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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to AMMTO_MultitopicFOA@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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[null,null,"ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
[null,null,"DE-FOA0002864 - AMMTO, BTO, OE Multi-Topic FOA"]
[null,null,"Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[null,null,1,"2023-01-06","Other","I have tried a few times to download the FOA through the given link. But all the downloaded trials give me an error message when I try to open them.\n \nIs it possible to receive an electronic copy of the PDF file directly?","If you have any technical problems with eXCHANGE, please send an email to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov with the FOA name and number in the subject line."]
[null,null,2,"2023-01-08","Cost Sharing","Is there a cost share waiver for  DE-FOA-0002864 ?\n\nI recall seeing an option for cost share waivers before but I didn't see it in this announcement. ","Per section III.B. Cost Sharing, \"The cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for research and development projects,\" which applies to all topics in the Funding Opprotunity Announcement.  The FOA does not have an option for requesting cost share waivers.  Additional information on cost share calculation and general rules can be found in Appendix A of the FOA."]
[null,null,3,"2023-01-08","Technical Topics","I have three questions regarding Subtopic 3.2: Building Dehumidification Scaleup.  The FOA indicates “The objective of this sub-topic is to manufacture and pilot-demonstrate…”. It also indicates, “The project team is expected to perform field demonstrations at a minimum often building sites…The applicant will develop a best practices design guide”.\n\nI have three questions:\n•\tI believe the word “often” in “minimum often building sites” above should read, “minimum of ten building sites”.  Is that correct?\n•\tCan funds from the FOA be used to share the cost of building a manufacturing facility to produce the units for field demonstration or can the funds only be used for:\no\tEquipment and labor directly related to the field demonstrations, and\no\tThe cost of research and production of the design guide?\n•\tCan the field demonstrations include customer sites (i.e., meaning that a customer paid for some or all of the equipment deployed to their site and used for the pilot-demonstration)?","•\tI believe the word “often” in “minimum often building sites” above should read, “minimum of ten building sites”.  Is that correct?\n\nYes, the word “often” in “minimum often building sites” under the Subtopic 3.2 Technology Focus section (page 31 of the FOA), should read, “minimum of ten building sites”.\n\n•\tCan funds from the FOA be used to share the cost of building a manufacturing facility to produce the units for field demonstration or can the funds only be used for:\no\tEquipment and labor directly related to the field demonstrations, and\no\tThe cost of research and production of the design guide?\n\nThe focus is on scaling up, the manufacture and pilot-demonstrate all-electric or low grade/waste sources-driven dehumidification systems (e.g., desiccants) that, under extreme conditions (i.e., above 60% relative humidity), have high moisture removal efficiency (MRE), have reduced size and/or weight, are capable of flexible operation, and minimize water consumption. The focus is on the equipment and its pilot-demonstration. The building of a manufacturing facility is out of scope for this FOA.\n\n•\tCan the field demonstrations include customer sites (i.e., meaning that a customer paid for some or all of the equipment deployed to their site and used for the pilot-demonstration)?\n\nYes, that is possible. "]
[null,null,4,"2023-01-09","Other","The PI is asking me to find the Technical Point of Contact for Topics 1, 2 & 3.  Is that something you can provide for me?","Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process. Specifically, questions regarding the content of this FOA must be submitted to: AMMTO_MultitopicFOA@ee.doe.gov "]
[null,null,5,"2023-01-09","Technical Topics","We are interested in applying DE-FOA-0002864, topic 3.1 Advanced Process Manufacturing of Electric Vehicle Cathode Active Materials at Volume.\n\nAfter reviewing the FOA, we have a question regarding the cost target in the table of Topic 3.1 Objective/Goal (page 27). The cathode cost comes from raw material cost and processing cost and we are not sure if the proposed cost target of $10-$15/kg includes both raw material and processing cost.\nFor example, for LFP based cathode, the lithium cost alone is about $16/kg in LFP; and for NMC811 based cathode, the lithium cost alone is about $34/kg in NMC811; in both case the raw material cost exceeds the $10-$15/kg cost goal listed in the table. This means improving process cost cannot meet the cost target. In the past two years with soaring raw material price, raw material cost accounts for ~80% of cathode cost.\n\n Please advise if the cost listed in Topic 3.1 Objective/Goal is the processing cost that excludes the raw material cost? Thank you. ","We understand that it is difficult to predict the raw materials cost during the project period. In addition, processing cost will depend on the proposed technologies as well as cathode chemistries. Therefore, we would like applicants to provide the processing cost target with the proposed technology. Based on the appropriate benchmarks or baselines, proposals will need to rationalize how the proposed technology can reduce processing cost a certain percentage. In case proposals need to put the raw material cost, a detailed calculation of it is required with respect to the proposed cathode chemistry (for example, lithium would be ~5% of LFP. If lithium price as of today is around $75/kg, the lithium price would be around $3.5)."]
[null,null,6,"2023-01-09","Technical Topics","Dear Sr, Mss., can you please  inform  me if the DOE/EERE is taking in consideration the reduction of Carbon Emissions by way of Gas Flaring reduction & Geothermal ORC, Microturbines modular power generation, or who will be the person to contact. Thank you. ","This topic is not relevant to any of the subtopics in this FOA, however it may be relevant to other FOAs from Fossil Energy and Carbon Management or Geothermal Technologies Office. Check Grants.gov or eere-exchange.energy.gov for other FOAs."]
[null,null,7,"2023-01-09","Other","I am very interested in the funding opportunity DE-FOA-0002864 and would like to know the details. However, the PDF file of the full FOA downloaded from this page https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId2e455119-5dd2-4824-876d-f803cea5696c cannot be opened. Could you please forward the full FOA to me? Thank you very much.","If you have any technical problems with eXCHANGE, please send an email to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov with the FOA name and number in the subject line."]
[null,null,8,"2023-01-10","Cost Sharing","The cost share information section in the AMMTO-BTO and OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA says that, “the cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for research and development projects.”\n\nI would like to check with you which are the specific R&D projects in the total 7 sub-topic areas. It looks like all are R&D projects as per the below information extracted from the FOA. Please confirm if the cost share is only applicable to any specific projects or topic areas and not to all projects or topic areas listed below.\n\nTopic Area 1: Next Generation Materials and Manufacturing Processes\nThis topic is focused on the development of novel materials with improved functional properties\n1.1: Increased Conductivity Metal-Based Material Systems\n1.1   a) Materials Composition and Fabrication\n1.1   b) Conductor/Cables Systems for Power line Validation and Pilot Demonstration\n1.2: Harsh Environment Materials\n1.3: AI/Machine Learning for Aerostructures\n \nTopic Area 2: Secure and Sustainable Materials\nThis topic is focused on materials RD&D supporting the establishment of a circular economy emphasizing material and product design recycling technology development, and reverse supply chain logistics for a broad range of materials.\n2.1: Materials Circularity Regional Demonstrations\n \nTopic Area 3: Energy Technology Manufacturing\nThis topic is focused on innovative manufacturing technologies that enable a clean energy economy, such as energy storage systems.\n3.1: Advanced Process Manufacturing of Electric Vehicle Cathode Active Materials at Volume\n                Objective: Develop, scale-up, and pilot demonstrate\n3.2: Building Dehumidification Scaleup\n                Objective: Manufacture and pilot-demonstrate","Per section III.B. Cost Sharing, \"The cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for research and development projects,\" which applies to all topics in the FOA. Additional information on cost share calculation and general rules can be found in Appendix A of the FOA."]
[null,null,9,"2023-01-10","Technical Topics","In the cost target the minimum is $15/kg while the stretch goal is $10/kg. Does this refer to CAM processing cost only – not the cost of materials?\n\nReferencing the table on page 27","We understand that it is difficult to predict the raw materials cost during the project period. In addition, processing cost will depend on the proposed technologies as well as cathode chemistries. Therefore, we would like applicants to provide the processing cost target with the proposed technology. Based on the appropriate benchmarks or baselines, proposals will need to rationalize how the proposed technology can reduce processing cost a certain percentage. In case proposals need to put the raw material cost, a detailed calculation of it is required with respect to the proposed cathode chemistry (for example, lithium would be ~5% of LFP. If lithium price as of today is around $75/kg, the lithium price would be around $3.5)."]
[null,null,10,"2023-01-10","Application Reviews","We are working to determine if our project meets the areas of interest for the AMMTO Multi-Topic FOA. \n\nIn your opinion does this project qualify under the areas of interest for this FOA?","\nPlease follow the Concept Paper submission process as outlined in the Funding Opportunity Announcement, Section IV.A beginning on page 44. \n\nAlso per Section IV.C on page 47:    \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.  "]
[null,null,11,"2023-01-10","Technical Topics","Regarding DE-FOA-0002864, topic 3.1 CAM manufacturing.\nFor the metrics/targets please can we confirm the following:\n•\tProduction volume rate: is this understood to mean that the proposed technology must feasibly scale to this production rate? (i.e. proposals need not demonstrate this production rate within the performance period).\n•\tCost: is this $/kg manufacturing cost? (i.e. not the total cost of goods sold including raw precursor materials)\n•\tUseable specific energy: is this material level? (i.e. not cell or pack level).\nRegarding cell testing: please we clarify that \"This testing will be conducted outside the scope of the proposed project and should not be included in the total estimated project costs included with the application.\" means that the DoE program will coordinate and fund the material/cell testing independently with DoE national labs?","For the metrics/targets please can we confirm the following:\n•Production volume rate: is this understood to mean that the proposed technology must feasibly scale to this production rate? (i.e. proposals need not demonstrate this production rate within the performance period). \nResponse: It is highly recommended to meet the production volume rate within the project period. Otherwise, the target metrics corresponding to the proposed technology should be rationalized with detailed explanations including appropriate benchmarks or baselines.\n\n•Cost: is this $/kg manufacturing cost? (i.e. not the total cost of goods sold including raw precursor materials) \nResponse: We understand that it is difficult to predict the raw materials cost during the project period. In addition, processing cost will depend on the proposed technologies as well as cathode chemistries. Therefore, we would like applicants to provide the processing cost target with the proposed technology. Based on the appropriate benchmarks or baselines, proposals will need to rationalize how the proposed technology can reduce processing cost a certain percentage. In case proposals need to put the raw material cost, a detailed calculation of it is required with respect to the proposed cathode chemistry (for example, lithium would be ~5% of LFP. If lithium price as of today is around $75/kg, the lithium price would be around $3.5).\n\n•Useable specific energy: is this material level? (i.e. not cell or pack level). \nResponse: Yes, the Wh/kg is at the material (i.e., cathode) level.\n\nRegarding cell testing: please we clarify that \"This testing will be conducted outside the scope of the proposed project and should not be included in the total estimated project costs included with the application.\" means that the DoE program will coordinate and fund the material/cell testing independently with DoE national labs? \nResponse: As described in the FOA, the 3rd party testing and validation will be conducted at a to-be-designated DOE National Laboratory. DOE will choose and designate the appropriate lab for the testing. DOE will also coordinate all-related activities."]
