Informational Webinar Proceedings: ASPECT Funding Opportunity

Below is a transcription of the "ASPECT Funding Opportunity" informational webinar, presented on Sept. 11, 2026, by DOE’s Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office.

Andrew Taylor, Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office

Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's Accelerating Scale-up and Pre-piloting of Emerging Chemical Technologies Notice of Funding Opportunity informational webinar presented by the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office, also known as AFFO. My name is Andrew Taylor. 

Before we get started, I'm going to cover a couple housekeeping items so you know how to participate in today's event. You'll be in listen-only mode during this webinar. You can select audio connection options to listen through your computer audio or you can dial in through your phone. You may submit questions today using the Q&A panel. If you're currently in full-screen view, click the Slido icon located in the toolbar at the lower right side of your screen. To submit your question, simply click the Q&A option, type your questions in the box below, then click the send button. Automated closed captioning is available for the event today. To turn it on, select "Show closed captions" at the lower left side of your screen. Next slide. 

You may send questions at any time during the presentation through the Q&A option or to the ASPECT@doe.gov email. We will collect and respond to them within three business days unless a similar question and answer has already been posted on the website. We are also recording this webinar. It will be posted on AFFO's website and DOE eXCHANGE in the coming weeks along with these slides.

All right, now just a quick disclaimer before we get started: The webinar is being recorded and may be posted on DOE's website or used internally. If you do not wish to have your voice recorded, please do not speak during the call, or disconnect now. If you do not wish to have your image recorded, please turn off your camera or participate only by phone. If you speak during the call or use a video connection, you're presumed to consent to recording and to the use of your voice or image. Next slide. 

There are no advantages or disadvantages to the application evaluation process by participating in this webinar. Your participation is completely voluntary. All applicants are strongly encouraged to carefully read the NOFO and adhere to the stated submission requirements. This presentation summarizes the contents of the NOFO. If there are any inconsistencies between the NOFO and this presentation or statements from DOE personnel, the NOFO is the controlling document, and applicants should rely on the NOFO language. Next slide. 

Now, without further ado, I'd like to introduce today's speakers, Josh Messner and Dr. Sonia Hammache. Josh Messner joined DOE over 20 years ago and is now a technology manager for AFFO's Systems Development and Integration team, formerly on the Bioenergy Technologies Office's SDI team. He has a background in chemical engineering, biotechnology, project management, and systems scaling. Josh is the co-manager of this NOFO and is the Topic Area 2 lead.

Dr. Sonia Hammache is also an AFFO technology manager, where she oversees projects focused on converting bio-based sources into energy and valuable chemicals. Prior to joining AFFO, she worked as a senior research scientist with an emphasis on catalysis for energy applications and carbon capture. Dr. Hammache holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Clemson University. 

Now, let's get to today's presentation. Next slide. Take it away, Josh. 

Josh Messner, Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office

OK, thank you very much, Andrew. As Andrew stated, my name is Josh Messner, and I'm one of the ASPECT NOFO co-managers alongside Sonia Hammache. A quick review of what we'll be talking about today. There is a new NOFO process that we're using with the solicitation, so I'll go over that. Then we'll delve into the NOFO itself., talk about submission requirements, the review and selection process, and we'll end with the next steps. I do want to mention that we'll be unable to answer live questions during this presentation. However, if you submit a question to the chat, we will collect those and publish them on DOE eXCHANGE—on the DOE eXCHANGE website in the NOFO's question and answer log in the next few days. Next slide. 

Got it. Good. There we go. To reduce the burden on applicants and increase the speed to award, DOE is using concept papers along with a two-stage application process for this NOFO. In each stage of the process, including the Concept Paper stage, the Stage 1, and Stage 2, DOE is asking for only data needed to advance applications to the next stage such that applicants are not burdened with filling out extensive applications if they are not selected. The Concept Paper stage is open to all applicants and concept papers are required as part of this NOFO. A NOFO-specific concept paper template can be found on DOE eXCHANGE. All the data within the concept paper template is required; however, use of the template itself is not required. More information can be found in NOFO Part 1, section 4.C, titled Concept Paper. 

