The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is overseeing a call for industry partnerships to connect industry stakeholders with the capabilities of the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC).
FCIC FY25 Industry Partnership Call Important Dates | |
Date | Action |
| Sept. 16, 2024 | FCIC Industry Partnership Call Webinar |
| Nov. 1, 2024 | Notice of Intent to propose deadline |
| Nov. 15, 2024 | Applicant pitch presentation deadline (Topic Areas 1 and 3 only) |
| Dec. 6, 2024 | Proposal submission deadline |
| March 5, 2025 | Anticipated notification |
Table of Contents
- Purpose
- Past and Present Partnerships
- Topic Areas
- Eligibility
- How to Apply
- FCIC Partner Laboratory Capabilities
- Frequently Asked Questions
Purpose
This FY25 Industry Partnership Call aims to mobilize and deploy the knowledge, tools, and capabilities developed by FCIC partner laboratories to address real-world challenges in the bioenergy and bioproduct industries. The consortium possesses extensive expertise in all areas of the lignocellulosic and advanced feedstock supply chain, from biomass harvest through conversion.
The FCIC is focused on developing a first principles understanding of how feedstock variability impacts process reliability and product quality. This knowledge helps reduce risk, improve economics, and decrease carbon intensity, offering significant benefits to industry partners interested in utilizing lignocellulosic and other advanced feedstocks.
To ensure a near-term impact for industrial partners, this opportunity aims to leverage the FCIC’s existing capabilities and facilities rather than undertake projects that require the development of new capabilities.
Specific examples of capabilities produced through the FCIC include:
- Sorting incoming feedstock for quality (Multiscale Characterization of Lignocellulosic Biomass Variability and Its Implications to Preprocessing and Conversion: a Case Study for Corn Stover, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering).
- Identifying feedstocks that may cause system upsets in real time (Real-Time Biomass Feedstock Particle Quality Detection Using Image Analysis and Machine Vision, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery).
- Developing tools to predict blade wear in mills (FCIC Materials of Construction Research Outcomes).
- Developing tools to predict the flow of biomass (FCIC Material Handling Research Outcomes).
A full list of FCIC research-related publications can be found in the FCIC Publications Library.
Past and Present Industry Partnerships
Past partnerships between the FCIC and industry partners include:
- Development of new sensors for control systems with Jenike and Johanson.
- Development and testing of more wear-resistant alloys for preprocessing with Forest Concepts.
- Developing improved feeding systems for small-scale gasifiers with The Wonderful Company.
A summary of seven recently announced projects with industry partners AMP Robotics, Rawlings Manufacturing, Warren & Baerg, Alder Renewables, Novastus, VERDE Nanomaterials, and West Biofuels is available in the announcement, U.S. Department of Energy Selects Seven Projects to Help Industry Leverage FCIC Capabilities to Overcome Bioenergy and Bioproduct Challenges.
This Industry Partnership Call is intended to apply existing knowledge, tools, and capabilities to the individual needs of industry partners. Examples of projects that address specific industry use-cases or scenarios include (but are not limited to):
- Determination of the impact of particle-size distribution of a lignocellulosic material entering a gasification reactor that will permit acceptable conversion performance (e.g., stable operation, acceptable product stream attributes).
- Determination of the allowable moisture content of MSW entering a grinder that will permit acceptable grinder performance (e.g., stable operation, acceptable power consumption, acceptable outlet stream attributes).
- Quantification of perennial oil-seed crop compatibility with existing hydro processing catalysts.
- Improvements to a feedstock conveyer to make it less susceptible to clogging or plugging by feedstocks with high moisture content or broad and variable particle size distributions.
- Improvements to a biomass separator to remove inorganic materials prior to gasification.
- Optimizing the materials of construction of a reactor feeder to make it less susceptible to erosive or abrasive wear.
- Enhancements to a reactor to improve the conversion performance for MSW feedstock with large variations in moisture content.
- Implementation of existing analytical or measurement tools to create process controls.
- Utilization of existing computational modeling tools to design a new prototype for a comminution or feeding system.
- Improvements to preprocessing and fractionation of forest residues prior to thermal conversion.
Topic Areas
The Industry Partnership Call will have three topic areas. Topic Area 1 is intended to partner industry stakeholders with one or more FCIC partner national laboratories via a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). Projects in Topic Area 2 are intended to provide rapid technical assistance to an industry stakeholder from one FCIC partner national laboratory with relevant capabilities. Topic Area 3 focuses on supporting current pilot, demonstration, or commercial scale biorefineries with process design or operational troubleshooting support from one or more FCIC partner national laboratories.