[null,null,12,"2023-01-11","Application Content/Format","May classified proposals be submitted in response to funding opportunity DE-FOA-0002864? I don’t trust my interpretation of the sections in the call that discuss classified information handling and how this pertains to submitting a response to the call. ","Per section VIII.D \"Applicants should not include trade secrets or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential in their application unless such information is necessary to convey an understanding of the proposed project or to comply with a requirement in the FOA. Applicants are advised to not include any critically sensitive proprietary detail.\" Classified information or proposals should not be submitted for this FOA."]
[null,null,13,"2023-01-12","Technical Topics","Our company intends to submit a concept paper for FOA #DE-FOA-0002864 Subtopic 3.2 covering Building Dehumidification Scaleup. \n\nTo help us with the preparation of the concept paper, please provide responses to the following questions at your convenience - \n\n1.\tIs there a minimum percentage of outside air mixing that should be included in the design of demonstration systems for warm and humid sites?\n2.\tDoes DOE have a preferred range of air flow (CFM) or water removal capacity (kg/hr) for the dehumidification demonstration systems to be built under this FOA?","1. Is there a minimum percentage of outside air mixing that should be included in the design of demonstration systems for warm and humid sites?\nNo minimum percentage of outside air mixing requirements are included for this topic. \n\n2.Does DOE have a preferred range of air flow (CFM) or water removal capacity (kg/hr) for the dehumidification demonstration systems to be built under this FOA?\nDOE doesn’t have preferred range of air flow (CFM) for these HVAC systems, but different HVAC systems have some CFM requirements for their efficiency rating. The Dehumidification Moisture Removal Efficiency (MRE) [kg/kWh], measured at indoor air conditions of 75°F and 60% relative humidity and Integrated Seasonal Moisture Removal Efficiency (ISMRE) [kg/kWh], based on ASHRAE standard 90.1-2019 or ASHRAE standard 139, or ANSI/AHRI Standard 920 are the main performance metrics for this topic, please see the Subtopic 3.2 Candidate Metrics & Targets table for a complete list."]
[null,null,14,"2023-01-14","Technical Topics","In the description of the technology focus of subtopic 1.2 (Harsh Environment Materials), the FOA states: “Turbine components not a priority in this FOA.”. Can this be clarified? Does this refer to a specific turbine application (wind turbines, land-based gas turbines, aircraft engine turbines, etc.) or does this apply to any potential turbine application?\n\nAlso (separate from my question), I attempted to check the posted questions and answers prior to submitting this question, but I am getting a “page can’t be found” error when attempting to access the FAQ link at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/AMMTO_MultitopicFOA@ee.doe.gov","In the description of the technology focus of subtopic 1.2 (Harsh Environment Materials), the FOA states: “Turbine components not a priority in this FOA.”. Can this be clarified? Does this refer to a specific turbine application (wind turbines, land-based gas turbines, aircraft engine turbines, etc.) or does this apply to any potential turbine application?\nR: - According to Executive Order 14008, Section 209 Fossil Fuel Subsidies: After fiscal year 2022 Federal funding—including R&D—should not be directly subsidizing fossil fuels.  Hence, R&D for turbine components for applications that are likely to use fossil fuels are not a priority. \nI attempted to check the posted questions and answers prior to submitting this question, but I am getting a “page can’t be found” error when attempting to access the FAQ link at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/AMMTO_MultitopicFOA@ee.doe.gov\nR: If you have any technical problems with eXCHANGE, please send an email to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov with the FOA name and number in the subject line."]
[null,null,15,"2023-01-16","Technical Topics","For subtopic 3.1  the manufacturing of high voltage LNMO at the rate of .5-1 ton/day would be of interest to this FOA.  This rate is below the 1GWh minimum however, this it is a very aggressive metric for this Co-free and high energy density next generation technology.  Thank you for your time.","It is highly recommended to meet the production volume rate as shown in the FOA descriptions. Otherwise, the volume rate target should be rationalized with detailed explanations including appropriate benchmarks or baselines based on the proposed technology and cathode chemistry.   "]
[null,null,16,"2023-01-17","Foreign Entities/Work","I am seeking guidance about acceptable regions.  Is the United States the only acceptable country in which a  “regional demonstration”  can be located?","Yes, the regional demonstration must be located in the United States.  The demonstration should seek to minimize cost and complexity that may arise by having too diffuse a supply chain."]
[null,null,17,"2023-01-17","Technical Topics","The proposed metrics table for topic 3.1 suggests a 1 GWh goal to a 30 GWh production size stretch goal; are these just examples of metrics or are you expecting proposals to treat/ manufacture such a large amount of cathode material? ","As described in the FOA, the objective of this subtopic is to develop and scale-up processing technologies. The proposed technologies should be able to enable higher production rates for useable product. In that sense, the production volume rate in the metrics table is a key metric that measures CAM production capabilities."]
[null,null,18,"2023-01-18","Concept Paper","I am coordinating people across my organization who have an interest in this FOA and on p 43 under section F. Limitation on Number of Concept Papers and Full Applications Eligible for Review, it talks about each “entity” being able to submit only one application. How exactly is “entity” defined ? For example, I understand our organization to operate in the US under multiple separate legal entities, though under the same company name – would this then be two entities?  If one part of our business focuses on siding and another on roofing, would that constitute separate entities? ","Please see Section III.A of the FOA document for information on eligible entity types. In addition, please review Section IV.G regarding UEI and SAM requirements."]
[null,null,19,"2023-01-18","Eligibility","Hello,\nI am reaching out regarding teaming for the AMMTO-BTO And OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA. We feel our firm could make a great applications partner in the event of teaming. While the FOA mentions teaming opportunities throughout, I am unable to find such a list on the EERE Exchange. Will there be an opportunity to be added to a list if one is to exist, or are teams to form independently? Thank you in advance for any clarification you may be able to provide.","This FOA references team or teaming regarding the applicant team partners or overall project team. For this FOA, no teaming list will be provided. It is the responsibility of each applicant and its partners to assemble the project team to support their proposed award objectives."]
[null,null,20,"2023-01-18","Eligibility","I’m a PM at an Applied Physics Lab.  We are a 501(c)(3) University Affiliated Research Center (UARC).  Under your eligibility requirements could we submit proposals as a prime?","Answer: Eligibility is spelled out in Section III A. of the FOA. As noted in Section III G. EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant."]
[null,null,21,"2023-01-19","Eligibility","to be eligible to apply for Subtopic 1.1b), is it required to have been funded from the programs referenced in Subtopic 1.1a) ?  Or can we apply to Subtopic 1.1b) without having received any prior awards?\n\nAlso, if we are able to apply for Subtopic 1.1b, is there a technical point of contact we can communicate with?","to be eligible to apply for Subtopic 1.1b), is it required to have been funded from the programs referenced in Subtopic 1.1a) ?  Or can we apply to Subtopic 1.1b) without having received any prior awards?\n\nIt is not required to have previous funding from the programs referenced in Subtopic 1.1a to submit an application. \n\nAlso, if we are able to apply for Subtopic 1.1b, is there a technical point of contact we can communicate with?\n\nUpon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process. Specifically, questions regarding the content of this FOA must be submitted to: AMMTO_MultitopicFOA@ee.doe.gov"]
[null,null,22,"2023-01-18","Other","I have tried to download the pdf for DE-FOA-0002864: AMMTO-BTO AND OE FY22 MULTI-TOPIC FOA using this link,  DE-FOA-0002864_AMMTO-BTO_and_OE_FY22_Multi-Topic_FOA\n\nEach time I have tried, I get a message on my computer that the file is damaged. Is there another way I can get this FOA?","If you have any technical problems with eXCHANGE, please send an email to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov with the FOA name and number in the subject line."]
[null,null,23,"2023-01-19","Eligibility","Our University/research facility is interested in applying to the AMMTO-BTO and OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA: DE-FOA-0002864. \n \nOur University is the flagship of our University System which includes a statewide network of 11 universities and 8 state agencies including research institutions. Our research facility, while based in one our Universities, has its own leadership and governing structure, including their own Chief Research Officers, ultimately reporting to the University System governed by a Board of Regents. Likewise, the 19 members of the system each have their own DUNS and UEI numbers. The researchers thus conduct their research under the research facility, respectively, while the other faculty conduct research under the University. \n \nMy question is does our research facility qualify as a distinct institution for purposes of the limitation on submissions in the RFA? The facility has its own IPF number outside of the University, however it is not a degree granting institution of higher education.","Please read Section III.A.i, starting on page 36 of the FOA document in it’s entirety. While your entity may not be an IHE, if it falls under one of the entity types in this section then it is an eligible entity under this FOA."]
[null,null,24,"2023-01-20","Technical Topics","Are battery material recycling processes acceptable under subtopic 2.1?","Yes, battery recycling technologies are acceptable for subtopic 2.1, if they have a regional innovation aspect as required."]
[null,null,25,"2023-01-20","Technical Topics","“Applications that focus on optimizing conventional processes that do not propose a specific synthetic approach”, what does it mean? Will a proposal aiming to innovate around existing technology that is specific to certain chemistry and making it a chemistry-agonistic platform process technology be considered in this funding?","Per Section I. B on page 26: The objective of this subtopic is to develop, scale-up, and demonstrate chemistry-agnostic processing technologies to manufacture state-of-the-art CAMs that can be dropped into current domestic manufacturing. Also per Section I. B on page 28: Projects are restricted to technologies and materials that can drop into conventional EV battery manufacturing in the near term.  Therefore, proposals should propose specific synthetic approaches. Applications to innovate existing processing technologies designed for specific chemistries and make them chemistry-agnostic processing technologies may be deemed responsive."]
