sources other than materials/minerals obtained directly through mining an ore including (but not limited to) mine tailings, geothermal brines, and seawater. “Unconventional sources” do NOT include end-of-life products. For purposes of this FOA “ore” is any rock or sediment that contains materials of value that can be extracted."]
[13,"2020-06-02","Our question is regarding the number of submissions allowed as Co-PI or subcontractor. A PI is limited to one submission per topic area. Since an entity is defined as the PI, is there a limitation on the number of submissions a Co-PI/subcontractor can be on? In other words, can an individual/entity be a Co-PI/subcontractor on multiple submissions with various entities within one topic area?","Please see further clarification on the restriction of the number of submissions, per Q&A #8. Section III. F, Limitation on Number of Concept Papers and Full Applications Eligible for Review of the FOA states, “An entity may only submit one Concept Paper and one Full Application to each topic area of this FOA.” For purposes of this restriction, an entity is considered to be at the institution level, not at the PI level. \n\nThis limitation does not prohibit an entity/applicant from collaborating on other applications (e.g., as a potential subrecipient or partner) so long as the entity is only listed as the applicant on one Concept Paper and one Full Application for each topic area of this FOA. Further, this limitation does not prohibit individuals from being included on multiple submissions so long as the other eligibility requirements are otherwise met. \n"]
[14,"2020-06-02","I'm writing to inquire information about the ability to use plant biology (not microbiology/synthetic biology as stated) within the Area Topic 2, Area of interest 3.  The use of plant biology here (not within other agencies) would have unique synergy with CMI. The overall concept is to go a step further and also couple the extraction of Li/REEs from soil and seawater sources with biomanufacturing of semiconductors.","For Topic Area 2, Area of interest 1, projects that propose technical approaches in microbiology and synthetic biology are not of interest. \n\nFor Topic Area 2, Area of Interest 3, no such restrictions are stated in the FOA. \n"]
[15,"2020-06-04","In Topic 2 Area of Interest 1, it is stated that the separation process shall start with \"concentrated raw materials\".  Would you be able to provide clarification on if there is a minimum or maximum REE concentration in the raw feedstock materials to start with?  ","For Topic 2 Area of Interest 1, there are no requirements on the concentration of rare earth elements in the raw feedstock materials. The intent is for proposed projects to demonstrate or advance energy efficient, cost-competitive solutions that also maintain environmental stewardship."]
[16,"2020-06-07","1) What constitutes a domestic company?  2) Projects involving microbiology/synthetic biology are deemed explicitly not of interest but we are not clear on how to interpret this. Are rhamnolipids, biosurfactants, and other bio-derived chemicals that selectively complex REE excluded? Is targeted phytoremediation, specifically hyperaccumulation of REE excluded? 3) Are proposals of interest that cover only a subsection of an area of interest? E.g., must a proposal to Topic Area 1, Area of Interest 2 include strategies for improving processing of REEs, cobalt, lithium, manganese, and graphite, or would a proposal be of interest if it covered only a subset of those products? 4) Are proposals of interest that combine aspects of two different areas of interest under the same topic area? E.g. a proposal that includes improved flotation of REEs (Topic Area 1, Area of Interest 2) and recovering lithium/cobalt from hydrometallurgical process streams (same topic area, AoI 1)?","1) Per Section III. Eligibility of the FOA, “To qualify as a domestic entity, the applicant must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular State or territory of the United States with majority domestic ownership or control and have a physical place of business in the United States.” 2) For Topic Area 2 Area of Interest 1, the following are not of interest: microbial reduction and recovery techniques that transform critical elements into valuable, saleable products; microbiology/synthetic biology (including bio-derived chemicals) for separation of rare earth elements; and/or bioleaching processes. For Topic Area 2 Area of Interest 1, proposed projects must separate rare earth elements from concentrated raw materials as defined in the FOA. Topic Area 2 Area of Interest 1 explicitly excludes the aforementioned technical approaches in microbiology and synthetic biology to ensure delineation between this FOA and Advanced Research Project Agency –Energy (ARPA-E)’s FOA (DE-FOA-0001953), which included targeted topic “Biotechnologies to Ensure a Robust Supply of Critical Materials for Clean Energy.”  3) For Topic Area 1 Area of Interest 1 proposed projects may address one or more of the following critical materials: rare earth elements*, cobalt, or lithium. For Topic Area 1 Area of Interest 2 proposed projects may address one or more of the follow critical materials: rare earth elements*, cobalt, lithium, manganese or synthetic graphite. – *Rare earth elements of interest under this FOA include neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium, and samarium.  4) For Topic Area 1, proposed projects may address more than one Area of Interest for one or more critical materials. For Topic Area 1 Area of Interest 2, proposed projects may address one or multiple stages of the supply chain."]