Stage 1 is open to applicants whose concept papers have been determined to be eligible by DOE. Stage 1 applications include only the core documents needed for DOE to conduct a technical review of the proposal and the Research, Technology & Economic Security, or RTES, review. Stage 2 is also by invitation only for those proposals DOE has determined to be meritorious in Stage 1. Next slide please.

The NOFO will roughly follow this process flow. Please note that the dates are subject to change. Please consult the NOFO Part 1 for the current schedule. The first important item is the concept paper due date, which is currently October 9th. Once we receive the concept papers, DOE will complete compliance and eligibility reviews and will send out eligibility letters as soon as possible. Stage 1 applicants will—or applications will be due on December 1st. Once we conduct compliance and merit reviews for Stage 1 applications, we will send out invites to stage—to submit Stage 2 applications roughly in mid-January. 

Once Stage 2 invitations have gone out, we will set a date for the Stage 2 specific webinar. During this webinar, we will discuss the core document submissions, such as the statement of project objectives, the project management plan, and budget justifications, among others. We will also look—we will also discuss what invitee engagement will look like at that time. Final submission of Stage 2 application is currently scheduled for February 12th of next year. Following compliance and responsiveness review, DOE will conduct a thorough review and may reach back out for clarification at that time. DOE intends to make selections and awards in mid-April of next year. Next slide, please. 

Navigating the NOFO document itself is a little different than it has been in the past. The DOE has separated the NOFO into two parts: NOFO Part 1, which describes the specific DOE programmatic goals, evaluation criteria, eligibility, and other components that are specific to this funding opportunity. NOFO Part 2 includes fixed DOE requirements that generally do not change between NOFO and NOFO, including standard information for application phase, expectations for award negotiations, and post-award requirements. 

Here's a very important item. You must have an active SAMs account. So, go to SAM.gov. This includes having a unique entity identifier, or UEI. SAM.gov registration can take several weeks, so, please start that as soon as possible if you don't have one. To register go to SAM—S-A-M—dot gov—G-O-V—entry registration and click "Get started." Next slide, please. 

Thank you. So, we've already went through the schedule a few slides earlier. However, repetition is important. So, submission deadline for the required concept paper is October 9th. The submission deadline for Stage 1 applications is December 1st. Expected for—excuse me, expected date for Stage 2 invitee notifications is mid-January. Submission deadline for those Stage 2 applications is February 12th. And again, the expected date for DOE selection notifications and timeframe for award negotiations is mid-April. Again, please note that these dates are subject to change. Please refer to the NOFO Part 1 for the current schedule. Next slide, please. 

AFFO is issuing this ASPECT NOFO to support research, development, and pre-pilot testing of innovative technologies that produce chemicals from alternative waste and feedstocks, mobilizing America's abundant alternative feedstock resources. This NOFO focuses on supporting projects involving chemicals with improved performance or cost benefits over incumbents, or those that have a positive impact to America's foreign trade or national security. These chemicals may be conventional or bio-advantaged. Conventional chemicals that currently have a market should offer additional advantages such as strengthening domestic supply chains, reducing imports, lowering costs, or enabling significant market growth. Bio-advantaged chemicals must demonstrate beneficial properties—like greater durability, higher production efficiencies, or lower toxicity, just as examples—that create new value opportunities. 

To bridge the gap between laboratory research and pre-pilot-scale testing and to prevent unnecessary delay between phases, ASPECT employs a phased approach with two primary topic areas, the bench ASPECT and the pre-pilot ASPECT. Both bench ASPECT and pre-pilot ASPECT support the development of new technologies for producing chemicals from alternative feedstocks. The goal of the bench ASPECT is to move past proof-of-concept stage to achieve bench- and pre-pilot-scale progress by reducing risk involved in operating one or more unit operations at pre-pilot scale. Pre-pilot ASPECT— sorry, the pre-pilot ASPECT solicits proposals for design, construction, and operation of an integrated pre-pilot system while also allowing for de-risking process steps on a unit operation basis. It is up to the applicant to determine which topic area and which subtopic area to apply to. Next slide, please. 