[null,null,26,"2023-01-20","Technical Topics","We are interested in Topics  2.1:  Materials Circularity Regional Pilot Demonstrations and/or 3.1 Advanced Process Manufacturing of Electric Vehicle Cathode Active Materials at Volume\n\nThought of reaching out for feedback. We have done relevant work under DoE programs (and currently involved in similar work for private clients) and interested in submitting concept paper \n\n1.\tUnder Topic 2.1: ToIs mentions metals, polymers, fibers and e-waste (and no specific mention of Li-batteries).  Does this topic have interest in materials involved in Li- battery supply chain ?\n2.\tUnder Topic 2.1: How should be define “Regional”  ?  We are based in Denver. Can we think about “regional” as a pilot demonstration facility to serve the “Southwestern United States”? \n3.\tWe are still building partnerships to apply and figuring out how to meet the cost-share requirements. Are we allowed to submit concept papers without a commitment/plan for cost-share ?","1.\tUnder Topic 2.1: ToIs mentions metals, polymers, fibers and e-waste (and no specific mention of Li-batteries).  Does this topic have interest in materials involved in Li- battery supply chain ?\nR: The topic 2.1 is interested in a broad range of industry-relevant materials and as such materials involved in battery supply chains are acceptable under the FOA.\n\n2.\tUnder Topic 2.1: How should be define “Regional”  ?  We are based in Denver. Can we think about “regional” as a pilot demonstration facility to serve the “Southwestern United States”? \nR: Southwestern United States seems reasonable. The regional demonstrations should seek to minimize cost and complexity that may arise by having too diffuse a supply chain. For example, costs and complexity of transporting waste materials across different municipalities/states/regions increases as there may be different laws and systems governing each.\n\n3.\tWe are still building partnerships to apply and figuring out how to meet the cost-share requirements. Are we allowed to submit concept papers without a commitment/plan for cost-share ?\n\nR: Content and Form and the requirements of concept papers are identified in the FOA Section IV - Application and Submission Form, C – Content and Form of the Concept Paper.  Commitments for cost share does not need to be addressed at the time of submitting a concept paper."]
[null,null,27,"2023-01-20","Technical Topics","I have a question regarding Subtopic 1.2 of DE-FOA-0002864:\n\nWould a project that is built exclusively around the development of a validated model with improved predictive capability in harsh service environments be responsive to the FOA?\nIn this event, could the metrics/targets be formulated around accuracy and/or transferability of the model itself, or is an improved material required as a deliverable?","Page 8 of the FOA states: “Generally, this multi-topic FOA supports next generation materials and technology innovation… Page 9 states “, this FOA seeks to advance development of next-generation structural and functional materials and materials for energy technology, as well as field validation and pilot demonstration of technologies for materials and manufacturing processes.” In addition, Topic 1 states “This topic is focused on the development of novel materials with improved functional properties such as enhanced conductivity or high performance under extreme conditions as well as novel materials with improved properties such as high strength, light weight and ductility.  The topic also focusses on cost-effective manufacturing processes for these materials” Subtopic 1.2 itself states: “The objective of this sub-topic is foster RD&D to create new materials with improved properties in harsh operating environments.”  Thus, a proposal that did not involve development of new materials is unlikely be deemed responsive."]
[null,null,28,"2023-01-22","Eligibility","We are very interested in applying for a proposal under the AMMTO-BTO AND OE FY22 MULTI-TOPIC FOA, and are considering partnering with local waste management authorities, construction manufacturers, and other organizations. \n\nOur proposed project focuses on creating a regional circular economy cluster for construction and building materials, including those in heavy industries such as cement, steel, aluminum, glass, metals, and polymers. We believe that this project aligns with the focus of Topic Area 2: Secure and Sustainable Materials, specifically Subtopic 2.1: Materials Circularity Regional Demonstration.\n\nHowever, we would like to seek your confirmation and guidance on whether or not our idea is aligned with the scope of this FOA. We would greatly appreciate your input and look forward to hearing from you.","Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process. Per Section III.G of the FOA, EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant. However, given the limited information provided, projects focusing on circular economy of building materials seems to align with the spirit of Subtopic 2.1.” "]
[null,null,29,"2023-01-23","Technical Topics","On Page 20 Subtopic 1.3 Background: Manufacturing of large scale aerostructures for energy applications, such as wind turbine blades, is currently very costly and energy intensive. However, on Page 21, Applications Not of Interest for Subtopic 1.3: Proposals specifically not of interest are those that address power and propulsion components, control surfaces, or launch and recover equipment. So the question is whether the manufacturing of airfoil / turbine blades as the aerospace components is a good fit for this subtopic?","Subtopic 1.3 is being revised and an updated FOA will be posted soon. Subtopic 1.3 is not applicable to engine or turbine components (i.e., power and propulsion components); therefore, airfoils/turbine blades within a turbine is not within scope. The airframe components or primary structure of an aircraft wing (large airfoil) is in scope of the topic.”"]
[null,null,30,"2023-01-23","Technical Topics","Does additive manufacturing of electrical steels will be considered as a topic under this FoA?","Per Section III.G of the FOA, EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant. Given the limited information we can offer the following response. While neither additive manufacturing nor electrical steel is not explicitly called out in subtopic 1.1, additive manufacturing (AM) may be one way to achieve “precise, site-specific control (including compositional gradients) of materials deposition called for in the subtopic area of interest (AOI) 1.1a.  In addition,  electrical steel might be part of the advanced overhead conductor systems called for in AOI 1.1b.  However it appears unlikely that either AOI would support AM of electrical steels as 1.1b does not appear to include AM and electrical steels would have to become competitive with Aluminum or copper to be supported under AOI 1.1a."]
[null,null,31,"2023-01-25","Eligibility","On behalf of investigators, we are seeking clarification on the limitation of applications for the FOA: DE-FOA-0002864.\n\nWhile we read that an entity may only submit one Concept Paper and one Full Application for each subtopic area of this FOA except where there are also areas of interest, in which case an entity may submit only one Concept Paper and one Full Application for each area of interest within a subtopic.  \n\nIs the definition of an “applicant” considered those having separate UEI numbers?  Our University system has multiple members/organizations, and each entity has a separate UEI and governing board.  Would 2 of these agencies be allowed to submit to the same topic?\n\nWe do not want to jeopardize any PI submission, and would like to have confirmation before making in internal selections in those moving forward.","Please see Section III.A of the FOA document for information on eligible entity types. In addition, please review Section IV.G regarding UEI and SAM requirements. If each agency within the university system has its own distinct UEI number then they can apply to the same topic. When submitting the application please distinguish between which agency within the university system so there is no confusion when reviewing the concept paper."]
[null,null,32,"2023-01-25","Technical Topics","Cavitation is the formation of vapor phase cavities, or bubbles, within a liquid, usually caused by rapid changes in pressure. Mechanical parts such as pumps, control valves, propellers etc. can cause cavitation, creating an extremely harsh environment that can damage the most advanced materials. Hydro power systems  including conventional hydro, pump storage hydro, and ocean hydro power all experience cavitation damage. Research  indicates in that the use of very small grained materials in critical would greatly reduce cavitation damage and thereby achieve optimal output minimal down time, and reduced cost of power.   Please let me know if you will consider this for the Harsh Environment FOA topic.  ","On page 17, the third sentence states: “AMMTO considers harsh environments to include high temperature and/or high mechanical load…” From your description of the cavitation phenomenon, it appears that cavitation causes high mechanical load on materials that are part of or near mechanical parts.  Therefore, materials subjected to cavitation damage appear to qualify as materials in a harsh environment. Furthermore you describe these harsh environments as occurring in clean energy technologies such as hydro and marine power which means that the materials that withstand cavitation qualify as “Harsh environment materials … used in manufacturing and in other applications also of interest to AMMTO such as clean energy…” Therefore the applications you cite appear to be of interest."]