[17,"2020-06-08","This Area seeks projects to demonstrate next-generation technologies to economically convert rare earth oxides into rare earth metals. Does this include the conversion of rare earth oxides into rare earth alloys and precursors for permanent magnet production? Namely, low-temperature conversion of Neodymium oxide into Nd2Fe14B compound?","For the purposes of this FOA, the products of processing of rare earth elements are defined as rare earth metals and alloys in Figure 1 of Section I.A.ii. Manufacturing of permanent magnets is outside the scope of this FOA."]
[18,"2020-06-09","1) Is it necessary to request a waiver of the requirement to designate a domestic subsidiary or affiliate as the prime recipient in the Concept Paper (I note it's a requirement for the Full Application)?                                       \n2) Is it necessary to specifically identify the project team's sub-recipients (of which I understand there must be at least two) in the Concept Paper for it to qualify as compliant and eligible to be considered for the Full Application phase? In other words, can the Concept Paper be silent on the identity of the sub-recipients, and be disclosed only in the Full Application?\n","1) It is not necessary to request a waiver of the requirement to designate a domestic subsidiary or affiliate as the prime recipient in the Concept Paper.  Per Section III. A. iii. of the FOA, iii. Foreign Entities (Applicable to both Topic Area 1 and Topic Area 2) - If a foreign entity applies for funding as a prime recipient, it must designate in the Full Application a domestic subsidiary or affiliate to be the prime recipient. The Full Application must state the nature of the corporate relationship between the foreign entity and domestic subsidiary or affiliate. Foreign entities may request a waiver of the requirement to designate a domestic subsidiary or affiliate as the prime recipient in the Full Application (i.e., a foreign entity may request that it remains the prime recipient on an award). To do so, the applicant must submit an explicit written waiver request in the Full Application. Likewise, if the applicant seeks to include a foreign entity as a subrecipient, the applicant must submit a separate explicit written waiver request in the Full Application for each proposed foreign subrecipient.  Appendix C lists the necessary information that must be included in a Foreign Entity Participation waiver request. The applicant does not have the right to appeal EERE’s decision concerning a waiver request.\n\n2) Per Section IV. B. i. Concept Paper Content Requirements – Cover Page: The cover page should include the project title, the specific FOA Topic Area being addressed, both the technical and business points of contact, names of all team member organizations, and any statements regarding confidentiality.\n"]
[19,"2020-06-09","\nDuring the CMI presentation at the AMO virtual per review, it referenced this $30M planned for FY20 Funding Opportunity Announcement and described what seemed to be three topic areas, Field validation and demonstration, next generation technologies and a $5M Congressional direction for a lithium R&D Center (slide 9).  The first two topic areas align with topic areas 1&2 of this FOA but I don’t see any reference to a lithium R&D Center in FOA-0002322.  Can you tell me if this topic is included or if it part of a separate call?  If it is included, where is it referenced in the FOA?\n","The Lithium-ion Congressional direction was included in the FY20 Critical Materials FOA. There is no additional FY20 FOA planned to address the Lithium-ion language. In the Critical Materials FOA, Topic Area 1 and 2 include demonstrating or advancing extraction of Li from unconventional sources such as (but not limited to) geothermal brines, seawater, or mine tailings as areas of interest. Meritorious lithium projects are eligible. For Topic area 1 – the project must be industry-led, however a number of types of organizations may participate in the project team. For Topic area 2 – any eligible organization may lead the project team. The topic areas were designed with congressional direction in mind."]