- Topic Area 1 – Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Partnerships
CRADA partnerships are intended to partner an industry stakeholder with one or more FCIC partner national laboratories. The CRADA will identify background intellectual property (IP) for all involved parties and will protect any IP developed during the project. Project areas may include feedstock supply, handling, transport, storage, preprocessing, or initial conversion to target bioproducts. This topic area will require the applicant to commit a minimum of 20% cost share to the project, which can include in-kind or cash. The minimum DOE funding for a proposed project within this topic will be $400,000, with a maximum funding of $2 million. Total estimated DOE funding for this topic will be $3 million, and projects are targeted to last up to 36 months.
- Topic Area 2 - Rapid Technical Assistance
Technical assistance projects are intended to provide rapid technical assistance to an industry stakeholder from one FCIC partner national laboratory utilizing their unique capabilities. Projects will not generate IP, and therefore, neither a CRADA nor cost share is required. The minimum DOE funding for a proposed project within this topic will be $50,000, with a maximum funding of $150,000. The total estimated DOE funding for this topic will be $500,000, and projects are targeted to launch quickly and last up to six months.
- Topic Area 3 - Biorefinery Technical Assistance
Topic Area 3 focuses on supporting current pilot, demonstration, or commercial-scale biorefineries with process design or operational troubleshooting support from one or more FCIC partner national laboratories. The technical assistance projects are targeted toward larger-scale biorefineries, either in the planning, design, or operating phase. Projects are intended to partner an industry stakeholder with one or more FCIC partner national laboratories for technical assistance utilizing the national laboratory’s unique capabilities and expertise while not generating IP. Therefore, a CRADA is not required. It is anticipated that the applicant would provide substantial involvement and commit a minimum of 50% in-kind cost share to the project. The minimum DOE funding for a proposed project within this topic will be $200,000, with a maximum funding of $750,000. The total estimated DOE funding for this topic will be $1.5 million, and projects are targeted to last up to 24 months.
| Topic Area | Maximum Duration (months) | Total Federal Share Per Project | Minimum Cost Share | CRADA Required? |
| Topic Area 1: CRADA Partnerships | 36 | $400K-$2M | 20% (in-kind or cash) | Yes |
| Topic Area 2: Rapid Technical Assistance | 6 | $50K-$150K | None | No |
| Topic Area 3: Biorefinery Technical Assistance | 24 | $200K-$750K | 50% (in-kind) | No |
Proposals should clearly identify how the work addresses an aspect of BETO’s goals to:
- Reduce emissions in the transportation sector by producing cost-effective and sustainable aviation fuel and other strategic liquid and gaseous fuels.
- Reduce emissions in the industrial sector by producing cost-effective and viable bioproducts.
- Reduce emissions in the agricultural sector and other carbon drawdown technologies.
All DOE funding will go directly to the national laboratories to execute the projects.
Eligibility
Applicants for all topic areas must be a for-profit or nonprofit entity. Institutions of higher education are not eligible to apply. All proposals must provide an up-to-date Unique Entity ID (UEI) from System for Award Management (SAM). Registration for a UEI can be completed here. Proposed projects must specify one or more eligible feedstocks and one or more eligible unit operations. For projects which directly involve conversion unit operations, the project must specify an eligible unit operation and an eligible conversion product. For projects that do not directly involve conversion unit operations (e.g., projects focused on feedstock handling or preprocessing), the proposal must clearly demonstrate the relevance of the project to one or more eligible conversion unit operations and conversion products (see below).
Eligible Feedstocks
Eligible feedstocks include lignocellulosic biomass, oilseed crops and their residues, MSW, and other organic waste. For the purposes of this Industry Partnership Call, feedstocks are defined as follows:
- Lignocellulosic biomass refers to agricultural or forestry residues and purpose-grown crops.
- Oilseed crops refer to U.S.-produced, oil producing crops including, but not limited to, soybeans, cottonseed, sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, peanuts, camelina, carinata, pennycress, and oil-producing annual cover crops.
- MSW refers to the non-recycled portion of MSW. Specifically, the focus is the organic portions of MSW that can be converted to biofuels/bioproducts, including non-recycled paper, plastic, rubber and leather, textiles, wood, food waste, and yard trimming constituents of the MSW stream, and the relevant contaminants that could affect conversion of the feedstock to a fuel or product. It also includes the non-recycled material discharged from Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) that is ordinarily sent to a landfill.