[null,null,33,"2023-01-25","Eligibility","Q1) I wonder if you could help clarify the intent and meaning of “regional demonstrations” in DE-FOA-0002864 Topic Area 2.1. To be eligible for award, must all teaming activities under the project occur in a single U.S. region or can they be dispersed across multiple U.S. regions? How does DOE define a “region”? For example, would a teaming arrangement making use of facilities in the West and East Coast satisfy FOA requirements?  \n\nQ2) Additionally, would applying for multiple, but separate, DOE FOAs hurt a company’s chances of being selected for an individual FOA’s award? ","Response 1: The regional demonstrations should seek to minimize cost and complexity that may arise by having too diffuse a supply chain. For example, costs and complexity of transporting waste materials across different municipalities/states/regions increases as there may be different laws and systems governing each.  Facility locations on both coasts may not be ideal but would not constitute a disqualification from eligibility. \n\nResponse 2:  Applying to multiple DOE FOAs would not preclude an entity from receiving an individual award, and DOE encourages entities to apply to as many open funding opportunities that are within the expertise of the entity. "]
[null,null,34,"2023-01-25","Technical Topics","I have a question on Subtopic 3.1 (Advanced Process Manufacturing of Electric Vehicle Cathode Active Materials at Volume) of the AMMTO-BTO and OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA (DE-FOA-0002864). Page 25 of the FOA says, \"This topic aims to accelerate the establishment of U.S. EV CAMs progress manufacturing in the following ways: Produce enough high-qualify CAMs to supply the roughly 400 GWh of battery capacity planned for the US market by 2030.\"\n\nOf that 400 GWh of battery capacity, do you have a view on what share of that would be for LFP (lithium iron phosphate) and LFMP (lithium manganese iron phosphate) versus other cathode chemistries?","As the technologies are evolving fast, it is hard to predict the future share of specific cathode chemistries. We provided some references (e.g., reference 26) on page 25 of the FOA document. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they choose the right cathode chemistry(ries) for the proposals. As described in the FOA, the objective of this subtopic is to develop, scale-up, and pilot demonstrate chemistry-agnostic processing technologies to manufacture state-of-the-art CAMs that can be dropped into current domestic manufacturing lines. "]
[null,null,35,"2023-01-25","Concept Paper","I am in the process of submitting a Concept paper for the funding call DE-FOA-0002864.\n\nThis will be submitted through a university and is targeted towards \nTopic area 1.2.: Harsh Environment Materials.\n\nI was wondering if the respective Program Officers are interested in a White Paper at this stage?\n\nI am happy to provide further information about the proposed project.","We are only accepting Concept Papers at this time. Per Section IV.A “Only applicants who have submitted an eligible Concept Paper will be eligible to submit a Full Application.” Please review Section IV “Application and Submission Information” for additional information on the requirements for the Concept Paper and Full Application. "]
[null,null,36,"2023-01-25","Due Dates","How much time will it take for the EERE to conduct their independent assessment and reply after submission of the concept paper with their encouragement or discouragement to submit the full application?","Our goal is to send encourage and discourage statements within weeks after concept papers are due, and strive to give teams a minimum of one month of response time before full applications are due. Please also see section IV.A “Award Notices” for additional information. "]
[null,null,37,"2023-01-25","Concept Paper","Q: \nI am a program manager for DOE programs in a Research and Technology Division. We have a question, and given concept papers need to be written and submitted in just over a week I wanted to reach out and possibly have a conference call to clarify, if warranted, and if you have time.\n\nBriefly, how many Concept Papers can our organization submit under the subtopics? We reviewed page 43 (excerpt below) from DE-FOA-0002864 but are still not clear, especially given language in the FAQ, an excerpt from which is further below:\n\nFrom the FAQ website:\nQuestion 12: May an applicant submit two proposals that are interrelated?\nAnswer 12: Yes. However, applicants should understand that the proposals will be evaluated independently of one another.","Per Section III.F of the FOA document, entities are able to submit one concept paper per subtopic.  The FAQ website is correct in stating each application will be evaluated independently, but still only one application is allowed per sub topic area per entity. "]
[null,null,38,"2023-01-26","Eligibility","1.\tCan an entity be a subrecipient on two different teams competing on the same topic.\n2.\tIf the answer to 1 in NO, can an entity be unpaid collaborator with a second team?","There is no restriction in the FOA document for subrecipients to partner with competing teams on the same topic. However, if the DOE selects both projects for award negotiations there may be a potential conflict of interest and duplication of efforts for the subrecipient assuming similar work for the same topic area. If DOE selects both projects for award negotiations, DOE recommends dropping one of the projects to avoid any potential conflicts. "]
[null,null,39,"2023-01-30","Due Dates","When will the encourage / discourage notification be given?","Our goal is to send encourage and discourage statements within weeks after concept papers are due, and strive to give teams a minimum of one month of response time before full applications are due. Please also see section IV.A “Award Notices” for additional information. "]
[null,null,40,"2023-01-28","Other","https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/FileContent.aspx?FileID=94e8986b-d7fb-432c-8e38-a8451683447d\n\nThis link says that the file is damaged and unable to be repaired. Is it just on my side that the error is occurring, or is the file corrupted somehow?\n\nI can get all of the templates and FAQs to download and open. ","If you have any technical problems with eXCHANGE, please send an email to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov with the FOA name and number in the subject line."]
[null,null,41,"2023-01-27","Application Content/Format","I am preparing concept papers for DE-FOA-0002864. I understand that UEI and SAM are needed for the award. Do I need to have them in the concept paper application? \nI have DUNS number. ","Per section IV-G, all full-applications entities are required to submit their UEI number and manatin and active SAM registration.  These are not strictly needed for the Concept Paper application, but potential applicants are encouraged to start this process immediately. "]
[null,null,42,"2023-01-27","Technical Topics","The minimum 1 GWh production volume target and <$15/kg production cost target corresponds to scaled commercial production. 1 GWh corresponds to 1500 metric tons of cathode active materials per year. A pilot scale at TRL6 by definition can’t directly meet this goal. However, the appropriate pilot scale demonstration can support the full commercial production scale at the targeted scale after the program. Is a pilot scale unit at TRL6 that demonstrates the path to scale to >1 GWh production rate responsive to the FOA?","Most large cell plants are aiming for 15-30GWh/year production and 1GWh/year is a small portion of a large cell factory’s requirement. We also understand that the production volume goals have an implicit plant size assumption – for example, a gigafactory focus would be too large and a pre-commercial mega factory may be too small.  Therefore, yes, the applications will be deemed responsive if the proposed plan could demonstrate the clear path to scale to >1 GWh production rate with a TRL6 pilot unit. "]
[null,null,43,"2023-01-27","Eligibility","We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we are planning to submit a Concept Paper for Opportunity #: DE-FOA-0002864.  However, per the language described below, can you please clarify if a non-DOE/NNSA FFRDC must have a sponsoring or primary FFRDC prior to submitting a Concept Paper, or is the primary recipient assigned to us at the time of the full application? \n\nii. Requirements for DOE/NNSA and non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers Included as a Subrecipient DOE/NNSA and non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs may be proposed as a subrecipient on another entity’s application subject to the following guidelines: i. Authorization for non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs 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 its authority under its award. ","Any non-DOE/NNSA FFRDC should have another sponsoring agency, for example Department of Defense, Department of the Interior, Department of Commerce, etc. The non-DOE/NNSA FFRDC sponsoring agency must provide a signed authorization letter approving the use of the non-DOE/NNSA FFRDC on the proposed project and submitted as part of the application. Primary recipients are not assigned, formulating partnerships for a proposed project for this funding opportunity is the responsibility of the prime applicant. "]
[null,null,44,"2023-01-31","Concept Paper","Do my concept papers need to have an outlined budget for submission? \nAlso, do all partners for the full application need to be listed in the CP? \nIs there any benefit given to certified minority business enterprises?","R1: Per section IV - C, a budget is not required at the concept paper phase, but will be required for a full application. \nR2: It is helpful to understand what partners may be involved in the project but 100% commitment is not required for consideration. Project partners and any letters of commitment should be finalized when submitting the full application. \nR3: While we encourage all entities to apply for this FOA, no preferential treatment is given to any applicant during the review process. However, please review the review criteria under Criterion 4 in Section V.A.ii, and Program Policy Factors in Section V.C.i."]
[null,null,45,"2023-01-31","Other","Our company applied for a Unique Entity ID back in October, 2022. We’ve been in “Pending ID Assignent” since then. We uploaded the necessary legal documents when we filed, but we've never received an ID nor heard back about what’s holding up our assignment. The FOA (DE-FOA-0002864) section 3.2 is one that our transformational dehumidifier will be able to meet the minimum requirements and as we scale, should be able to deliver the stretch target as well. The problem is that the Concept Paper is due this Friday, February 3rd and without an ID, we can’t even submit. Is there something you can do to help? ","Your corporation’s registration in SAM will be required to submit a full application, however at the Concept Paper phase all that is required is a UEI number. Please see section IV-D for more information on registration and application requirements. \n\nPlease visit this link for more information on checking the status of your registration: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=858541d91b482910fe314000f54bcbc8\n\nFor more immediate assistance, please contact the SAM helpdesk M-F at 866-606-8220."]
[null,null,46,"2023-01-31","Application Content/Format","I would like to ask a question about footnotes/endnotes. Is there a specific citation style that must be used e.g. MLA, APA, etc? And if so, must the url link be included when citing scientific journals, or is it allowed to just cite the journal itself? Thanks!","There is no requirement for the citation style you choose to use.  Adding a URL would be helpful for our review but is not mandatory. Per section IV.A of the FOA, “References must be included as footnotes or endnotes in a font size of 10 or larger. Footnotes and endnotes are counted toward the maximum page requirement”.         "]
[null,null,47,"2023-02-01","Application Content/Format","Kindly furnish us an application package. Thanking you in advance,","Please refer to the FOA document section for all application templates and see section IV-A for application requirements."]
[null,null,48,"2023-02-01","Eligibility","Are we able to change who the Prime organization would be at the full proposal stage, if our concept paper is encouraged? If so, how would this work in regards to the EERE Exchange portal? Could the new Prime organization create their own full proposal submission, or would we be locked in to the organization that submitted the concept paper?","Response: Changing prime applicants between the Concept Paper and Full Application phase is allowable provided that the scope, intent and outcomes of the proposed project written in the Concept Paper do not change. From a systems perspective, please reach out to the Exchange helpdesk to confirm you can make the change: EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov "]
[null,null,49,"2023-02-03","Technical Topics","A team that has already developed and submitted a concept paper in Subtopic 1.3 has located, in the FOA modified on 1/31/23, that the reference to “wind turbine blades” has been removed from the Subtopic Area.  \n\nDoes this change limit the application of AI/Machine learning related to wind manufacturing, meaning wind-related proposals will not be considered? ","We apologize for the confusion, topic area 1.3 was never meant to include wind turbine blades. The FOA was revised on January 31st to update topic area 1.3 to remove mention of wind turbine blades and was replaced with “manufacturing large-scale aerostructures, such as airframe components” for aircrafts. Any concept paper proposing applications for wind turbine blades will likely not be recommended to pursue full application."]
[null,null,50,"2023-02-04","Application Content/Format","Despite multiple attempts to file our concept paper by last evenings deadline, I don’t believe it made it through.  The link below shows the abbreviated content of it and the attached longer version may be a bit easier to follow. A large part of the scramble up to the deadline for filing was a late in the day effort to reduce the attached 4,000-word document down to the corrected 4,000 characters once we realized that misread while attempting to copy it into the application.\n\nFor time stamp purposes, my email to Exchange Support below confirms that good faith being made before the deadline and the concern that it may not have been uploaded.   \n\nThis is our first attempt at a DOE application and so not sure what might have gone wrong in our uploading efforts. We are hopeful that our concept paper would be admitted under the process and we would be encouraged to proceed with a more formal application given the important work we  are doing in converting unwanted waste glass in our country into a new material used to make  low-carbon, high-performance and longer-lasting concrete.   ","R: Per section IV.A Application Process, “Applicants are responsible for meeting each submission deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their, Concept Papers, Full Applications, and Replies to Reviewer Comments at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline.”"]
[null,null,51,"2023-02-05","Application Content/Format","Kindly assist with my AMMTO submission. I encountered some technical issues while attempting to upload my concept paper and review my submission. \n  \nFOA Number : AMMTO-BTO and OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA. \nControl number : 2864-1637 \nIssues encountered : With more than 30 minutes before the deadline, i could not upload my concept paper and review my application for errors. But the page appeared to be frozen and efforts to restart and reload were not successful.  ","R: Per section IV.A Application Process, “Applicants are responsible for meeting each submission deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their, Concept Papers, Full Applications, and Replies to Reviewer Comments at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline.”"]