As noted in the NOFO, we are planning for $58 million in funds for selections. This is subject to availability. We will—we are planning to utilize cooperative agreements as our funding mechanisms for both topic areas. We are planning to make anywhere from zero to seven awards for Topic Area 1 with federal award values between $2 million and $10 million per award and a 20% cost share requirement. Projects selected under Topic Area 1 should take anywhere from two to four years to complete. 

Similarly, we are planning to make anywhere from zero to three awards for Topic Area 2 with federal award values between $10 million and $20 million per award and a blended cost share for Topic Area 2a requiring 20% for phase one tasks and 50% for phase two tasks, which I'll explain here in a few slides. For Topic Area 2b, there's a 50% cost share requirement for the entire project. Projects selected under Topic Area 2 should take anywhere from two to five years to complete. Next slide, please. 

Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity include U.S. citizens and lawful U.S. permanent residents, for-profit entities, non-profits, state, local, and tribal government entities. Educational institutions are eligible to be prime applicants for Topic Area 1 but only are eligible as subtopic—or subrecipients under Topic Area 2. DOE and NNSA FFRDCs, also known as our national labs, are eligible as subrecipients only, no matter the topic area. For more details about eligible applicants, please see NOFO Part 1, section 2: Eligibility. Next slide, please.

An eligible Stage 1 application must have the following. An eligible concept paper that has been reviewed and deemed responsive to the NOFO—so, see NOFO Part 1, section 4.C for concept papers for more details on that; we've kind of already gone through it. Are submitted to DOE eXCHANGE on time with all required documents listed in NOFO section 4.D.2, titled Summary of Stage 1 Application Requirements, and have not adjusted the application outside of the previously reviewed and eligible concept paper; and are deemed responsive per NOFO section 6.B. It is our goal to notify nonresponsive applications during the concept paper review. However, non-responsiveness may become apparent when the more detailed Stage 1 application is submitted. Lastly, for each eligible concept paper, DOE will only consider one Stage 1 application per section 2.B, Limitation of Number of Concept Papers and Application Eligibility for Review. Those eligible Stage 2 applications must be invited to apply to Stage 2 based on an initial meritorious Stage 1 application. 

Now, to get into Topic Area 1 specifics, I'll invite Dr. Sonia Hammache.

Sonia Hammache, Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office

Thank you, Josh. Hello, everyone. My name is Sonia Hammache, and I'll be going through the information summary of Topic Area 1, some of which has already been mentioned by Josh. 

So, this topic area focuses on advancing and adopting innovative technologies to produce chemicals from alternative feedstock. The goal is to move beyond initial proof of concept and progress to bench- and pre-pilot-scale development. Applicants are invited to select from two distinct subtopic areas within this topic area. Topic Area 1a: this area targets technologies that move beyond proof of concept and are ready for further bench-scale research and development. Funding supports process development and optimization at this stage, focusing on early-stage chemical technology advancement and innovation. Topic Area 1b: this area builds on previous R&D work aiming to reduce scale-up risks by pre-piloting one or more unit operations after successful completion of initial research. Next slide, please. 

OK. This topic area targets process technologies that convert allowable feedstocks into chemicals with advantages in performance, cost, trade, and national security. The applicants need to demonstrate both the technical and the economical benefits of their proposed chemical technologies and to show how these innovations can be commercially viable. Specific areas of interest include but are not limited to technologies that can be scaled through the utilization or modification of existing U.S. ethanol fermentation infrastructure. Next slide, please.

OK, so we talk a bit about the federal share specifications. So, Subtopic Area 1a consists of one phase only and the work is targeted toward—beyond proof of concept but still requires additional bench-scale R&D work. Each project in this topic area is eligible for up to $5 million in funding, federal funding, with a 20% cost share. Subtopic Area 1b consists of two phases: bench scale and unit operation pre-piloting phase. Each phase in this topic—in this subtopic area is eligible for up to $5 million in federal funding with a total of $10 million for both phases. Similarly to Topic Area 1a, the cost share is of 20%. Next slide, please.