[20,"2020-06-11","A commercial partner has asked what information about the project will be made available to the public. For instance, will the completed summary slide on section C ix of the call document be released to the public?","Please refer to Section VIII.D of the FOA for details on Treatment of Application Information. The Summary/Abstract is specifically intended for public release as described in Section IV.C.viii."]
[21,"2020-06-17","Are end-of-life products (e.g. spent Li-ion batteries) acceptable as feedstocks for any Area of Interest under Topic Area 2?","Under Topic 2 Area of Interest 3, proposed projects should seek to demonstrate or advance extraction of Li from unconventional sources. Please refer to Modification 003 for the definition of “unconventional sources” as defined in the FOA.\n\nUnder Topic 2 Area of Interest 4, proposed projects should seek to demonstrate or advance economic-processes to produce Li2CO3 or LiOH directly from raw material sources. Please refer to Modification 002 for the definition of “raw material sources” as defined in this FOA.\n"]
[22,"2020-06-17","This question is in regards to 1) synthetic versus natural graphite, and 2) eligibility:\n \nThe FOA document highlights the challenges associated with natural graphite in the supply chain for battery critical minerals (section I)A)ii)2), however requests submissions relating to synthetic graphite only (section I)B)i) Topic Area 2.\n \nWe are a foreign company that owns and operates a natural graphite mine, and are constructing a natural graphite anode material manufacturing capability in the United States which would provide vertically integrated natural graphite anode material capability outside of China, and address natural graphite Battery Critical Mineral supply chain security in the US.  \n \nCould you please let us know if a natural graphite project would be eligible for funding under this program?\n","Please note Topic Area 1 (not Topic Area 2), Area of Interest 2, seeks projects that improve industrial production of synthetic graphite for battery anode fabrication from sources including (but not limited to) petroleum coke.\n \n1. Synthetic versus natural graphite – The FOA does not explicitly exclude natural graphite as a critical material of interest for Topic Area 1. Proposed projects on extraction, beneficiation, separation, and/or processing of natural graphite may not meet the objectives of the FOA.\n \n2. Eligibility -- Per Section III. A. i. of the FOA - Topic Area 1: Field Validation and Demonstration of Extraction, Separation, and Processing Technologies – \nFor Topic Area 1, each application must propose an industry-led partnership. To qualify as an industry-led partnership, the proposed prime recipient must be a domestic Industry Partner and the project team must include at least two other entities. The term “Industry Partner” includes non-profit and for-profit entities engaged in critical materials production or processing, or a related industry. Industry Partner does not include national laboratories, institutions of higher education, or government entities.\nThe following types of domestic entities are eligible to participate as a subrecipient in an industry-led partnership funded under Topic Area 1 of this FOA: \n1. Institutions of higher education 2. For-profit entities; 3. Non-profit entities; 4. DOE National Laboratories; 5. Non-DOE National Laboratories (eligible as a subrecipient, but not eligible as a lead entity); 6. State, local and tribal governments; and 7. Federal agencies and instrumentalities other than DOE (eligible as a subrecipient, but not eligible as a lead entity).\nTo qualify as a domestic entity, the applicant must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular State or territory of the United States with majority domestic ownership or control and have a physical place of business in the United States.\n\n"]
["22 continued",null,"This question is in regards to 1) synthetic versus natural graphite, and 2) eligibility:\n \nThe FOA document highlights the challenges associated with natural graphite in the supply chain for battery critical minerals (section I)A)ii)2), however requests submissions relating to synthetic graphite only (section I)B)i) Topic Area 2.\n \nWe are a foreign company that owns and operates a natural graphite mine, and are constructing a natural graphite anode material manufacturing capability in the United States which would provide vertically integrated natural graphite anode material capability outside of China, and address natural graphite Battery Critical Mineral supply chain security in the US.  \n \nCould you please let us know if a natural graphite project would be eligible for funding under this program?\n","Additionally, per Section III. A. iii. of the FOA - Foreign Entities (Applicable to both Topic Area 1 and Topic Area 2)\nIf a foreign entity applies for funding as a prime recipient, it must designate in the Full Application a domestic subsidiary or affiliate to be the prime recipient. The Full Application must state the nature of the corporate relationship between the foreign entity and domestic subsidiary or affiliate.  Foreign entities may request a waiver of the requirement to designate a domestic subsidiary or affiliate as the prime recipient in the Full Application (i.e., a foreign entity may request that it remains the prime recipient on an award). To do so, the applicant must submit an explicit written waiver request in the Full Application. Likewise, if the applicant seeks to include a foreign entity as a subrecipient, the applicant must submit a separate explicit written waiver request in the Full Application for each proposed foreign subrecipient. Appendix C lists the necessary information that must be included in a Foreign Entity Participation waiver request. The applicant does not have the right to appeal EERE’s decision concerning a waiver request.\n"]
[23,"2020-06-08","Topic 2 area of interest 3  is Li extraction from unconventional sources. According to USGE, the only lithium production in the United States has been from a brine operation in Nevada. Can the following sources be considered as the unconventional sources and used as the process feedstock: 1- Spodumene resources in Carolina tin-spodumene belt, 2- Mercer Clay in Pennsylvania with low lithium concentration.  ","Per Question #12 from the Q&A log on the Exchange website: Question: We have a specific question related to Topic 2 Area of interest 3 – Li Extraction from Unconventional Sources. What is the exact definition of “unconventional sources”? We have some ideas about claystone. Would you consider claystone as a type of unconventional sources? Answer: For the purposes of this FOA, “unconventional sources” refer to sources other than materials/minerals obtained directly through mining an ore including (but not limited to) mine tailings, geothermal brines, and seawater. “Unconventional sources” do NOT include end-of-life products. For purposes of this FOA “ore” is any rock or sediment that contains materials of value that can be extracted.  Additionally, please see Modification 0003 to the FOA posted on the Exchange website for further information on the definition of unconventional sources."]
[24,"2020-05-22","1)      Q: For Topic 1, companies are “expected to complement the ongoing work at CMI. Partnership with CMI is also encouraged. Could provide a contact CMI to reach out to? 2) Q: Topic 1, Area of Interest 2, seeks projects to improve REE and Co processing by, among other technologies, molten salt electrolysis.  Is there a specific molten salt system that would be regarded as non-compliant? 3) Q: Topic Area 1 – “Area of Interest 1 and Area of Interest 2 - up to $10,000,000 for up to 3 years.” Can we propose an activity for substantially less than that amount – say $200,000? How many awards are anticipated? Is the $10,000,000 the total amount available for all awards, or just per award? 4) Q: There is also the restriction: “Also not of interest in Topic 2 are projects that propose to address next-generation technologies for Co, Mn, natural graphite, or synthetic graphite.” By technologies, does this specifically mean applications, or does it also refer to extraction, synthesis, and purification as well, or does it refer rather to any activity regarding Co, Mn, natural graphite, or synthetic graphite? ","1) Per Question #1 from the Q&A log on the Exchange website, “Projects selected under all Topic Areas are encouraged to collaborate with the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), a DOE Energy Innovation Hub led by Ames Laboratory. Partnership with CMI is also encouraged. A list of CMI Partners can be found at the following link: https://www.ameslab.gov/cmi/cmi-partners . For applicants interested in partnering or collaborating with CMI in some capacity, they may direct questions to CMIdirector@ameslab.gov . For all Topic Areas, applicants may consider all CMI relevant partners as well as non-CMI partners.” 2) It is entirely up to the applicant to determine compliance or non-compliance of a specific molten salt process meets the objectives of the FOA.  The FOA is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA.  