- Organic waste refers to food waste from industrial, commercial, and residential sources, primary, secondary, tertiary, and post-anaerobic digestion sludge (i.e., biosolids) from municipal wastewater treatment systems, animal manure, and fats, oils, and greases (FOG).
- Food waste refers to food from industrial, commercial, and residential sources that is no longer suitable for human consumption, and which would have otherwise entered an anaerobic digester, landfill, or other post-consumer disposition.
Eligible Unit Operations
Eligible unit operations include any unit operation(s) that occur after the initial collection of the feedstock. For projects involving lignocellulosic biomass and oilseed crops, all unit operations after harvesting up to and including eligible conversion unit operations are eligible. For projects involving MSW and organic wastes, all unit operations after the initial collection of the material up to and including eligible conversion unit operations are eligible.
Eligible Conversion Processes
Eligible conversion processes include both low-temperature processes (e.g., pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial conversion, anaerobic digestion) and high-temperature processes (e.g., pyrolysis, gasification, hydrothermal liquefaction).
Eligible Conversion Products
Eligible conversion products include finished biofuels (both liquid and gaseous), bioproducts, and intermediates that can be converted to finished biofuels or bioproducts through additional unit operations.
How to Apply
Follow the four steps below to apply for this call for industry partnerships. The deadline to submit an intent to propose is Nov. 1, 2024, and the deadline to submit a proposal is Dec. 6, 2024.
| Step 1. Notify of Intent to Propose a Project | By no later than 11:59 p.m. MT (8:59 pm ET) on Nov. 1, 2024, email FCIC@nrel.gov with the following information: Name, organization, email, topic area, and national lab partner (if identified). You will receive a confirmation of receipt email within one working day. No late submissions will be accepted.
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| Step 2. Meet with FCIC | To ensure favorable alignment of projects with BETO goals and FCIC capabilities, each applicant for Topic Areas 1 and 3 will be required to give a short presentation on the proposed project, using the FCIC presentation template. The presentation should be no longer than 20 minutes and the applicant should be available for up to an additional 20 minutes to answer questions. Applicants will receive an email to schedule presentations. Applicants for Topic Area 2 are not required to give a presentation but may contact FCIC@nrel.gov with any questions regarding the proposal. Based on this preliminary presentation, applicants to Topic Areas 1 and 3 will be encouraged or discouraged to provide a full proposal submission. This feedback will be provided via email within five working days after the applicant’s presentation. If a proposal is encouraged, applicants will be connected with a laboratory if they have not identified an appropriate partner laboratory to assist with developing the proposal. |
| Step 3. Develop Proposal | Use the template below that corresponds with the selected topic area to develop your proposal: Read the proposal templates carefully to ensure you are following all instructions, including the required cost share and total proposal length, which varies by Topic Area. |
| Step 4. Submit Proposal | Submit your completed proposal to FCIC@nrel.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. MT (1:59 a.m. ET) on Dec. 6, 2024. Late proposals will not be accepted. Note: FCIC and BETO will use the information provided in the proposal for the review process. They will not share this information for any other purpose, and it will be retained indefinitely. See DOE’s security and privacy policy. |
Materials of construction:
- Wear and surface damage analysis, lab screening, and evaluation of new materials.
- Particle-particle and particle-wall friction measurement for granular biomass feedstock materials.
Predictive modeling and analyses:
- Predictive modeling and analyses pipelines for new strains (with fully sequenced genomes without divulging any proprietary engineering) and processes from industry. Learn what ranges of material attributes and process parameters may prove problematic (aka, ‘are critical’) using/converting sugar or lignin streams from agricultural or municipal solid wastes. Short, targeted workflows could produce a matrix of material attributes or process parameters to avoid in the timeframe anticipated for the Technical Assistance Programs (TAPs).
Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) model life cycle analysis (LCA):
- GREET LCA to address and guide sustainability of technology development/deployment by the industry.
Advanced torrefaction and carbonization studies:
- Basic feedstock performance (mass loss vs. temperature) properties and their approximate costs.
Biomass comminution and deconstruction:
- Performing studies of milling performance, either one mill under several conditions or several mills under one condition.
- Performing tests of multiple scales of hammer or knife milling and approximate costs.
- Testing the relative strength properties of materials to understand the impacts of pre-treatments.
- Calibration of a population balance model for a piece of comminution equipment.