[null,null,52,"2023-02-07","Cost Sharing","I have a question on funding. Does the non-federal funds have to be available the moment we are selected for award negotiations? Do they need to be available upfront or can they be available over the period of the project?","Per Section III.B.iii. Cost Share Types and Allowability, “…cost share must be verifiable upon submission of the Full Application.” This means that the cost share proposed in the application must be accessible at the time of submission. Please also review Section III.B.v. Cost Share Verification. The written assurance can be in the form of cost share commitment letters from third-parties, and/or if the prime applicant is contributing all or part of the cost share, signing the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance confirms cost share verification for the prime applicant. "]
[null,null,53,"2023-02-08","Other","I am a new faculty at UT Austin doing research on industrialized methods for materials reuse in the built environment. I just came across the FOA 0002864, and see that I am late to submit a concept paper by a few days (I understand these deadlines are firm). I would like to inquire if there will be any future FOAs on Topic 2.1 (Materials Circularity Regional Demonstrations) or similar topics in the near future? I have a good network across industry and some municipalities which I believe would strongly benefit from conducting real, practical pilot studies for materials reuse. Some of these stakeholders are currently in early stage applications of recovery and remanufacturing applications, which will provide strong sustainability and workforce support once fully scaled.  ","We cannot speak to future FOA content expected to be released, but encourage you to check EERE Exchange often for any possible funding opportunities. You may also subscribe to receive notifications of new grant opportunities by visiting grants.gov and signing up for an account."]
[null,null,54,"2023-02-08","Concept Paper","We submitted our Concept Paper 2864-1901.  However, I realized that our concept paper is missing the control number on the top right corner of the file. Please accept my sincere apologies for this mistake! Is there a way that we can still have the concept paper reviewed or to add the control number?","DOE will not disqualify your concept paper if the control number is not displayed in the header. Please remember to include the control number in the full application documents. "]
[null,null,55,"2023-02-15","Eligibility","AMMTO Team - I am reaching out because I would like to know if a company did not submit a concept paper can they still submit a full application and be eligible to win? Please advise. Thanks!","R: Per Section IV.A Application Process, only applicants who submitted an eligible concept paper will be eligible to submit a full application."]
[null,null,56,"2023-02-02","Eligibility","Hello. I understand that this FOA has a limit on the number of submissions a single institution can make per sub-topic. Is there a limit on the number of submissions an individual PI can make to more than one sub-topic? Thank you.","Per Section III.F of the FOA document, entities are able to submit one concept paper per subtopic.  The FAQ website is correct in stating each application will be evaluated independently, but still only one application is allowed per sub topic area per entity. "]
[null,null,57,"2023-02-08","Concept Paper","Hello AMMTO, I just hit Create Concept Paper after getting into EERE Exchange, and edited the technical description down to 3,999 characters.\nThen the page disappeared, and I went to My Submissions to verify that it showed up, and it said I had not submitted it -- so it threw it in the trash? \n\nBut now I see nothing but trouble for later today, unless when I get up and look for an answer I find one from you that either fixes my problem or explains what I can do about it (for instance, call a particular phone number). Or you phone me -- don't worry about calling too early, I'll get up to work it out!\n","R: Per section IV.A Application Process, “Applicants are responsible for meeting each submission deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their, Concept Papers, Full Applications, and Replies to Reviewer Comments at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline.”"]
[null,null,58,"2023-02-23","Concept Paper","1)\tThe concept paper requirements include a project location including address.   We are in the site selection process, but will not have a specific address by the deadline of the concept paper.   However, the area(s) we are considering fall within the census tracts/adjacent tracks required for the FOA.   Would the concept paper still be given consideration if the exact address is not yet known?   Would that also be the case for the full proposal?\n2)\tIn the table below, the maximum award size for anyone individual award is $100M in each category, but the minimum anticipated awards is 3 – which leads us to believe that this FOA is anticipating most awards in the 10’s of millions of dollars (compared to $100M or more in the recent IRA announcements).   Are you looking for a larger number of smaller awards?\n3)\tThe Community Benefits Plan is a great addition to the proposals.   Similar to finalizing location, documents from established organizations (e.g., collective bargaining agreements, good neighbor agreements) can take a very long time to finalize and we are concerned they may not be complete at full application deadline especially since we have not finalized a site location.   Is there consideration if we are at least partway through the process of getting these agreements in place?","If a concept paper was not submitted, the submission deadline for concept papers was on Feb 3rd for this FOA. Per Section IV.A. Application Process, “Only applicants who have submitted an eligible Concept Paper will be eligible to submit a Full Application”.  Therefore, a full application cannot be accepted. Please check EERE Exchange often for any future funding opportunities.\n\nIf you have submitted an eligible concept paper we offer the following:\n1.\tFor concept paper requirements please see section IV.C. Content and Form of the Concept Paper, and for full application requirements please see section IV.D. Content and Form of the Full Application.\n2.\tThe number of awards is based on several factors during the merit review and selection process. The table you included shows a range of the possible number of awards and minimum and maximum federal share for those topic areas. \n3.\tFor the Community Benefits Plan requirements please see Section IV.D.xv and Appendix H.\n "]
[null,null,59,"2023-02-23","Technical Topics","We successfully submitted a concept paper by the deadline and outlined a project that was deployment of a reasonable capacity CAM production facility (minimum of 1 GWh) based on our current and future TRL level which is how we interpreted the requirements.  However, in reading some of the clarifying Q&A responses that have since been posted, it would seem that specifically deploying > 1GWh was unnecessary during the duration of this grant.  Rather, a justifiably TRL6 pilot demo along with a credible pathway to scale is all that’s required.  If we are encouraged to apply a full submission, would a scaled-down TRL6 pilot demo proposal with a clear pathway to  > 1GWh be a more efficient use of government funds and be considered Responsive, even if the materially different in scale from that originally proposed in the concept paper?","The decision to encourage or discourage to apply a full application submission was carefully made by multiple reviewers. It was based on the concept paper criteria described in the FOA. Therefore, all ideas and plans proposed in the concept paper should be well aligned with the full application. It is highly recommended to meet the production volume rate within the project period. If the target metrics and corresponding scale-up pathways in the concept paper need to be revised in the full application, however, it should be clearly rationalized with detailed explanations. "]
[null,null,60,"2023-02-25","Eligibility","I recently got aware of the Funding Opportunity Announcement “DE-FOA-0002864: AMMTO-BTO AND OE FY22 MULTI-TOPIC FOA” on the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange. From the FOA document, our value proposition seems to be spot on Topic Area 3: Energy Technology Manufacturing, where energy storage systems are specifically mentioned. However, no subtopic for anode materials is stated (in contrast to cathode materials). Does this mean that our work falls outside the technical parameters specified in Section I.A. and I.B. of the FOA, or is there a possibility for us receiving funding under this FOA, meaning that we should leave a concept paper application regarding Topic Area 3 in general? \n\nUnder section III. A. i. (eligibility) in the FOA it says that “The proposed prime recipient and subrecipient(s) must be domestic entities.” We are a Norwegian company, and plan to establish a US subsidiary for the US factory. Is it a requirement that the US company is established, and land secured for the factory before we can apply for this funding opportunity, or can we still apply with the condition that we establish a US company and secure land for our operations before the potential funding is received? \n\nIn case this FOA is not relevant for us, do you know if there will be announced any future FOAs suitable for us, and could you please advise us if there are other potentially relevant funding programs?","The submission deadline for concept papers for this FOA was Feb 3rd and we are no longer accepting concept papers.  Per Section IV.A. Application Process, “Only applicants who have submitted an eligible Concept Paper will be eligible to submit a Full Application”.\n\nPer topic area 3.1 of the FOA, anodes would not be in scope for this topic. \n\nPer section III A. i. Domestic Entities, “To qualify as a domestic entity, the entity must be organized, chartered or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States; have majority domestic ownership and control; and have a physical place of business in the United States.” [Emphasis added] In addition, given your entity’s current situation with no US subsidiary or location, DOE would not consider your proposal. \n\nDOE is unable to speak to future FOAs, but encourage you to check EERE Exchange for more opportunities. "]
[null,null,61,"2023-02-27","Due Dates","We would like to begin uploading our application soon. When will this eere-eXHANGE topic begin to allow Application Submissions?","Exchange is now open for full application submission.  "]
[null,null,62,"2023-02-28","Due Dates","When will the concept papers for the subject line be selected?  ","All encourage and discourage recommendations have been posted.  Please review your concept paper submission in Exchange for additional information. "]
[null,null,63,"2023-03-01","Application Content/Format","Do you have templates for any of the other required components for full submission to this call, especially the full proposal?\nI can only see the following on the EERE exchange.","The templates outlined in the “Application Forms and Template” section are the only templates the DOE provides in Exchange. You may also review additional templates found here: https://www.energy.gov/eere/funding/eere-funding-application-and-management-forms As an example, there is no template for the Summary Slide but Section IV.D.ix of the FOA provides the information required for the slide."]
[null,null,64,"2023-03-01","Concept Paper","Is there any feedback from the review of a concept paper that can be shared with the point of contact who submitted the concept paper for DE-FOA-0002864: AMMTO-BTO FY22? ","Due to the volume of applications for this FOA, the DOE is unable to provide additional feedback beyond the ‘encourage’ or ‘discourage’ suggestion to applicants. Per Section VI.A.ii. Concept Paper Notifications “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.”"]
[null,null,65,"2023-03-02","Concept Paper","Thank you for the decision on our concept paper, for DE-FOA-0002864: AMMTO-BTO and OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA.  We understand that full submission is discouraged.  Is it possible to get any feedback on the decision, from the program manager or through reviewer feedback? It would be highly appreciated to understand how to strengthen this proposal for the future.","Due to the volume of applications for this FOA, the DOE is unable to provide additional feedback beyond the ‘encourage’ or ‘discourage’ suggestion to applicants. Per Section VI.A.ii. Concept Paper Notifications “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.”"]
[null,null,66,"2023-03-02","Concept Paper","DE-FOA-0002864 mentions that 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. General comments are not included in the concept paper response. Please advise what is the procedure to access the reviewers’ comments. ","Due to the volume of applications for this FOA, the DOE is unable to provide additional feedback beyond the ‘encourage’ or ‘discourage’ suggestion to applicants. Per Section VI.A.ii. Concept Paper Notifications “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.”"]