The intent of Topic 1 Area of Interest 2 is to improve current industrial practices for beneficiating, separation, and/or processing of critical materials of interest. Molten salt electrolysis was included as an example of a current industrial process. Under Topic Area 1 of this FOA, “current industrial processes” refer to processes currently used in the industry worldwide to extract, beneficiate, separate, or process critical materials of interest. 3) It is entirely up to the applicant to assess if their proposal meets the objectives of the FOA.  The FOA is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA.  Per Section II, A. i. Estimated Funding, “EERE anticipates making approximately 5-10 awards under this FOA. EERE may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards may be up to $10 million for Topic Area 1 Areas of Interest 1 and 2 projects, one project up to $30 million under Topic Area 1 Area of Interest 3, and $500,000 for Topic Area 2 projects.  Topic Area 1: Field Validation and Demonstration of Extraction, Separation, and Processing Technologies: EERE may issue up to 5 awards in this topic area. For Topic 1 Areas of Interest 1 and 2, individual awards may be up to $10 million. For Topic Area 1 Area of Interest 3, an individual award may be up to $30 million; DOE may ultimately decide to select one project under Topic 1 Area of Interest 3 for the full amount of federal funds available under the FOA ($30 million).” 4) It is entirely up to the applicant to assess if their proposal meets the objectives of the FOA.  The FOA is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA."]
["24 continued","2020-05-22","5) Q: There is also the restriction: “Also not of interest in Topic 2 are projects that propose to address next-generation technologies for Co, Mn, natural graphite, or synthetic graphite.” Does this mean in the general area of REE extraction and purifications, or the specific details of the proposal? 6) Q: For applications under Topic Area 2, proposed projects must not be duplicative of existing efforts at CMI… or the ReCell Center at Argonne National Laboratory.” Could provide a contact ReCell Center at Argonne National Laboratory to reach out to? 7) Q: Topic Area 2 - up to $500,000 for up to 3 years.  Can we propose an activity for substantially less than that amount – say $200,000?  How many awards are anticipated? Is the $500,000 the total amount available for all awards, or just per award?","5) It is entirely up to the applicant to assess if their proposal meets the objectives of the FOA.  The FOA is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA. 6) Proposed projects under Topic Area 2 are not expected to collaborate with the ReCell Center at Argonne National Laboratory. More information about the ReCell Center research portfolio can be found at https://recellcenter.org/research/. Questions specific to the ReCell Center may be directed to recell@anl.gov. 7) It is entirely up to the applicant to assess if their proposal meets the objectives of the FOA.  The FOA is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA.  Per Section II, A. i. Estimated Funding, “EERE anticipates making approximately 5-10 awards under this FOA. EERE may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards may be up to $10 million for Topic Area 1 Areas of Interest 1 and 2 projects, one project up to $30 million under Topic Area 1 Area of Interest 3, and $500,000 for Topic Area 2 projects.  Topic Area 2: Next-Generation Extraction, Separation, and Processing Technologies: EERE may issue approximately up to 5 awards in this topic area. Individual awards may be up to $500,000.”"]
[25,"2020-06-23","There are exclusions under Topic Area 1 for coal based raw materials. While I do not see these exclusions listed under Topic 2, I wanted to check that the DOE would be receptive to us potentially using Coal Derived Fly Ash as a feedstock for REE extraction and separation. We also would like to work with original ore, and other potential sources, though we recognize that sometimes US based ores are challenging to obtain.","For applications under all Topic Areas of the FOA, proposed projects must not include coal or coal-based resources. Additionally, please see Modification 0004 to the FOA posted on the Exchange website for further information. "]
[26,"2020-06-29","Do FFRDCs need to submit an SFLLL even though as a national laboratory they are not permitted to lobby?","Yes.  Per Section IV. C. xiii. SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (required) of the FOA – “Prime recipients and subrecipients are required to complete and submit SF-LLL.” Note on the form “N/A” for entities not permitted to lobby."]