Biomass flowability:
- Benchtop characterization including detailed size and shape analysis, shear testing for flow properties, and wall friction.
- Compressibility, void ratio parameters, and bulk Poisson's ratio.
- Pilot scale flow testing in hopper and screw feeder.
Biomass densification:
- Palletization and densification test with biomass or waste materials, testing achieved pellet density, pellet durability, and process energy consumption.
Biomass Feedstock National User Facility (BFNUF):
- BFNUF pilot-scale preprocessing.
Mechanical fractionation and separation:
- Perform separations of materials and/or removal of contaminants based on physical properties and differential characteristics, using diagnostic and instrumented equipment, and help design processes.
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA):
- Work with engineers and operators to perform a FMEA of biomass preprocessing and handling systems to identify risks within the system that affect process efficiency, product quality, economic performance, and/or sustainability.
Techno-economic analysis (TEA) and supply chain evaluations:
- TEA and supply chain evaluations can be completed for specific processes and regions to examine the economic viability of a proposed system for a given set of performance measures and assumptions.
- Perform first-plant analysis to examine the performance of preprocessing and logistics systems in relation to known biomass variability and equipment performance.
Chemical processing of biomass materials:
- Preparation of up to two tons of chemically treated pine to remove inorganics, contaminants, and toxins can be performed.
- Basic feedstock performance (mass loss vs. temperature) properties and their approximate costs.
- Analysis (high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, Bomb Calorimeter, advanced imaging such as scanning electron microscope and PXRD through the Molecular Foundry and Advanced Light Source) and Omics.
- Fermentation technology transfer and scale up: 12x250 mL, 4x2L, 1x10L, 1x50L, 2x300L
- Downstream processing (DSP) development and scale-up (highly scope-dependent costing) with capabilities of solid liquid separation, filtration, wiped film, upgrading, and preparative chromatography (DSP, collectively) technology transfer.
- Biomass deconstruction and enzymatic hydrolysis process development and scaling up: 6x50mL, 2x1L, 3x10L and 1x210L.
- Technical guidance and consulting.
- Basic TEA.
- Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) capabilities.
Elemental analysis of bio-oils/solids byInductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES):
- Samples will be digested by microwave and analyzed for elemental content. Our methodology produces excellent recoveries of the NIST 1575a standard, milled pine needles, using yttrium as the internal standard. The following elements can be quantified: Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, S, Si, Sr, and Zn.
Determination of water/ash content of biosolids:
- Using standard methodologies, sponsor provided samples (100mg to 100g) will be analyzed for water (range: 0.1%–99%) and ash content (0.5%–100%).
3D particle size/shape/surface area:
- Samples in the range of 20 μm–30 mm can be binned based on size/shape/surface area.
Biosolids flow characterization:
- Samples up to 6 mm in nominal diameter will be subjected to shear, wall friction, bulk density, compressibility, and permeability tests; analyzed using industry standard continuum mechanics modeling; and benchmarked against previously analyzed FCIC samples or dried sponsor samples as appropriate. Time dependent characterization (flow after consolidation/caking/sample decay simulating storage)
Bench scale fuel property test:
- Following ASTM International Standardization (only requires 1–2 mL of fuel samples to save screening time and efforts), including cloud point, distillation curves, density, viscosity, and heating values (Calorimeter).
High pressure and high temperature reactor:
- High pressure and high temperature stirring batch reactor and a series packed bed flow reactors for biomass and bio-intermediates conversions to fuels and chemicals in gas and liquid phases.
Biomass conversion strategies:
- Biomass conversion chemistry strategies development and execution capabilities.
TEA:
- Chemical engineering process design and class 3 TEA with case design and report.
Thermochemical conversion:
- 2-inch Fluid-Bed Reaction System (2-FBR): A 2-inch continuous flow reactor for pyrolysis or gasification.
- Fluid-bed Research Gasified (NRG): A compact, fully automated gasification system that consists of biomass feeding, gasification, solids removal, tar and hydrocarbon reforming, liquids condensation, CO2 removal, gas compression, and syngas storage for future use. The individual sub-systems of the NRG can be manipulated for individualized research.
- Fuel Chemistry and Characterization Laboratory: Characteristic analysis of fuels and fuel blends utilizing various ASTM methods.
- Fuel Synthesis Catalyst Laboratory: Evaluation of catalysts to upgrade intermediates to fuel.