OK, I'll go through this to hopefully bring some clarity. This is how we envisioned Topic Area 1—the schedule for Topic Area 1. So, for Subtopic Area 1a, the performance period is of 12 to 24 months. It consists of two budget periods. The first budget period is for the verification of the application data with a go/no-go decision point. Subtopic Area 1b consists of two phases, as I mentioned earlier. The performance period of phase one is of 18 to 30 months and consists of three budget periods with two go/no-go decision points, and the second go/no-go is a stage gate that will allow the applicant to move to pre-pilot phase. Phase two has two budget periods with no—without any go/no-go decision points. The total performance period for the phase two is of 12 to 18 months. And I think this—with this, I finish the summary formation of Topic Area 1. And back to Josh.

Josh Messner

All right. Great. Thank you very much, Sonia. Next slide, please. 

So, now I'm going to go into Topic Area 2, which is the pre-pilot ASPECT. So, Topic Area 2 is intended to accelerate the development of and shorten the time to market for domestically produced chemicals that are made from alternative feedstocks. Topic Area 2 seeks proposals to develop an integrated pre-pilot system capable of processing at least half a dry ton per day of feedstock, or of—from allowable feedstock. Proposals under this topic area include technologies that have collected all required data and are ready for integrated pre-piloting. Topic Area 2 is also looking for proposed technologies that have some data gaps that require a little further investigation prior to subsequent full-system pre-piloting. 

Applications have to choose between—or, have the choice between two on-ramps via separate subtopic areas. Subtopic Area 2a, which is unit operation pre-piloting and pre-piloting of the system integration, and Subtopic Area 2b, pre-pilot system integration only. Subtopic Area 2a will support the development of technologies that require testing of one or two unit operations at scale before an integrated pre-pilot facility can be designed. Upon successful completion of these tasks, projects funded in this subtopic area will then move to design, construction, and operation of an integrated pre-pilot system. Subtopic Area 2 will support the development of technologies that have all the prior scale data and are ready for pre-pilot system integration. Projects funded in this subtopic area will design, construct, and operate an integrated pre-pilot system. Next slide, please. 

Subtopic area—sorry, Topic Area 2 targets process technologies that convert acceptable feedstocks into chemicals that have advantages in performance, cost, and/or trade or national security. Applicants must explicitly articulate specific advantages of the targeted product, present the techno-economics of the process, and present a path for commercialization. Applicants are required to justify their proposed process and products. Applicants are required to justify the scale of their proposed pre-pilot system based on sound engineering principles, prior scale data, and scaling factors. Please see section 3.3 of topic—sorry, NOFO Part 1, section 3.3., Topic Area 2: Pre-pilot ASPECT for all the full requirements. Next slide, please. 

Subtopic Area 2a allows for initial development prior to full-scale scaling—or full-system scaling. This subtopic area is for technologies that have one or two unit operations that need further investigation using industrially relevant equipment prior to designing the integrated pre-pilot system. After successful completion of unit operation pre-piloting tasks, topic area 2a projects will have the opportunity to design, construct, and operate an integrated five-ton—or, sorry, half ton, that's a lot different—half dry ton a day facility based on their learnings. Each Subtopic 2a project is eligible for up to $20 million in federal funding with no more than $5 million in phase one and $15 million in phase two of Subtopic Area 2a. Subtopic Area 2a has a minimum matching cost share requirement of 20% for phase one activities and 50% for phase two activities. Applicants to Subtopic Area 2b should have technologies that are currently at TRL level five supported by all the necessary prior scale data and are prepared to start the design of a five—half, did it again—half dry ton per day pre-pilot facility. Each project is eligible for up to $15 million in federal funds under this subtopic area with a minimum cost share of 50%. Next slide, please. 

As previously noted, Subtopic Area 2a is broken into those two separate phases. The first phase, which is intended for technologies that have one or two unit operations that need further investigation at a maximum of $5 million—sorry, at a maximum federal share of $5 million will have a stage gate prior to moving into phase two and unlocking the additional $15 million for final design, construction, and operation of the pre-pilot system. Phase one should be planned to—or should be planned to take anywhere between 18 and 24 months, leading into a 24-to-36-month phase two with appropriate no-goes along the way. Please note that Subtopic Area 2b is essentially the same as Subtopic Area 2a's phase two. While 2b is also a phase, this allows for a 12-month project ramp-up and design basis definition prior to moving into the 24-to-36-month final phase, which includes final design, construction, and operation of the project. Next slide, please. 