[27,"2020-07-15","To submit to Topic Area 1, what entities are eligible to submit and how many team members are required? ","To qualify as an industry-led partnership, the proposed prime recipient must be a domestic Industry Partner and the project team must include at least two other entities. The term “Industry Partner” includes non-profit and for-profit entities engaged in critical materials production or processing, or a related industry. Industry Partner does not include national laboratories, institutions of higher education, or government entities.\nThe following types of domestic entities are eligible to participate as a subrecipient in an industry-led partnership funded under Topic Area 1 of this FOA: \n1. Institutions of higher education;\n2. For-profit entities;\n3. Non-profit entities; \n4. DOE National Laboratories;\n5. Non-DOE National Laboratories (eligible as a subrecipient, but not eligible as a lead entity);\n6. State, local and tribal governments; and\n7. Federal agencies and instrumentalities other than DOE (eligible as a subrecipient, but not eligible as a lead entity). \nTo qualify as a domestic entity, the applicant must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular State or territory of the United States with majority domestic ownership or control and have a physical place of business in the United States.\nApplicants may refer to Section III.A.i of the FOA.  \n"]
[28,"2020-07-15","Can foreign entities submit full applications as a prime recipient or be listed in an application as a subrecipient?","All prime recipients and subrecipients receiving funding under this FOA must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a state or territory of the United States with majority domestic ownership or control and have a physical place of business in the United States. As described in Section III.A.iii of the FOA, if a foreign entity applies for funding as a prime recipient, it must designate in the Full Application a domestic subsidiary or affiliate to be the prime recipient. The Full Application must state the nature of the corporate relationship between the foreign entity and domestic subsidiary or affiliate. \nForeign entities may request a waiver of the requirement to designate a domestic subsidiary or affiliate as the prime recipient in the Full Application (i.e., a foreign entity may request that it remains the prime recipient on an award). To do so, the applicant must submit an explicit written waiver request in the Full Application. Likewise, if the applicant seeks to include a foreign entity as a subrecipient, the applicant must submit a separate explicit written waiver request in the Full Application for each proposed foreign subrecipient. \nApplicants should refer to Appendix C of the FOA for more information on Foreign Entity Participation waiver requests. \n"]
[29,"2020-07-15","Can a submission team switch the lead entity between Concept Paper submission and Full Application submission?","To be eligible to submit a Full Application, the lead entity must submit a compliant Concept Paper. Switching the lead entity would make the team ineligible to submit a Full Application. Applicants may refer to Section III.C.i."]
[30,"2020-07-15","Is construction of a commercial production facility within the scope of Topic 1?","Areas of Interest 1 and 2 under Topic Area 1 seek R&D projects (TRL 5-6) to validate improved upstream extraction and midstream separation and processing technologies of critical materials. Such projects should demonstrate improvements to current industrial processes and improve the cost-competitiveness of these processes. Proposed projects may optionally advance to system prototype demonstration in an operational environmental (TRL 7). \nTopic 1 Area of Interest 3 seeks demonstration projects in an operational environment with expanded scope and budget (up to $30 million) relative to Topic 1 Areas of Interest 1 and 2. Proposed projects are expected to advance technologies to TRL 7.\nTRL 7 is defined in the FOA as “system prototype demonstration in an operation environment.” Please refer to Appendix E for all definitions of Technology Readiness Levels. \n"]
[31,"2020-07-15","According to current Modification 0004 of DE-FOA-0002322, the deadline for the full application is on 8/19/2020.  Can you advise when the review phase will be completed for all concept papers that have been submitted for consideration and when decision notifications will be posted?  ","Per Section VI. ii. Of the FOA - Concept Paper Notifications\nEERE will notify applicants of its determination to encourage or discourage the submission of a Full Application. EERE will post these notifications to EERE Exchange.  Applicants may submit a Full Application even if they receive a notification discouraging them from doing so. By discouraging the submission of a Full Application, EERE intends to convey its lack of programmatic interest in the proposed project. Such assessments do not necessarily reflect judgments on the merits of the proposed project. The purpose of the Concept Paper phase is to save applicants the considerable time and expense of preparing a Full Application that is unlikely to be selected for award negotiations.  A notification encouraging the submission of a Full Application does not authorize the applicant to commence performance of the project. Please refer to Section IV.J.ii. of the FOA for guidance on pre-award costs.\n"]
