Environmental System Science | DE FOA 0001437

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001437

The Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Science and its Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), is soliciting research proposals under the Environmental System Science (ESS) program. This opportunity targets fundamental science that improves the ability to predict how terrestrial environmental systems behave and change, with emphasis on two related areas: Terrestrial Ecosystem Science (TES) and Subsurface Biogeochemical Research (SBR). The work is framed around DOE missions and national needs tied to energy and the environment, and it is managed within BERs Climate and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD), whose broader mission is to strengthen predictive understanding of Earths climate and environmental systems and support sustainable solutions to energy and environmental challenges.

At its core, the FOA is looking for interdisciplinary, model-informed research that explains how land-based systems function from bedrock up to the top of the vegetated canopy, and across scales ranging from molecular processes to global patterns. The program emphasizes coupled processes, meaning projects should address how physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms interact to shape ecosystem structure and function over large spatial areas and long time horizons. A defining feature of the program is an iterative cycle where models guide what to measure or manipulate in experiments and observations, and the resulting data are then used to test, refine, and improve those models. The intent is to identify the specific components and processes that most limit predictive skill, then strategically target them to produce measurable improvements in forecasting system responses.

The FOA highlights that improved understanding should be captured in conceptual theories and models that can be translated into computational representations (for example, model components or modules within a hierarchy of simulation tools). These models are expected to help predict how terrestrial systems respond to disturbances or perturbations such as climate change, shifts in land use or land cover, and contaminant loading. In practice, this means competitive proposals will likely connect mechanistic understanding to predictive frameworks, showing how proposed experiments, field observations, or process studies will directly reduce uncertainty and strengthen the ability to anticipate environmental responses under changing conditions.

Funding is provided as grants under a discretionary research and development category (CFDA 81.049). The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0001437) anticipated making about 10 awards, with an award ceiling of $600,000. The original closing date listed for the FOA was January 22, 2016, and the posting date was October 9, 2015.

Eligibility is broadly open, with two notable exclusions: Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors are not eligible to apply, and certain nonprofit organizations classified under IRS section 501(c)(4) that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are also excluded. DOE National Laboratories and other federal agencies cannot receive financial assistance funding directly under this FOA, but they may participate as collaborators following the FOA instructions. If a national lab collaboration is selected, the lab may be asked to submit materials through the Office of Sciences PAMS system to obtain a Field Work Authorization, while other federal agencies may be routed through PAMS for an Interagency Award mechanism.

Overall, this grant opportunity is designed for research teams that can connect advanced measurement and experimentation with modeling in a tight feedback loop, with the explicit goal of delivering more accurate, mechanistic predictions of terrestrial and subsurface environmental behavior under real-world pressures relevant to DOEs energy and environmental priorities.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental System Science" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-10-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-01-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $600,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0001437

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