Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) announced a $22 million funding opportunity to leverage the expertise and intellectual capital of non-federal research institutions by supporting foundational research and development (R&D) and expanded testing capacity to advance the marine energy industry.

The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) entitled, “Marine Energy Foundational Research and Testing Infrastructure,” presents an opportunity to continue building marine energy research capabilities at U.S. non-federal research institutions and leverage their expertise to help the developing marine energy industry tackle complex scientific and technical problems. The FOA’s primary goal is to increase the likelihood of commercial adoption of marine energy technologies, while developing intellectual capital for U.S. technology leadership in ocean sciences and marine energy. DOE encourages non-federal research institutions not previously funded for marine energy R&D to apply.

“Fostering collaboration between non-federal research institutions and industry is a great way to ensure that we’re tapping into the strongest minds and resources for marine energy,” said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel R Simmons. “It sets the stage for the future workforce. This opportunity offers more real world experiences to students and researchers at universities and non-federal research institutions providing more expansive research and testing resources. Offering students and other researchers the opportunity to participate in industry-level problem solving prepares them for the next level of career development.”

This FOA covers four main topic areas:

  • Topic Area 1 – Foundational R&D: DOE will fund foundational research with broad relevance across the marine energy industry.
  • Topic Area 2 – Atlantic Marine Energy Center: DOE will support the creation of a new National Marine Renewable Energy Center in the Atlantic region.
  • Topic Area 3 – Foundational Research Network Facilitator: DOE will solicit a Network Facilitator to help maximize the impact of non-federal research institutions’ research by coordinating and widely disseminating results among relevant stakeholders.
  • Topic Area 4 – Current Energy Technology Testing Infrastructure: DOE is addressing a marine testing capability gap by funding an open water, non-grid connected current energy converter (CEC) mobile test vessel that can accommodate CECs with up to 8-meter-diameter rotors for testing turbines under different flow conditions in a wide range of test conditions.

DOE will compile a Teaming Partner List that can be used by potential applicants or entities interested in partnering with other applicants for this FOA. The Teaming Partner List is a tool to facilitate the formation of new project teams.  Participation in the Teaming Partner List is not a requirement of the FOA. It is completely voluntary, and will have no impact on the evaluation and selection process of applications.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit the following information to MHKFOA@ee.doe.gov with the subject line “Teaming Partner Information”: DE-FOA-0002234, Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, FOA 2234 Topic Area of Interest, and Brief Description of Capabilities. By submitting the above Teaming Partner Information, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information as part of the Teaming Partner List.

DOE envisions awarding multiple financial assistance awards. The estimated period of performance for each award will be approximately 4 years.

Concept papers are due May 11, 2020, and full applications for this funding opportunity are due on July 7, 2020. For more information and application requirements, please visit the EERE Exchange website.