- Davison Circulating Riser Reactor System: Evaluate catalytic fast pyrolysis and refinery co-processing with petroleum feedstocks using fluid catalytic cracking (FCC)-type catalytic materials for a range of renewable and waste feedstocks.
- Hydrotreater: Catalytic hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oil to petroleum.
- Single Particle Reactor (SPR): Enables the study of pyrolysis and gasification on a single particle and enables mass closure.
- Thermal and Catalytic Process Development Unit (TCPDU): Used to test biomass pyrolysis, gasification, and catalytic technologies at the pilot scale. The TCPDU also includes online analytical capabilities to calculate mass closure. Partners can also provide their own skid to attach to the TCPDU system.
Biochemical conversion:
- Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility (IBRF): 1-tonne per day pilot plant for biomass pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation.
- Fermentation laboratory: Bench scale bioreactors to produce biofuels, bioproducts, and fuel intermediates.
- High-throughput biochemical conversion assays: High-throughput and low volume biochemical screen on pretreated intermediates.
- Anaerobic digestion (AD): Bench scale anaerobic digestion for Biological Safety Level 1 and 2 operations.
Modeling and analysis:
- TEA and LCA on various conversion technologies.
- Air emission and regulatory analysis for biorefinery designs: Analysis of air emissions various biorefinery designs for regulatory analysis.
- Feedstock Production Emissions to Air Model (FPAEM): Analysis of the environmental effects of bioenergy and bioproduct technologies or feedstocks.
Biomass compositional analysis:
- Compositional analysis on raw biomass as well as various pretreated intermediates.
TEA and LCA:
- TEA and LCA sensitivities for feedstock supply chains to assess impacts of proposed process changes or improvements against the baseline TEA and LCA (including feedstock production, harvest/collection, storage, and transportation).
Biomass physical characterization:
- Physical characterization of biomass particle size and shape (with 3D dynamic image analysis).
- Bulk and particle envelope densities.
- Flowability (flow energy and index, compressibility, mixing, segregation, and shear).
High-temperature conversion reactor modeling:
- A multiscale, predictive computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling framework to simulate, optimize, and scale up reactors for the thermochemical conversion (pyrolysis and gasification) of biomass and municipal solid wastes. Our pyrolysis model has been well-validated for wide-ranging biomass types for pyrolysis (e.g., forest residues, loblolly pine, corn stover) and gasification (high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene wastes, eucalyptus, loblolly pine).
- Reduced order models for predicting the lumped yields of biomass pyrolysis products (bio-oil, pyrolytic gases, and biochar).
Characterization, modeling, and mitigation of tool wear in biomass preprocessing and biomass fouling-induced feedline clogging:
- Characterization of wear-critical components to determine the wear/failure mechanisms correlated to feedstock properties (morphology/topography, microstructure, composition, and mechanical properties).
- Modeling of key contact interfaces of worn components (contact mechanics, heat transfer, chemical reactions, flow dynamics).
- Characterizing and modeling thermal decomposition-induced fouling on the screw feeder used in high-temperature biomass conversion reactors.
- Development of advanced coatings and surface treatments for mitigating the tool wear and biomass fouling issues.
Biochemical conversion and fermentation:
- Bench-top reactor operations, process characterizations, and fermentation operation for a range of microbial systems and products.
TEA and LCA:
- TEA and LCA sensitivities for chemical processes and test proposed process changes or improvements against the baseline TEA and LCA.
Hydrotreating testing capabilities:
- Hydrotreating testing capabilities to evaluate catalytic upgrading (5ml catalyst bed) of a bio-oil or bio-crude to hydrocarbon fuel blendstock for 100h on stream.
Pyrolysis oil and biocrude characterization:
- Pyrolysis oil and other biocrude characterization for a range of analyses. These can include one or more of: thermal stability, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GCMS), Elemental CHNS, Elemental oxygen, Density/Viscosity, carboxylic acid number and total acid number (CAN-TAN), CO titration, Karl Fischer titration (water content), ion chromatography (IC) for anion analysis, liquid chromatography (LC) to analyze aqueous phase organics.
Data management strategy:
- Help early-stage companies develop a data management strategy and select and deploy commercial cloud-based solutions for meeting their data needs. Such solutions may include a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Scientific Data Management System (SDMS), or an Industrial Analytics suite of tools for time series pilot plant data. Services may include defining business and technical use cases, configuring security and access controls, developing workflows for ingestion of instrument or unit operation data into a database, sample management, and data integration and analysis.
