Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002322
The FY2020 AMO Critical Materials FOA: Next-Generation Technologies and Field Validation (DE-FOA-0002322) is a U.S. Department of Energy funding opportunity run through the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) and administered by the DOE Golden Field Office. Its central goal is to strengthen U.S. supply chains for materials that are considered critical to major clean energy technologies, especially where the United States faces supply risk, limited domestic processing capacity, or heavy reliance on foreign sources. The FOA is designed to move beyond basic research by supporting practical technology development and real-world validation work that can help domestic manufacturing scale.
The opportunity focuses on closing gaps that limit U.S. production of high-efficiency and high-energy-density clean energy technologies. In practical terms, it aims to (1) enable domestic manufacturing that depends on these materials, (2) diversify and secure the domestic supply of critical materials, and (3) validate and demonstrate innovative, U.S.-based technologies that can realistically transition into manufacturing and commercial use. The work is expected to target the upstream and midstream parts of the supply chain, meaning improvements in extraction, separation, and processing, rather than only end-use product design.
The FOA identifies specific critical materials tied directly to key clean energy applications. For permanent magnets used in electric vehicle motors, wind turbine generators, and certain high-temperature uses, the FOA highlights rare earth elements including neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), and samarium (Sm). For battery technologies supporting electric vehicles and grid storage, and for some high-temperature permanent magnet contexts, it calls out cobalt (Co). It also includes lithium (Li), manganese (Mn), and natural graphite as battery-related critical materials. By naming these materials, DOE is signaling where it wants applicants to concentrate technology pathways that can reduce supply vulnerability while supporting growth in EVs, renewable generation, and energy storage.
A notable feature of this FOA is its intention to leverage prior federal investments, specifically the technology base and capabilities developed at the Critical Materials Institute (CMI). CMI is an Energy Innovation Hub led by Ames Laboratory and managed by DOE, and it has historically worked on issues like rare earth separation, recycling, substitutes, and process improvements. The FOA language indicates DOE wants applicants to build on and translate that kind of work into next-generation approaches and field-demonstrated solutions that can be adopted by U.S. industry.
From an applicant and award structure standpoint, this is categorized under the Energy funding activity area (CFDA 81.086) and uses a Cooperative Agreement as the primary funding instrument. A cooperative agreement generally implies substantial federal involvement during the project, such as DOE technical engagement or active program management, which often fits demonstration and validation efforts where performance, milestones, and deployment-relevant learning are important. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the competition is open broadly to different entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications contained in the full FOA text.
Key administrative details included in the source information are: the FOA was created May 15, 2020, with an original closing date of August 11, 2020. DOE listed an anticipated award ceiling of up to $30,000,000, with an expectation of around 10 awards. Taken together, those figures suggest DOE anticipated funding multiple projects, potentially at meaningful scale, consistent with the emphasis on demonstration, validation, and technologies that can transition toward manufacturing.
The FOA also emphasizes that applications and submissions are handled through EERE Exchange, DOE’s online portal, which enforces deadlines automatically. Applicants are pointed to an official FAQ log for FOA-specific questions (hosted on eere-exchange.energy.gov), and the notice underscores a practical reality of federal submissions: the system disables the Apply and Submit buttons at the deadline, and last-minute network congestion is common. If technical issues arise before the deadline, applicants are instructed to contact the EERE Exchange helpdesk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. If severe technical difficulties prevent on-time submission, the same helpdesk is the required route for assistance, including the possibility of help finalizing a submission with the applicant’s concurrence, though the FOA warns that waiting until the final minutes can leave applicants without recourse if uploads fail.
Overall, this opportunity is best understood as DOE’s push to turn critical materials R&D into deployable, domestically anchored solutions. It targets the most supply-sensitive ingredients for magnets and batteries, and it prioritizes technology development plus field validation work that can make U.S.-based extraction, separation, and processing more capable, more scalable, and more competitive for the clean energy manufacturing wave.Apply for DE FOA 0002322
- The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2020 AMO Critical Materials FOA: Next-Generation Technologies and Field Validation" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 15, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 11, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $30,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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| Notice of Request for Information (RFI) on the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s in support of Battery Critical Materials Supply Chain R&D Apply for DE FOA 0002358 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002358 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| ASSISTING FEDERAL FACILITIES WITH ENERGY CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGIES (AFFECT) 2020 Apply for DE FOA 0002329 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002329 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Hydrogen Technologies RFI-DE-FOA-0002369 Apply for DE FOA 0002369 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002369 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Commercial Domestic Production of Moly-99 without the Use of Highly Enriched Uranium Apply for DE FOA 0002303 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002303 Agency: Department of Energy, NNSA Category: Energy Funding Amount: $35,000,000 |
| FY 2021 Bioenergy Technologies Office Multi-Topic Request for Information (RFI) DE-FOA-0002386 Apply for DE FOA 0002386 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002386 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| Carbon Ore, Rare Earth and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative for United States (U.S.) Basins Apply for DE FOA 0002364 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002364 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $23,725,000 |
| Notice of Intent to issue DE-FOA-0002397 titled University Turbine Systems Research (UTSR) – Focus on Hydrogen Fuels Apply for DE FOA 0002428 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002428 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| Research Needs Related to Enhanced Weathering as a Mechanism for Carbon Dioxide Removal Apply for DE FOA 0002427 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002427 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Integrated University Program – Scholarship and Fellowship Support Apply for DE FOA 0002265 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002265 Agency: Department of Energy, Idaho Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Notice of Intent to issue DE-FOA-0002438 titled Design, R&D, Validation, and Fabrication of a Prototype Carbon-Based Building Apply for DE FOA 0002442 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002442 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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