Applications from Universities and Other Research Institutions

New Grant Applications from Universities and Other Research Institutions

Initial contact: Prior to submission of an application for a research grant to Basic Energy Sciences (BES), you are encouraged to contact the BES program manager whose areas of expertise and responsibilities most closely match the topic of your proposed research activities to learn about current funding opportunities and the nature of the work funded by BES. Contact information is provided in the BES organization chart, the BES staff directories, and the appropriate Core Research Activities descriptions.

Preapplication: Based on your interaction with a BES program manager, you may be encouraged to submit a preapplication, which will be reviewed by BES to establish whether the proposed research fits within the purview of one of the BES Core Research Activities. The preapplication should be concise (2–3 pages), provide a summary of the proposed research, and contain the curriculum vitae of the principal investigator (2 pages, appended to the preapplication). Please also include a rough estimate of the proposed work’s total cost. Based on our review of the proposed research within the preapplication, the principal investigator will be either encouraged or discouraged to submit a full application. Preapplications should be submitted in PAMS to the annual open solicitation, and directed to the attention of the appropriate BES staff member. We will respond to the preapplication by phone or by e-mail.

Timing of full-application submission and award: There are no submission deadlines under the Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program, for all Office of Science programs, and applications may be submitted at any time. However, we recommend that a full application be sent to us between June 1st and November 30th in order that we can make a funding decision by June of the following year, which is necessary to obtain funding under that particular fiscal year. All grants that are funded by BES undergo external peer review based on procedures set down in 10 CFR Part 605.

Typical term of support: The usual term for a new award is three or four years, divided into one-year budget periods.

Electronic submission: Full applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov. Information on electronic submission is available at the Office of Science Grants and Contracts website. If you need to revise your submission, please contact the Office of Science Grants and Contracts Division at 301/903-2859. You will receive an acknowledgement letter within four weeks of your electronic submission confirming the receipt of your full application. If not, please contact the appropriate BES Division office to inquire as to the status of your application: Materials Sciences and Engineering (301/903-3427); Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences (301/903-5804); or Scientific User Facilities (301/903-0064).