Now, we're going to talk about acceptable feedstocks. Both topic areas of the NOFO have the same allowable feedstock requirements. These include lignocellulosic feedstocks, algae, organic wet waste, sorted municipal solid waste, which include organic and plastic constituents that are going to landfill, food waste, biogas from anaerobic digesters and landfills, grain starch, oil seed crops, construction and demolition waste, waste carbon dioxide produced as a byproduct from fermentation, the combustion of biomass or other biopower processes, or anthropomorphic CO₂ from utility and industrial sources, and bio-intermediates, which allow for—which for the purposes of this NOFO refer to chemically, thermally, and physically stable intermediate products from another acceptable feedstock listed in the table above which can be upgraded into a saleable chemical.

Please note that the carbon dioxide from ambient air is not allowed. This includes CO₂ which has been captured in direct air capture machines and delivered to algal systems or captured through chemical, biological, or mechanically assisted accelerated diffusers of air into algal growth media. For more details, you can go to the NOFO Part 1 Appendix A. Next slide, please.

Topic area 1b, 2a, and 2b applications must propose pre-pilot unit operations sized to accommodate the minimum process stream produced from half a dry ton per day of feedstocks entering the proposed integrated system, meaning if your Topic Area 1b application is focusing on a hypothetical fermentation unit operation, the size of that fermenter would be equivalent to a half dry ton per day process stream that has entered a hypothetical feedstock handling equipment, then moved through a hypothetical pretreatment and conditioning units, then through hydrolysis units and into the proposed fermenter, which has been sized to account for mass losses or additions and volumetric changes of that process stream through the system. All major equipment to be used in the pre-pilot-scale plant must be based on equipment that will be used in the eventual commercial facility. Additionally, there are runtime requirements for Topic Area 2, as denoted in the table. Next slide, please.

Areas specifically not of interest for this ASPECT NOFO include applications proposing primarily—or, primary products that are solely used as fuels, applications proposing target—process—excuse me, hold on. Applications proposing processes targeting the production of food or protein, except for amino acids, or biomass as the primary products. Applications proposing ethanol as a final product. Applications proposing pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, food additives, or cosmetics as a final product. Applications that use model compounds as opposed to real feedstocks, excluding proposals for Subtopic Area 1a. Please go and review the specifics of that in the NOFO itself. Applicants that propose technologies that are already operating commercially. Applications that do not include an industrial entity either as the applicant or a partner. Applications proposing or utilizing processes targeting small, niche, or fine chemical markets or potential markets of less than one million metric tons per year. Exceptions may be made to this one, but it is required for the applicant to provide proper justification or enough justification as to why that should be allowed. Next slide, please. 

Area specifically not of interest for Subtopic Area 1a are applications that use model compounds as opposed to real feedstocks after Budget Period 1. Areas specifically not of interest for Subtopic Area 1b include applications that include work on heterogeneous catalysis or catalysts in powder form or thermocatalytic processes. Applications that include work on strain discovery for biochemical processes. Applications that include work for development of electrocatalytic cells. Applications that use model compounds as opposed to real feedstock through all budget periods—again, that's specific to budget period 1b. Next slide, please. 

And next slide. All right, let's talk about the submission requirements. Concept papers, Stage 1 applications, and Stage 2 applications must be submitted through DOE eXCHANGE. DOE will not review or consider applications submitted through other means. For questions related to the DOE funding opportunity eXCHANGE registration and application process, you can email this email address, EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. I know it's a little strange to see the EERE there, but that email address still works and is active. Please include the NOFO name and the number—and its number in the subject line. DOE strongly urges applicants to submit one to two days prior to any of the deadlines to allow for full upload of your application documents and troubleshoot any potential technical glitches. They do happen. I really encourage you to take this seriously. Make sure you hit the submit button. Any changes made after you hit the submit button will unsubmit your application and you will need to resubmit that button again. Next slide, please.