[32,"2020-07-27","1) We are waiting to receive notification on a concept paper we submitted to the  AMO Critical Material FOA. Do you know when we can expect to hear on this? \n\n2) And, if we are encouraged to write a full proposal, is it likely that the deadline be extended to give us 30 days to prepare and submit the full proposal as described in the FOA?\n","1)  Per Section VI. ii. Of the FOA - Concept Paper Notifications\n EERE will notify applicants of its determination to encourage or discourage the submission of a Full Application. EERE will post these notifications to EERE Exchange.\n Applicants may submit a Full Application even if they receive a notification discouraging them from doing so. By discouraging the submission of a Full Application, EERE intends to convey its lack of programmatic interest in  the proposed project. Such assessments do not necessarily reflect judgments on the merits of the proposed project. The purpose of the Concept Paper phase is to save applicants the considerable time and expense of  preparing a Full Application that is unlikely to be selected for award negotiations. A notification encouraging the submission of a Full Application does not authorize the applicant to commence performance of the project.  Please refer to Section IV.J.ii. of the FOA for guidance on pre-award costs.\n\n 2) At this time DOE does not expect to extend the deadline for Full Applications. Per page i. of the FOA, applicants must submit a Full Application by 5:00pm ET August 19, 2020 to be eligible to submit a Full Application.\n"]
[33,"2020-07-27","Regarding our Concept Paper submission for the AMO Critical Materials FOA which was “discouraged”, we are requesting reviewer feedback on this decision.","Per Section IV. B. i. Concept Paper Content Requirements of the FOA:\nEERE makes an independent assessment of each Concept Paper based on the criteria in Section V.A.i. of the FOA. EERE will encourage a subset of applicants to submit Full Applications. Other applicants will be discouraged from submitting a Full Application. An applicant who receives a “discouraged” notification may still submit a Full Application. EERE will review all eligible Full Applications. However, by discouraging the submission of a Full Application, EERE intends to convey its lack of programmatic interest in the proposed project in an effort to save the applicant the time and expense of preparing an application that is unlikely to be selected for award negotiations.  EERE may include general comments provided from reviewers on an applicant’s Concept Paper in the encourage/discourage notification posted on EERE Exchange at the close of that phase.\n"]
[34,"2020-07-30","Our cost share partner seems to be having financial difficulties given the state of economy. Is there any chance EERE will review the cost share requirements and provide some relief. These critical material technologies are very important and timely but the current economic situation is discouraging businesses from investing large sums of money.","Per Section III. B. Cost Sharing of the FOA - The cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs (i.e., the sum of the government share, including FFRDC costs if applicable, and the recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project) for research and development projects and 50% of the total allowable costs for demonstration and commercial application projects and must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. (See 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 910.130 for the applicable cost sharing requirements.) \nAdditionally, per Section III. B. vi. Cost Share Payment\nEERE requires prime recipients to contribute the cost share amount incrementally over the life of the award. Specifically, the prime recipient’s cost share for each billing period must always reflect the overall cost share ratio negotiated by the parties (i.e., the total amount of cost sharing on each invoice when considered cumulatively with previous invoices must reflect, at a minimum, the cost sharing percentage negotiated). As FFRDC funding will be provided directly to the FFRDC(s) by DOE, prime recipients will be required to provide project cost share at a percentage commensurate with the FFRDC costs, on a budget period basis, resulting in a higher interim invoicing cost share ratio than the total award ratio.\nIn limited circumstances, and where it is in the government’s interest, the EERE Contracting Officer may approve a request by the prime recipient to meet its cost share requirements on a less frequent basis, such as monthly or quarterly. Regardless of the interval requested, the prime recipient must be up-to-date on cost share at each interval. Such requests must be sent to the Contracting Officer during award negotiations and include the following information: (1) a detailed justification for the request; (2) a proposed schedule of payments, including amounts and dates; (3) a written commitment to meet that schedule; and (4) such evidence as necessary to demonstrate that the prime recipient has complied with its cost share obligations to date. The Contracting Officer must approve all such requests before they go into effect.\n"]
[35,"2020-08-06","Who in the EERE should I be addressing in the Letters of Commitment and what address should I attach to the person I am addressing?","Please address the letters of commitment to: Geoffrey Walker, Contracting Officer, Advanced Manufacturing Office."]