[null,null,67,"2023-03-02","Concept Paper","Can you provide any review comments for our white paper on Hybrid Electrical Line (info below) that was discouraged for the DE-FOA-0002864: AMMTO-BTO AND OE FY22 MULTI-TOPIC FOA solicitation?","Due to the volume of applications for this FOA, the DOE is unable to provide additional feedback beyond the ‘encourage’ or ‘discourage’ suggestion to applicants. Per Section VI.A.ii. Concept Paper Notifications “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.”"]
[null,null,68,"2023-03-02","Concept Paper","Our submitted concept paper (identified in the email below) was determined to be Discouraged.  Is it possible to receive any details about the submission and why it was determined to be discouraged?  I was directed to this email address for inquiries.","Due to the volume of applications for this FOA, the DOE is unable to provide additional feedback beyond the ‘encourage’ or ‘discourage’ suggestion to applicants. Per Section VI.A.ii. Concept Paper Notifications “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.”"]
[null,null,69,"2023-03-02","Concept Paper","We received a \"discouraged\" response to our concept paper submitted for DE-FOA-0002864, subtopic 1.2 Harsh Environment Materials.  \n\nWould it be possible to receive any comments or feedback from reviewers so we can better understand programmatic objectives for future proposals? \n\nAny feedback you can provide will be greatly appreciated.","Due to the volume of applications for this FOA, the DOE is unable to provide additional feedback beyond the ‘encourage’ or ‘discourage’ suggestion to applicants. Per Section VI.A.ii. Concept Paper Notifications “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.”"]
[null,null,70,"2023-03-02","Concept Paper","We recently received our “encouraged” decision for DE-FOA-0002864. When we applied to a previous funding opportunity, we received reviewer comments after submitting the Concept Paper. Are there reviewer comments available for this funding opportunity and, if so, where can we find them?","Due to the volume of applications for this FOA, the DOE is unable to provide additional feedback beyond the ‘encourage’ or ‘discourage’ suggestion to applicants. Per Section VI.A.ii. Concept Paper Notifications “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.”"]
[null,null,71,"2023-03-03","Registration Requirements","I submitted two concept papers for the AMMTO-BTO DE-FOA-0002864, one concept paper was encouraged and the other was discouraged. For some reason, at the EEER Exchange site, there is a “Start Full Application” link, for the discouraged but not for the encouraged concept paper. Could you please check, and make eventual corrections?","Please contact EERE-Exchange (EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov) for technical support as there should be a “Start Full Application” link for both applications."]
[null,null,72,"2023-03-05","Application Content/Format","Can you please clarify regarding the page numbers for the solicitation DE-FOA-0002864 as there is conflicting information: \n•\tOn pg48, it says the resumes have a 3pg max\no\tOn pg54, it says the resumes have a 2pg limit\nSciENcv uses the 3pg format now, but given the conflicting guidance in the solicitation, I wanted to clarify. \n\nPlease advise as I do not see this in the FAQs. ","Per the table in Section IV.D.i, as well as the Resumes Section IV.D.iii, Resumes have a 3 page limit. Please also ensure you are reviewing the most recent FOA document. A modification to the FOA was uploaded to Exchange on March 8th. "]
[null,null,73,"2023-03-07","Application Content/Format","There seems to be an inconsistency on the page limit of the Resume file in DE-FOA-0002864.\nIn the Table on Page 48, the Resume is listed as “3 pages each”; whereas on Page 54, the statement is: “Applicants are required to submit two-page resumes…”. Please clarify whether the Resume should be 2 pages each or 3 pages each.","Per the table in Section IV.D.i, as well as the Resumes Section IV.D.iii, Resumes have a 3 page limit. Please also ensure you are reviewing the most recent FOA document. A modification to the FOA was uploaded to Exchange on March 8th. "]
[null,null,74,"2023-03-07","Application Content/Format","I am writing to request your assistance in obtaining the correct Technical Volume template for FOA-DE-0002864. I have attached the Technical Volume template that I currently have, but it appears to be an old one for another solicitation. I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with the correct template or direct me to where I can access it.\n\nI am currently preparing my proposal for the FOA-DE-0002864 solicitation, and having the correct Technical Volume template is crucial for ensuring that my proposal is complete and meets all of the necessary requirements. Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.","No template is provided for the Technical Volume. The details of the Technical Volume are laid out in section IV.D.ii of the FOA document. Please refer to this section for a detailed layout of the expectations and requirements of this document. "]
[null,null,75,"2023-03-08","Other","An individual submitted the concept paper copied below (2864-1825) to DE-FOA-0002864, however, he is no longer with our company.  I am the manager of the group that submitted this paper and our company is still interested in pursuing this funding opportunity.  Is it possible to get a status on this submittal and to transfer the cognizant owner of the submittal to someone else?  ","If the new principal investigator (PI) is able to assume the responsibilities and is qualified to lead the project then it is possible to transfer to the new principal investigator. When you log on to complete the full application, the system will allow you to edit the PI associated with the application. As long as the entity submitting the application still has access to Exchange then it’s possible to update the PI. If the submitting entity does not have access to the application in Exchange please contact the helpdesk so you can gain access to the application: EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov "]
[null,null,76,"2023-03-08","Application Content/Format","I am reaching out regarding DE-FOA-0002864: AMMTO-BTO AND OE FY22 MULTI-TOPIC FOA. We are trying to access the SF424 form included in the application forms and templates, however, we all receive this message:\n \nWe have the most up-to-date Adobe Reader and have tried multiple devices. Is there another location where this form can be accessed so we can begin filling it out?","A new version of the SF424 Application has been uploaded under this FOA posting. If you are still have issues downloading the document, please contact the Exchange helpdesk: eere-exchangesupport@hq.doe.gov"]
[null,null,77,"2023-03-08","Application Content/Format","We are writing our full application for DE-FOA-0002864. The FOA uses the terms, “subrecipient” and “project team member.” What is the difference between these? What qualifies as a subrecipient and what qualifies as a team member? Are team members considered subrecipients?","Per Appendix E – Glossary a subrecipient is defined as “Subrecipient – A non-federal entity that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a federal program; but does not include an individual that is a beneficiary of such program. 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.ii.” \n\nProject team members are individuals who work with Prime recipient, or in a subrecipient organization. \n\nFor more information on subrecipients vs contractors and how to determine, please see 2 CFR 200.331."]
[null,null,78,"2023-03-08","Application Content/Format","There are inconsistencies in the FOA as to the required page limit for PI/key person resumes. The table on page 46 indicates a 3 page limit, while the text on 52 indicates a two-page limit. \nPlease confirm the desired page limit for resumes.","Per the table in Section IV.D.i, as well as the Resumes Section IV.D.iii, Resumes have a 3 page limit. Please also ensure you are reviewing the most recent FOA document. A modification to the FOA was uploaded to Exchange on March 8th. "]
[null,null,79,"2023-03-09","Other","I know there was an update to the above-noted FOA yesterday.  However, my attempts to open the PDF are giving me an error. Specifically, the Acrobat dialogue box reads: “There was an error opening this document. The file is damaged and could not be repaired.” I wonder if you could email the PDF so I may review the document via a different pathway? ","Please try a different browser to download the PDF.  If issues persist, please contact EERE help desk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov for technical support."]
[null,null,80,"2023-03-09","Application Content/Format","I am wondering the budget requirement on prime recipient. If 2 members in the team, should mor than 51% budget go to the prime recipient? More than 34% with 3 team members?","There is no restriction on the percentage of funds allocated to the prime or subrecipient(s). It is up to the applicant to budget accordingly to achieve the goals of the FOA."]
[null,null,81,"2023-03-09","Labs/FFRDCs","On page 54 of the call it states that subrecipients need to provide a separate budget justification if their work is estimated to be more than $250K or 25% of the total work.  Does this requirement apply to FFRDC’s?  or do FFRDCs only need to provide the DOE WP for their budget?","Per section IV.D.xi – FFRDC entities are required to provide a field work proposal regardless of the FFRDC’s budget, but are not required to submit a budget justification Excel workbook."]
[null,null,82,"2023-03-09","Application Content/Format","In the Full Application Contents table, it lists R&D Community Benefits Plan (5 pages) with file name to include _DEIP.  On page 59, the file name includes _CBP.  And at the bottom of page 59, it asks for 5-page DEIP plan.  This is confusing.  Do we just need to submit one 5-page CBP which includes DEIP elements and don’t need to submit another 5-page DEIP?","A new modification has been posted to Exchange (0003) reflecting changes to the naming convention of the Community Benefits Plan submissions under Section IV.D.i. and elimination of a paragraph referencing a separate submittal of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan in Section IV.D.xv."]
[null,null,83,"2023-03-10","Technical Topics","I work for a prospective applicant encouraged to apply for a full proposal for subtopic 3.2 and have several clarification questions below.\n\nConcerning the sentence: \"The project team is expected to perform field demonstrations at a minimum often building sites, each with a different design, approach, or control strategy to determine performance, energy savings, and cost effectiveness.\" \n\n1. Does this mean 10 unique physical locations or could it be the same physical location with modified control strategies? \n2. If units of different sizes were to be tested, could they be tested at the same physical site, thus constituting a different design? \n3. Is the intent that each \"site\" has a uniquely designed unit?\n4. Lastly, is there any preference to testing at a site with a simulated load vs at an occupied space with a naturally occuring indoor load?","1. Ten unique sites \n2. They would be considered the same design \n3. The intent is to have 10 sites that can be the same design\n4. Natural loads are ideal"]
[null,null,84,"2023-03-03","Other","I am trying to download the subject FOA but I keep getting an error message. Would you please help?","Please try a different browser to download the PDF.  If issues persist, please contact EERE help desk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov for technical support."]
[null,null,85,"2023-03-15","Technical Topics","We are preparing the full application for the DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) with Number: DE-FOA-0002864.\nI have one question, however, that will need your guidance. The question is on the page 29 for the deliverables. \n\nMy initial understanding was that we are only required to deliver 1kg CAM two times in this project. If we deliver the materials, then we do not need to deliver 15 cells with 400mAh capacity. Is that correct?  Wil we be expected to deliver the 15 cells? \nThank you in advance for your help.","Correct, you do not need to deliver cells unless you prefer to do that in lieu of delivering material."]