There is a four-step application process:
- Applicants must submit an intent to propose no later than 11:59 p.m. MT on Nov. 1, 2024.
- Applicants for Topic Areas 1 and 3 must meet with FCIC researchers and provide a 20-minute presentation covering the proposal, allowing the FCIC researchers to provide feedback on feasibility and relevance. Applicants will be encouraged or discouraged from applying within a week of their presentation.
- Applicants must develop a proposal in collaboration with a national laboratory partner using the appropriate proposal template.
- Applicants must submit full proposals no later than 11:59 p.m. MT, Dec. 6, 2024. Reviewers will not consider submissions after that time; there is no appeals process.
- Complete submitted proposals, accompanied with the applicants’ acknowledgement of the application requirements, will be reviewed by a team of independent reviewers and selected for subject matter expertise and independence from Industrial Partnership Call (IPC) applications.
- The applicant, by submitting its application, consents to the use of non-federal reviewers. Non-federal reviewers must sign conflict of interest (COI) and non-disclosure acknowledgements (NDA) prior to reviewing an application.
- The review team will score and make recommendations for each project proposal.
- The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will then select from the list of recommended projects, based on strategic priorities and the available resources.
- The FCIC will communicate to all applicants the results of the proposal selection process and next steps for selected applicants.
Only for-profit or non-profit companies and organizations are eligible to apply. Universities and federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) are not eligible. Companies and organizations based outside of the United States must have a U.S. subsidiary.
No. All awarded funds will be spent within the participating national laboratories, with applicants directing how resources and expertise within the FCIC are applied within the collaboration.
Two of the three IPC topics require cost share contributions from the applicant.
For projects that require cost share, the cost share is calculated as a percentage of the total project budget.
Most substantive contributions to the project will count as cost share, such as but not limited to labor, travel, materials, equipment, data, or cash. Cost-share may not be derived from U.S. federal government funding streams. Please see the Code of Federal Regulations 200.306 for more details on what is considered allowable cost-share.
There are no additional accounting requirements for the proposal beyond the completion of the industry tasks/deliverables and cost estimates listed. If selected, the normal DOE requirements for accounting for in-kind cost share will apply.
Successful applicants to Topic Area 1 will have the option to disclose background intellectual property, where disclosure does not grant to any Party any option, grant, or license to commercialize, or otherwise use another Party’s Background Intellectual Property. Further, per the non-negotiable CRADA terms, the successful applicant shall have the option to select from an exclusive license or a non-exclusive license to IP developed as part of the project. For details, please review the CRADA Multilab SingleParticipant template document and Statement of Work document.
Projects that propose activities beyond the time limits for each Topic Area can be proposed, but in such cases the review team will concentrate on what is proposed for the anticipated project period.
This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will refer to the challenges and risks specifically called out in the proposal submission. For instance, where a negative impact of a perceived risk is identified as a potential showstopper, this may necessitate a go/no-go milestone. The deliverables in the proposal should be used to enable proactive project management with clearly defined goals, metrics, and timelines.
Yes, please email FCIC@nrel.gov.
Yes, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project and otherwise meets the application requirements. Applicants can submit multiple applications to multiple topic areas or within the same topic area.
No. All proposal material must be contained within the page limit.
Proposals should be well-aligned with the missions of DOE, BETO, and FCIC to support the research, development, and demonstration to enable the sustainable use of domestic biomass and waste resources to produce biofuels and bioproducts. For more information, visit the BETO website.
Public disclosure of the key results of each project is mandatory, and dissemination plans will contribute to the overall proposal score. This disclosure could take many forms, such as a peer-reviewed journal article, an article in a trade journal, or a technical report published by the FCIC personnel working on the project. It is not the intention to require public disclosure of applicant’s proprietary data, but the share enough information to allow external stakeholders to benefit from the work performed. For example, if a project develops a new feedstock characterization tool, the details of the tool will be disclosed, but not data on the specific feedstock used by the applicant. Similarly, if a computational modeling tool is developed to predict the flow behavior of an applicant’s feedstock stream in a hopper, the model must be disclosed, but not the proprietary applicant data used to parameterize and validate it.
The topic areas are described above along with representative projects in each area. However, neither the topic areas nor the example projects are meant to be exhaustive. Any project that will identify, characterize, or mitigate the impact(s) of the variability in an eligible feedstock or eligible process on overall process economics or risk is acceptable.
Applicants without a UEI can request one here.