The Water Security Grand Challenge includes Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) from across the participating offices at the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal partners. 

When they are available, Notices of Intent (NOI) for future FOAs will appear here.

Crosscutting Research for Coal-Fueled Power Plants/ Coal Power Plant Dry Cooling Technologies

This FOA will focus on Coal Power Plant Dry Cooling Technologies. Power plant dry cooling technologies with lower cost, higher performance, and decreased water consumption will be advanced–consistent with the Water Security Grand Challenge, to advance transformational technology and innovation to meet the global need for safe, secure, and affordable water. These technologies will be developed such that operational complexity and cost are minimized under cycling operating conditions to enhance the tolerance of fossil power generation to reduced water availability scenarios such as droughts or competing needs like agriculture.

Funding Opportunity for Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research

This FOA is offered by DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy to develop innovative technologies that offer the promise of dramatically improved performance of nuclear topic.  Among the topics in this FOA is the use of advanced nuclear-renewable integrated energy systems to advance transformational technology and innovation to meet the global need for safe, secure, and affordable water. Areas of interest include novel system control and optimized operational dispatch that support processes for the purification of water coupled with electricity generation.

U.S.-Israel Cooperation in Energy and Water Technologies Call for Proposals (CLOSED)

The Office of International Affairs offered this Call for Proposals through the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation.  Among the topics being researched is the energy-water nexus, which focuses on testbeds for energy-smart water infrastructure.  Energy-water domains of interest for the testbeds include drinking water, municipal wastewater, desalination, oil and gas operations, and thermoelectric power plant operations.

Crosscutting Research for Coal-Fueled Power Plants FOA (CLOSED)

DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy offered this FOA to develop solutions to challenges facing the existing fleet of coal power plants as well as technologies that can enhance the performance and economics of future coal plants. Water management is one of the topics of interest under this FOA.

Bioenergy Technologies Office Multi-Topic (CLOSED)

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) offered this FOA with topics that include rethinking anaerobic digestion, specifically enhancing conversion efficiency of smaller scale wet waste systems. These technologies could be useful for energy recovery in municipal wastewater plants.

Fiscal Year 2019 Commercial Trucks and Off-road Applications FOA: Natural Gas, Hydrogen, Biopower, and Electrification Technologies (CLOSED)

In the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's transportation sector, the Vehicle Technologies Office, the Fuel Cell Technologies Office, and the Bioenergy Technologies Office have provided funding for this research. Among the topics of interest for this FOA is waste-to-energy research from waste streams including municipal wastewater. 

University Training and Research FOA for Fossil Energy (CLOSED)

From the DOE Office of Fossil Energy, this FOA was for the solicitation of applications from United States Colleges and Universities for Fossil Energy Research. Among the topics of interest is coal plant effluent water reuse.

Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research FOA (CLOSED)

DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy offered this funding opportunity that is now closed.  Among the topics of interest is utilizing special purpose small modular reactors for water purification.

Low Cost, Efficient Treatment Technologies for Produced Water (CLOSED)

The Office of Fossil Energy offered this FOA to develop treatment technologies to remove constituents in oil- and gas-produced water that complicate the use of current or future desalination technologies.

Energy-Water Desalination Hub 

EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office has funded the Energy-Water Desalination Hub. The Hub's focus is on early-stage research and development (R&D) for energy-efficient and cost-competitive desalination technologies, including manufacturing challenges, and for treating non-traditional water sources for multiple end-use applications. The Energy-Water Desalination Hub is organized around four topic areas: 1) Materials Research and Development, 2) New Process R&D, 3) Modeling and Simulation Tools, and 4) Integrated Data and Analysis. 

Solar Desalination Funding Opportunity Awards 

The Solar Desalination funding program is exploring novel technologies using solar-thermal energy to assist in creating freshwater from otherwise unusable waters like seawater, brackish water, and contaminated water.

University Training and Research FOA for Fossil Energy  

Funded projects include the development of a blowdown water treatment process using produced water and waste heat to maximize water reuse and saleable byproduct generation.