Applicants are required to submit concept papers by October 9, 2026, at 5 p.m. Eastern. You are not obligated to apply after you submit your concept paper. You are not bound to the statements made in your concept paper. It is reasonable for project partners, locations, and other factors to change during the application development process. Next slide, please. 

Concept papers that fall outside the technical parameters specified in the NOFO will be deemed non-responsive and disqualified. DOE will not review Stage 1 applications from applicants who were not invited to apply following the review of their concept paper. Each concept paper must be limited to a single concept, technology, or project. The concept paper must conform to the requirements listed on the right side of the slide, including the stated page limits. The concept paper must not exceed five pages. Please note that any information beyond five pages will not be reviewed and may result in disqualification of the concept paper. Please see NOFO Part 1 4.C, titled Concept Papers, for full requirements. Next slide, please. 

Applications are required to submit a Stage 1 application—or, applicants are required to submit a Stage 1 application by December 1, 2026, at or by 5 p.m. Eastern. DOE will provide feedback on Stage 1 applications. Only those Stage 1 applications deemed initially meritorious will be invited to submit a Stage 2 application. Stage 1 applications deemed initially meritorious will have—or will be invited to engage with DOE prior to submitting their Stage 2 application, and applicants should ensure that staff are available to engage with DOE between around January 10th through mid-February. Due to the compressed timeline, applicants may elect to begin developing Stage 2 requirements prior to receiving the outcome of the Stage 1 application. This is solely up to you. Next slide, please. 

You will not be able to start a Stage 1 submission until the concept paper deadline has passed. The—to initiate a Stage 1 application submission, locate the applicable announcement in DOE eXCHANGE, click on the announcement number or title, and click "Apply." Each Stage 1 application must be limited to a single concept technology or project. The Stage 1 application must conform to the requirements listed on the right side here, including, again, the page limitations and format. Please see the NOFO Part 1, Stage 1 Application Content Requirements for full requirements listed in the NOFO. Next slide, please.

The technical volume is the key technical component of the Stage 1 application. There are page limits here: 15 pages for Topic Area 1a, 25 pages for Topic Area 1b, 30 pages for Topic Area 2a, and 25 pages for Topic Area 2b. This is inclusive of the cover page, table of contents, all citations, charts, graphs, maps, photos, and other graphics. The applicant should consider the weighting of each of the technical review criteria when preparing their technical volume. Please note the different criteria and weightings per topic area on the table on the right. Please see NOFO Part 1, Technical Volume for more—or, for a full description of each section. Next slide, please. 

Given the compressed timeframe between Stage 1 and Stage 2, you are advised to review the Stage 2 application requirements early and ensure that you are staffed appropriately during the anticipated dates of Stage 2 activities. Applicants deemed initially meritorious will receive a letter from DOE inviting you to apply to Stage 2. This invitation does not mean you have been selected for award negotiation. You are advised against making any public statements regarding this invitation, as this invitation is not an indication of selection or of receiving federal government funding. Any invitee—sorry, an invitee-only webinar outlining Stage 2 requirements is currently scheduled to be held on or around January 20th. However, this date may change as we get closer to the event. Prior to Stage 2 application submission in eXCHANGE, you will be required to email the following documents to the parties identified in your invitation letter. That includes the statement of project objectives, the budget justification for your organization, and note if there's any changes between your Stage 1 application, a budget justification for your subrecipients, if applicable, and a budget memo. A full list of Stage 2 application requirements, which is much longer than that list I just read off, can be found in section 4.E of the NOFO Part 1. Next slide, please. 

You will not be able to start a Stage 2 submission in eXCHANGE unless you have been invited to apply. Instructions on how to initiate the Stage 2 application submission in eXCHANGE will be sent out at the time of your Stage 2 invitation. Each Stage 2 application must be limited to a single concept, technology, or project and must align with the Stage 1 application. The Stage 2 application must conform to the requirements that are listed in the NOFO, including the page limitations. Please see NOFO Part 1, Stage 2 Application Content for full requirements. And now, to go over some of the review and selection process. I'm going to hand it back to Sonia. Next slide, please.