[null,null,86,"2023-03-15","Foreign Entities/Work","We are preparing a full proposal (control number 2864-1661) in response to DE-FOA-0002864 and have questions related to potential use of a foreign collaborator. This potential collaborator's facilities are at a Japanese university and have unique capabilities that are at present not available within the US. They have agreed to participate and perform characterization work for this project gratis. Developed specimen materials would be sent to them during course of the work however no money would change hands. We had three questions related to this potential use of a foreign collaborator:\n\n1) Is use of a foreign collaborator viewed negatively during proposal selection? \n2) Would the foreign entity participation and foreign work waiver both be required?\n3) Would the foreign entity need to complete a subrecipient budget if receiving no money? If so, could their work performed count towards cost share requirements?","1)\tForeign participation will not negatively impact the review of the proposal.\n2)\tPer section IV.D.xiv.ii, (and Appendix C), only a Foreign Work Waiver will be required for the university’s participation, which will be reviewed by the DOE for eligibility. \n3)\tPer section IV.D.x, any subrecipient contributing less than $250,000 will not be required to supply a subrecipient budget and their participation may be captured as cost share dollars towards the award per guidelines outlined in Section III.B and Appendix A.  "]
[null,null,87,"2023-03-15","Application Content/Format","I submitted a concept paper to the program, which is encouraged for the full proposal. Due to some reasons, one of the subcontractors in the concept paper can not suppor the program in full proposal.\nCan I change another subcontractor for the full proposal?","A new subcontractor can be selected for the full applications as long as the prime applicant adheres to their procurement policy and as set forth in 2 CFR 200.317-327, and the work proposed in the concept paper phase is unaffected."]
[null,null,88,"2023-03-15","Other","Our team has submitted a concept paper for Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: DE-FOA-0002864 based on subtopic 2.1 Materials Circularity Regional Demonstrations.  We have been asked to submit a full proposal.  We have two questions regarding the requirements of this FOA.  Specifically regarding the desire of the proposed work to be regional.  Can you specify what regional does or does not qualify as?  Is this intended to be regional in the sense of East coast, West Coast Midwest, etc or can regional be defined as some other region based on another criteria?  This question is important for us as we have developed a team with various locations within the Midwest with the exception of one team member that we would like to include from Texas.  Would including a team member from Texas, outside of our self-defined region of the Midwest, disqualify us or look poorly for our application?  Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.  ","The regional demonstrations should seek to minimize cost and complexity that may arise by having too diffuse a supply chain. For example, costs and complexity of transporting waste materials across different municipalities/states/regions increases as there may be different laws and systems governing each.  Facility locations which are far apart may not be ideal but would not constitute a disqualification from eligibility."]
[null,null,89,"2023-03-15","Application Content/Format","Our concept paper was selected as encouraged, but we are considering a change in the lead institution (we are not adding on or removing any project team members). As long as the new lead institution fulfills the proposal limitation requirement with respect to 1 proposal per application for a given subtopic, are we able to switch the lead institution by coordinating with EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov to change EERE Exchange portal permissions?","The lead applicant can be changed up until the full application submission with the help of the Exchange helpdesk provided that 1) the new lead applicant meets the eligibility requirements as outlined in Section III.A, 2) the change does not affect the content submitted in the concept paper and subsequent full application, and 3) must also adhere to the requirements in Section III.F.  "]
[null,null,90,"2023-03-17","Application Content/Format","Regarding the list of materials provided on the table on page 48; \n1.\tare the following required or optional:\n•\tTransparency of Foreign Connection \n•\tForeign Entity and Foreign Work Waivers \n2.\tThat is to say, if we have no foreign connections and no foreign workers, do we omit these or file a statement indicating that we have no such connections?  \n3.\tIf the later, how should that be phrased if we have no such connections?","Per section IV.D.xvii – The Transparency of Foreign Connections disclosure document is required when there is any foreign connection related to the prime applicant or any subrecipients on the award. If this section does not apply to prime applicant or any subrecipients then this document is not required in the application.  Additionally, as set forth in Section III.A, all prime recipients and subrecipients must qualify as a domestic entity. If there are no foreign entities performing work on the award, no waiver is required. Furthermore, as set forth in Section VI.B.iii, All applicants selected for an award under this FOA and project participants (including subrecipients and contractors) who anticipate involving foreign nationals in the performance of an award, are required to provide DOE with specific information about each foreign national to satisfy requirements for foreign national participation. A “foreign national” is defined as any person who is not a United States citizen by birth or naturalization. The volume and type of information collected may depend on various factors associated with the award. "]
[null,null,91,"2023-03-16","Application Content/Format","The form fillable function on the SF-LLL Form on the website for DE-FOA-0002864 is not working for us and appears to be the one for the prime. Is there a form fillable version that we can use for the sub-recipients?\n\nAlso, is there a current and pending support form available for DE-FOA-0002864?","A new version of the SF-LLL has been uploaded and it should be editable. As for the current and pending support, please see section IV.D.xvi for links to the NIH or NSF templates."]
[null,null,92,"2023-03-21","Application Content/Format","We will be a subrecipient for an applicant for DE_FOA-0003864, and we need to send our indirect rate proposal as part of our budget justification. The proposal is attached, please let me know if this is sufficient.","DOE does not review indirect rate proposals during the application phase. If the application is selected for negotiations, DOE will review all necessary documents before an award is approved. "]
[null,null,93,"2023-03-23","Other","Hi – I have been asked to provide the DOE Program Manager’s name and phone number for DE-FOA-0002864.\n\nCan you provide that to me? ","If your application is selected for negotiations, DOE will be in contact and able to provide contact information at that time. "]
[null,null,94,"2023-03-24","Labs/FFRDCs","Regarding this AMMTO Multi topic FOA 2864, it is allowable for if an industry cost share partner to also have a subcontract to receive DOE funds? Specifically in the case where an FFRDC would be the prime on the proposal. The industry partner requests to be a sub-recipient of funding for any work that goes over the amount that they can commit in cost share. ","DOE does not get involved in the contracting mechanism(s) between FFRDCs and any project partners. FFRDCs that receive a federal award under this FOA will receive federal funds to carry out the work in the SOPO. If the approved SOPO includes work to be performed by a project partner, then that work may be covered by cost share or federal share. "]
[null,null,95,"2023-03-27","Application Content/Format","I am working on a SOPO for DE-FOA-0002864 Proposal and have the following questions:\n1.\tFor a 3-year project period, can we use two 18 months budget periods, or budget periods with variable duration, i.e. 18, 12, 6 months?\n2.\tWhere shall the most detailed description of tasks and subtasks be included: in the SOPO or in the Technical Volume Work Plan section?","1)\tThe budget periods are allowed to be up to two 18-month budget periods, or the variable duration of 18, 12 and 6 would also be acceptable. \n2)\tThe more detailed description of the tasks should be included in the SOPO. "]
[null,null,96,"2023-03-27","Eligibility","a)\tBecause of a Cost Match constraint for our organization - For the Full Application, we request that EERE / DoE Allow a University to be the Prime for the Full Application that was submitted under our original concept paper.  \n-\t(We would be in a Subcontract role to the University as a consultant to guide the program in the event it is awarded by EERE/ DoE).\nb)\tQuestion:  Would this arrangement be agreeable to EERE/ DoE?  \nc)\tQuestion:  How would the new PI  be granted access by EERE / DoE to our organization’s concept paper to Start the Full Application? ","The lead applicant can be changed up until the full application submission with the help of the Exchange helpdesk provided that 1) the new lead applicant meets the eligibility requirements as outlined in Section III.A, 2) the change does not affect the content submitted in the concept paper and subsequent full application, and 3) must also adhere to the requirements in Section III.F.\n\nPlease work with the Exchange help desk (eere-exchangesupport@hq.doe.gov) to give access to the new PI under your organization’s original control number.  "]
[null,null,97,"2023-03-27","Application Content/Format","Within the constraint of the required 20% cost share are we allowed to increase the federal share from the concept paper stage when making the full application (e.g. increase federal share to 2M$, for topics 1.1b, 1.2, or 1.3 and increase the cost share correspondingly to 0.5M$ for a total budget of 2.5M$)?\n\nIn the submission of the full application are we allowed to adjust the Period of Performance (e.g. from 36 months to 30 months)?","As long as the content of the application is not changing significantly, it is allowed to increase the federal funds requested in the full application, as long as the cost share requirements are met which are outlined in Section III.B Appendix A. \n\nSimilarly, the expected timeframe of the project can be adjusted in the full application. "]
[null,null,98,"2023-03-28","Application Content/Format","1.\tDuring the concept paper phase we had one other company collaborator however now we are four entities. We determined that the current company listed as prime should not be the prime recipient if awarded due to a significantly less contribution to the project. We would like to change the lead company and as such, the principal investigator. Is that acceptable? How do we do that?\n2.\tThe business point of contact works for the original lead company. Do we also need to change the business point of contact?\n3.\tIn this case, we assume the award would go to the lead company, however, it appears that the company does not have the systems to manage the award. We anticipate working with a consulting firm to manage the award. Do we need to name the consulting firm in our proposal as we don’t have one yet?","1.\tThe lead applicant can be changed up until the full application submission with the help of the Exchange helpdesk provided that 1) the new lead applicant meets the eligibility requirements as outlined in Section III.A, 2) the change does not affect the content submitted in the concept paper and subsequent full application, and 3) must also adhere to the requirements in Section III.F.\n\nPlease work with the Exchange help desk (eere-exchangesupport@hq.doe.gov) to give access to the new PI under your organization’s original control number.  \n\n2.\tThe lead (Prime) organization will be expected to employ the Business Contact for the award due to the administrative and reporting requirements. The principal investigator can be employed by a subrecipient to lead the project but only with the authority/approval from the prime organization.\n\n3.\tPer Section VI.B.i Registration Requirements, an applicant must be registered in these systems before submitting an application in Exchange. In addition, any applicant selected for award negotiations must have the appropriate accounting system in place in accordance with GAAP to receive federal funding, as set forth in 2 CFR 200.302(b) and internal controls in place as set forth in 2 CFR 200.303. If a consulting firm has not been selected please follow the organization’s written procurement policy and as set forth in 2 CFR 200.317 through 200.327. For application purposes you may list the consulting firm as “TBD” in the proposal. "]
[null,null,99,"2023-03-28","Foreign Entities/Work","Can the PI be someone who is a US citizen but is currently working in the EU but who will be moving back to the US within the first 6 months of the project initiation?”","DOE does not monitor the location of PIs working on a federal project, however, please keep in mind and monitor any potential cyber security matters that may arise when the PI is outside of the US. If the information is business sensitive, confidential, or proprietary please ensure the appropriate measures are in place to safeguard this information or any intellectual property. "]
[null,null,100,"2023-03-28","Foreign Entities/Work","1.\tAre all sub-recipients (outside of national labs, domestic gov. entities, and institutions of higher ed) required to complete the full questionnaire including questions 11 and 12? \n2.\tFor question 4 - can you provide more information on the definition of a \"contractual or financial obligation or other agreement specific to a business arrangement,\"\n3.\tFor question 7, what do you define as a \"foreign affiliation\"?","1.\tPer section IV.D.xvii “Applicants must identify the following as they relate to the proposed recipient and subrecipients” \n2.\tWe are asking the potential recipient and subrecipients of grant funds under this FOA to disclose to DOE any current or pending contractual, financial obligation specific to a business arrangement, joint venture-like arrangement and/or any other type of agreement they have with a company, government, organization, etc. that is owned by a foreign state or any foreign entity. DOE then conducts a due diligence review on the foreign entities. \n3.\tThe foreign affiliation can also be read as a relationship – “the percentage, if any, of venture capital or institutional investment by an entity that has a general partner or individual holding a leadership role in such entity who has a foreign affiliation [relationship] with any foreign country of risk.”"]
