The goals of the Scientific Infrastructure funding opportunity announcement (FOA), supported by DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) are:
- To support, maintain, or enhance the institution’s capacities to attract and teach high quality students interested in nuclear energy-related studies;
- Build the institution’s research or education capabilities; and
- Enhance the institution’s capabilities to perform R&D that is relevant to NE’s mission.
The following targeted objectives within the Scientific Infrastructure FOA will aide in achieving these goals:
(1) Upgrade and improve U.S. university nuclear research and training reactors. Upgrades for a research reactor that include the acquisition of equipment and/or instrumentation for activities related to safety, performance, control, or operational reliability. For example, equipment acquired for security/safety enhancements required by the federal/state/local regulatory agencies are permitted.
(2) Obtain equipment and instrumentation that significantly improves or expands the research, instruction, training capabilities, and/or operating capabilities related to NE program missions (e.g., utilization or handling of radiological or radioactive materials). For example, this may include radiation detection and measurement equipment.
(3) Contribute to strengthening the academic community’s nuclear engineering infrastructure.
Requests should focus on individual, discrete, definable items, or capabilities. An applicant must demonstrate the educational or R&D connection between requested pieces of equipment to support the NE mission. Applications made of several uncorrelated equipment requests are not of interest. A request should not duplicate existing capabilities. To review existing NE R&D capabilities in the U.S., refer to the Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Database (NEID), available at https://nsuf.inl.gov under Resources (account login required). Information on current NE research programs can be found at NE’s website: https://energy.gov/ne.
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