The Department of Energy (DOE) announced funding to establish new Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) at community colleges, trade schools, and union training programs, as well as to create new Building Training and Assessment Centers (BTACs) at institutions of higher education, including tribal colleges and universities.
The new IACs and BTACs will build upon the demonstrated success of existing IACs, while drawing on the unique strengths, geographic reach, faculty expertise, and students at trade schools, community colleges, union training programs, and other institutions of higher education. BTACs will expand these benefits to commercial and institutional buildings to help them lower utility costs and reinvest in their bottom line, employees, and community services.
This guide provides tips for the key items you’ll need to get started—but be sure to read the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in its entirety, too!
Learn More and Apply
1. Register in eXCHANGE and SAM
Register for Infrastructure eXCHANGE to access all open Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and submit applications.
DOE recommends that each organization or business unit, whether acting as a team or a single entity, use only one account as the contact point for each submission. DOE also recommends confirming your institution is registered with the System for Award Management (SAM), which is necessary for all federal grant recipients.
Entities who are not yet registered should prioritize doing so, as new registration can take up to 10 business days to become active.
2. Determine if IAC and/or BTAC is a fit
Determine if the opportunity is a good fit for you by reading the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). In particular:
- Section I.A. (Background and Context) of the FOA describes the strategic goals of the funding programs.
- Sections I.B. (Topic Areas) and I.C. (Teaming Partner List) provide details that can help you decide if such a project is the right fit for your institution and community.
- Section II. provides information on the funding available.
3. Ensure eligibility
Make sure you’re eligible by reviewing the eligibility requirements. You can find the information in Section III. (Eligibility Information) of the Funding Opportunity Announcement.
4. Identify partners
Institutions can apply individually, but DOE encourages eligible entities to team up on a single application in order to:
- Ease the administrative burdens associated with managing a federal grant.
- Maximize the scope, reach, and level of ambition for the proposed projects and programs.
- Encourage sharing of capacity, knowledge, expertise, lessons learned and best practices across jurisdictions.
DOE encourages eligible entities to collocate BTACs and IACs, where possible.
Pro tip: Register to participate in the Teaming Partner List! The Teaming Partner List enables organizations who may wish to collaborate on an application to express their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships. You can also see other entrants on the Teaming Partner List at the FOA link in eXCHANGE.
5. Craft a concept paper
Section IV.C. (Content and Form of the Concept Paper) describes the requirements for the concept paper. Consider the Technical Review Criteria and Program Policy Factors in Section V. in developing your materials.
6. Submit in eXCHANGE
Submit your concept paper in Infrastructure eXCHANGE by May 25, 2023, at 5 p.m. ET using the instructions in Section IV. (Application and Submission Information) of the FOA. You can find more information in Section VI.B.i (Registration Requirements) in the FOA.
Next Steps
DOE will review all the submitted concept papers and let each applicant know whether they are encouraged to submit a full application or discouraged from doing so. Full applications will be due on July 31, 2023. See Section IV.D. (Content and Form of the Full Application) of the FOA for more details on what will be needed for the full application.
Questions?
Email your questions to IACProgram@doe.gov.