[null,null,101,"2023-03-28","Application Content/Format","Is the cover page included in the 25-page limit of the tech volume?","Per Section IV.D.ii “The Technical Volume to the Full Application may not be more than 25 pages, including the cover page, table of contents, and all citations, charts, graphs, maps, photos, or other graphics,…” "]
[null,null,102,"2023-03-29","Due Dates","I wanted to reach out regarding DE-FOA-0002864, Topic Area 2. Would pilot scale and larder demonstrations of recycling lithium from battery recycling processes be of interest to this FOA? Our company was considering proposing using our technology to recycle the lithium from the wet comminution process in battery recycling but wanted to see if this was within the scope of this FOA.","The submission deadline for concept papers for this FOA was Feb 3rd and we are no longer accepting concept papers.  Per Section IV.A. Application Process, “Only applicants who have submitted an eligible Concept Paper will be eligible to submit a Full Application”."]
[null,null,103,"2023-03-29","Application Content/Format","Hello. I am preparing a proposal submission for DE-FOA-0002864 and have a question regarding the R&D Community Benefits Plan. In the latest version of the FOA the paragraph containing information about the filename format has been redacted. Is this document no longer necessary?  We have prepared one and if it’s optional, wanted to know if it could still be part of the submission.","Per section IV.D.i, the community benefits plan is a required document for the application. The redacted portion was in reference to a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan which has been replaced by the Community Benefits Plan. "]
[null,null,104,"2023-03-29","Cost Sharing","Is the SFLLL Lobbying form required from organizations only providing Cost Share?","Per Section IV.D.xiii “Prime recipients and subrecipients are required to complete and submit SF-LLL”. Regardless if the subrecipient is only contributing cost share an SF-LLL must be submitted. "]
[null,null,105,"2023-03-30","Eligibility","I was just this week beginning to look into the possibility of government funding for a research project that could change the game in terms of wind turbine performance.  The nature of the project is considered too exploratory for my company to justify the spend.  That is why I have turned to other sources of funding.  This FOA above, subtopic 1.2 is perfect for this project.  I see that the concept paper deadline has lapsed and that no full applications will be accepted without the concept paper first.  So I am late to the party it seems.  Can you please tell me if there will be another round of solicitations for applications?  I would very much like to apply if I can.","We cannot speak to future FOA content expected to be released, but encourage you to check EERE Exchange often for any possible funding opportunities. You may also subscribe to receive notifications of new grant opportunities by visiting grants.gov and signing up for an account."]
[null,null,106,"2023-03-31","Cost Sharing","Regarding  DE-FOA-0002864, would an organization that provided cost share valued at over $250K as in-kind labor but received no funding from the federal award be considered a subrecipient? Would they be required to submit a subrecipient budget for their cost-share as part of the proposal or would their cost share be validated after an award was made?","Any organization participating as a subrecipient on an award which provides cost share is considered a subrecipient as defined in 2 CFR 200.1 and, if those funds exceed $250,000, will be required to submit a detailed budget per section IV.D.x. "]
[null,null,107,"2023-03-31","Labs/FFRDCs","\nDo FFRDCs need to submit a Current and Pending Support document for this call?","Per section IV.D.xvi Current and Pending support documentation is required “at the applicant and subrecipient level..” which includes FFRDCs."]
[null,null,108,"2023-04-01","Application Content/Format","We are working on a full application for DE-FOA-2864-1885 but the SF-LLL file is corrupted. Can you pls. help? So we can submit in a timely manner. ","Please try a different browser and if issues persist, reach out to the exchange help desk at (eere-exchangesupport@hq.doe.gov) for technical assistance. "]
[null,null,109,"2023-04-03","Cost Sharing","I am trying to fill out the EERE 335.1 budget justification and I had a question about 3rd party cost sharing.  I have a 3rd party that is going to cost share and I am unsure where to include the amount.  I know I need to include it in the Cost-share tab, but I am unsure where else to put this Party.  The do not fall under the definition of Subrecipient and they are not an FFRDC.  I realize that Vendors are not allowed to contribute cost share so where would be the most appropriate place in the work sheet to put them?  The are contributing Labor to the project.","Total project costs under a federal award, inclusive of cost share, must adhere to the cost principles as set forth under 2 CFR 200 Subpart E and as applicable for for-profit entities under 48 CFR Part 31. In order for cost share to be accountable under these regulations, the terms and conditions of the award must flow down to any cost share contributors and therefore must be deemed a subrecipient so the regulations can apply to the cost share. In this case, if labor is being contributed as cost share the entity’s cost should be listed under the contractual tab as a subrecipient and included in the cost share tab.  "]
[null,null,110,"2023-04-03","Due Dates","Due to the extensive and significant amount of collaboration on the proposed project between our organization and our partners at, we would like to request a deadline extension. \n\nAny information on future opportunities would be beneficial if that is not possible. Additionally, if there is any chance to schedule a virtual meeting with a POC to discuss options, that would be greatly appreciated.","Unfortunately the DOE will not grant an extension to apply for this FOA and all submissions are due 4/7.  \n\nWe cannot speak to future FOA content expected to be released, but encourage you to check EERE Exchange often for any possible funding opportunities. You may also subscribe to receive notifications of new grant opportunities by visiting grants.gov and signing up for an account.\n\nFinally, the DOE is not allowed to meet with any potential applicant during the course of an open FOA. "]
[null,null,111,"2023-04-04","Application Content/Format","I'm having a hard time finding the below documents. We frequently submit SBIRs, but I have not seen these before. Could you point me in the right direction? \n•\tForeign Entity and Foreign Work Waivers\n•\tTransparency of Foreign Connection\n•\tPotentially Duplicate Funding Notice\no\tI thought Current and Pending served this purpose? ","There are no specific templates, rather each requirement and needed documentation is outlined in the FOA. \n-\tForeign Entity is outlined in section IV.D.xiv and Appendix C.\n-\tTransparency of Foreign Connection is outlined in IV.D.xvii\n-\tThe Potentially Duplicative Funding Notice, as explained in IV.D.xviii, asks for more information than Current and Pending Support if there is any potential for duplicative work. "]
[null,null,112,"2023-04-04","Cost Sharing","Hope this email finds you well.  A National Lab/FFRDC plans to submit an application for DE-FOR-0002864 (AMMTO-BTO and OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA), and we will included on the application as subaward institution.   What is the cost-share requirements for the subaward institution?  Since there is only 2 parties, does the subaward institution only contribute the 20% cost-share on subaward portion of DOE award, or do we need to help cover some of the cost-share for the National Lab (FFRDC)?","Per section III.B.iv. “Because FFRDCs are funded by the federal government, costs incurred by FFRDCs generally may not be used to meet the cost share requirement. FFRDCs may contribute cost share only if the contributions are paid directly from the contractor’s Management Fee or another non-federal source.” AND per section III.B.i “The prime recipient is solely responsible for managing cost share contributions by the project team and enforcing cost share obligation assumed by project team members in subawards or related agreements.\n\nThis means FFRDCs (as prime) can dictate how much cost share they can contribute from their Management Fee or any other non-federal source, and they can request how much cost share is to be contributed by their subrecipient(s). Please work with the FFRDC to determine how much cost share is needed for the project. "]
[null,null,113,"2023-04-04","Labs/FFRDCs","I am preparing a submission to DE-FOA-0002864 and my team is working with a National Lab as a subrecipient. We have received a budget and letter of commitment from them, but need a bit of clarity around the DOE WP required as outlined in D.xi of the FOA. \n\nThe FOA points applicants to this link: https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0412.1-BOrder-a-chg1-AdmChg and references Attachment 3 as being required.\n\n1. If we have a LOC and budget from the lab, is this form still a requirement?\n2. If so, should the Lab fill it out or should the Lead Organization fill it out on their behalf?\n2. It does not appear as though Attachment 3 is available through the aforementioned link. Is there a form provided elsewhere?","1.\tPer section IV.D.xi, A field work proposal, and per section IV.D.xii FFRDC authorization letter are required for all FFRDC participants. Please also see Section III.E.i for language to include in the authorization letter.  \n2.\tAs a subrecipient, the FFRDC should submit both documents to the prime applicant. \n3.\tThis should be labeled as Attachment 2 in the FOA, however this is the correct the correct link for the field work proposal in section IV.D.xi https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0412.1-BOrder-a-chg1-AdmChg"]
[null,null,114,"2023-05-10","Due Dates","When will Full Application reviewer comments be available for review? ","Comments on the applications are still being compiled and should be released to applicants in the next couple of days. Applicants will have 3 days to respond to Reviewer comments once they are released."]

{"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"]