[36,"2020-08-06","The FOA lists 14 documents that must be submitted but the EERE website lists only 4. Can you please specify if an application with only these 4 documents submitted is considered full/complete?","o Please see Section III.C.i.2, for Full Application Compliance Criteria, which states:\nFull Applications are deemed compliant if: \n• The applicant submitted a compliant Concept Paper; \n• The Full Application complies with the content and form requirements in Section IV.D. of the FOA; and \n• The applicant successfully uploaded all required documents and clicked the “Submit” button in EERE Exchange by the deadline stated in the FOA. \n"]
[37,"2020-08-06","At what point during the awarding process can the proposer decline the award? What is the point of contractual obligation?","If the application is selected for award negotiations, the applicant can decline the award prior to the Contracting Officer signing the finalized award package which is approved by both the DOE and applicant."]
[38,"2020-08-06","Can an entity (an industry entity, not an FFRDC) be a prime on one application and a subrecipient on a second application? Also in this case, can this single industry entity contribute to cost sharing in both instances…as a prime on one application and simultaneously as a subrecipient on a second application?","Yes, please see Section III.F which states that a single entity may only submit one application as a prime applicant, however “this limitation does not prohibit an applicant from collaborating on other applications (e.g., as a potential subrecipient or partner) so long as the entity is only listed as the applicant on one Concept Paper and one Full Application for each topic area of this FOA.”"]
[39,"2020-08-06","What happens if a team member changes companies during the negotiations or execution of the project?","If a team member leaves the prime applicant, that person may continue to work on the project in a subrecipient/vendor/contractual role, if the prime applicant chooses to contract with that team member. "]
[40,"2020-08-06","Do we have to identify the EPCM firm now and let them prepare their budget for the proposal? Or we can plan the selection of the EPCM as a task in our proposal, and us a prime recipient do the budgeting for this specific task?","Specific vendors, such as EPCM firms, do not need to be identified for the proposal, but just be identified prior to award. "]
[41,"2020-08-06","I am writing to formally request a one week extension for the funding opportunity announcement regarding DE-FOA-0002322","DOE does not plan on extending the deadline of this funding opportunity announcement. "]
[42,"2020-08-07","Do the Conflict of Interest (COI) forms need to be submitted with the Full Application to qualify for DOE Funding? Or does it hold true that COI's must be submitted no later than 15 days after award selection and a Full Application will be considered complete even if the COI's have not been submitted yet?","The Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statements are not required with the Full Application.  Per Section VI. B. xvii. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statements of the FOA - Upon selection of award negotiations, DOE may require the selectee provide DOE with signed conflict of interest disclosure statements for personnel (prime recipient and subrecipient level) proposed to participate in the award negotiations or the project itself. The disclosures will be due to EERE no later than fifteen (15) days after notice of selection for award negotiations."]
[43,"2020-08-10","We are a FFRDC and according to the FOA we should be submitting a Work Proposal.  My question is,  what is the B&R code that should be used and  the name and contact information of the Headquarters Program Manager.","Budget & Reporting Code: ED0000000\nHeadquarters Program Manager: Lightner, Valri  (202) 586-0937\n"]

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["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]