Sonia Hammache

Thank you, Josh. So, I'll be talking about the review and selection process. Most of this information has been already shared. So, we'll start from the beginning, the concept paper review. Content papers are evaluated based on the following factors with all criteria of equal weight. The concept paper needs to meet all NOFO eligibility requirements. The concept paper needs to describe the proposed technology and describe the uniqueness and innovativeness of the technology and how it is advancing the state—the current state of the art, as well as identify risks and challenges of the technology and the regulatory and financial aspects of the proposal, including possible mitigation strategies, and show the impact that DOE funding and the proposed project will have on the relevant field and application. It is important that the applicants have the qualifications, experience, capabilities, and other resources necessary to complete the proposed project. And also, the proposed work, if successfully accomplished, will clearly meet the objectives in this NOFO. Next slide, please. 

The compliance review: all submissions for concept papers, Stage 1 applications, and Stage 2 applications must comply with the content and form requirements listed in NOFO Parts 1 and 2, Application Content Requirements and Submission Requirements and Deadlines of the NOFO. Include all required documents for each submission. Upload successfully—uploaded successfully in the eXCHANGE site indicated in the Key Facts section at the beginning of the NOFO. Meet the submission deadline stated in Key Facts, no later than 5 p.m. ET, and Josh made a very good point of remembering to submit even earlier than 5 p.m. ET. DOE will not review or consider submissions submitted—that are not submitted to the correct eXCHANGE site for this NOFO, are submitted after the due date and time, and are incomplete. We can move to the next slide, please.

DOE will not review or consider the following concept papers, Stage 1 applications, Stage 2 applications. Project concept or approaches identified as not of interest in NOFO Part 1, Applications Specifically Not of Interest, this bullet here. I don't need to go through that; they are in the NOFO. Applicants and applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria in NOFO Parts 1 and 2. Stage 1 applications from applicants who were not invited to apply following the review of the concept paper submissions. Stage 2 applications from applicants who were not invited to apply following the review of their Stage 1 submission. Next. 

So, technical review criteria for Topic Area 1 only. So, in addition to all the compliance review and responsiveness review, obviously applications are also evaluated based on their technical criteria. Rigorous technical reviews of eligible submissions are conducted by reviewers that are expert in the subject matter of the NOFO. The criterion considered for the Topic Area 1—actually, Topic Area 2 are displayed in the table. At the end, the selection official considers the recommendation of the reviewers along with other considerations, such as program policy factor and risk reviews, in determining which applications to select. And next slide. 

Some of the selection factors are mentioned here. So, the selection official takes into account items such as technology diversity, DOE funding optimization, industry involvement, job creation, accelerating technology advancement, geographic diversity, among others. Please find all of this information in the NOFO. And with this, I will pass it to Josh for final comments. And thank you very much.

Josh Messner 

Great. Thank you, Sonia. Next slide. Or… there we go. Questions about this funding opportunity can be submitted to ASPECT@doe.gov. Questions that were submitted in the chat during today's webinar will be answered and posted on DOE eXCHANGE along with this webinar recording and today's presentation slides in a few business days. Looking at the amount of questions that we've received so far, about 100, it could take a little while for our very small diminished team to get through all those, but we will get through those as quickly as we possibly can. So, we're going to attempt to respond to those questions within three business days unless there's a similar question that's already been answered and posted on the website. Problems logging onto the DOE eXCHANGE or uploading and submitting application documents to eXCHANGE, you can, again, email that EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov and include the ASPECT NOFO title and the number DE-FOA-0003647 in the subject line for any support. 

I do want to note that in the chat, not the Slido, but the chat, there are links to all of the things that we discussed today, including the NOFO itself, and EERE eXCHANGE and some of these Q&A. So, with that, I'd like to thank you for your time today, and good luck. Andrew, I think you have one last thing to say. 

Andrew Taylor

Yes, yes, yes. Thank you, everyone, for joining us today. We have included links in the chat for the ASPECT pages that Josh mentioned. The webinar will be posted on AFFO's website and DOE eXCHANGE in the coming weeks along with these slides. Use the links in the chat also to sign up for AFFO news, events, our newsletter, and funding opportunities updates. Again, if you have any questions, feel free to send an email to the ASPECT team at ASPECT@doe.gov. Thank you. Have a great day.

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