Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002120
This notice is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002120. It is not a grant or cooperative agreement competition and it is not accepting applications for financial assistance. ARPA-E is using the RFI to collect feedback that could shape a future funding program, but no Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) exists at this time. The RFI was created on April 2, 2019, and the original closing date for responses was May 29, 2019.
The central idea behind the RFI is to explore a potential new initiative focused on "pre-pilot" and "pilot" research and development projects that help scale up technologies previously funded by ARPA-E. ARPA-E is specifically interested in technologies that have already demonstrated proof of concept under past or current ARPA-E awards, but still face the well-known gap between lab-scale success and real-world deployment. The envisioned effort would emphasize the practical work needed to move from prototypes toward early manufacturing and pilot-scale demonstrations, with an eye toward making these technologies reliable, manufacturable, and scalable in realistic operating conditions.
A key feature of what ARPA-E is considering is a public-private partnership structure. Rather than relying solely on federal support, the potential program would deliberately involve investors and private-sector industry partners to help de-risk and validate the next stage of development. The underlying goal is to create a clearer path for continued private-sector development after the pre-pilot or pilot phase is complete, so that successful technologies can transition into commercialization and broader deployment. ARPA-E also highlights a longer-term national benefit: beyond energy outcomes, advancing these technologies through scale-up and piloting could help establish or expand a domestic U.S. manufacturing base for advanced energy technologies.
Through the RFI, ARPA-E is seeking several types of input. First, it wants to identify which ARPA-E-funded technologies are far enough along to justify a scale-up R&D effort, especially those ready for work on manufacturability, reliability, repeatability, and related scale-up challenges. Second, it wants to identify the specific companies or organizations that would be positioned to lead the next stage of development for those technologies, implying an interest in credible leadership teams with the capabilities to execute pre-pilot and pilot projects. Third, ARPA-E is trying to gauge real market interest from potential investors and industry partners who might contribute capital, facilities, expertise, supply-chain support, offtake interest, or other forms of participation that would strengthen the case for a future program.
In addition to identifying candidate technologies and partners, the RFI is also meant to help ARPA-E think through program design details, including how a future funding opportunity might be structured and managed when investor and industry participation is part of the model. That includes considerations such as partnership roles, incentives, cost-share expectations in concept, project governance, milestones and down-selects, and how to measure readiness and success at the pre-pilot and pilot stages. ARPA-E notes that information submitted in response to the RFI may be used for internal program planning and for shaping what a later FOA could look like, if ARPA-E decides to proceed.
Finally, the RFI also served a community-building purpose tied to timing around the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in July 2019. ARPA-E explicitly mentions facilitating engagement between innovators and potential partners, with the intent to help make connections in advance of the Summit. In practical terms, this RFI functioned both as a market scan of scale-ready ARPA-E technologies and as a way to surface interested companies, investors, and industrial stakeholders who could form the backbone of public-private teams if a formal program were launched later.
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted in the source data (open to any type of entity, subject to any clarifications in the full text). The funding instrument types shown in the record include cooperative agreements and grants, and the activity category is science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 81.135). However, those fields should be read in context: this specific notice is strictly an RFI, not a live funding opportunity, and it does not provide awards. Any actual funding, award size, number of awards, and application requirements would only be established if ARPA-E later issued a formal FOA.Apply for DE FOA 0002120
- The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "RFI -Pre-pilot and Pilot R&D Projects to Scale, Mature, and Advance ARPA-E Funded Technologies." and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 02, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 29, 2019 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.. (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 $1.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is this opportunity (DE-FOA-0002120)?
This notice is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002120. An RFI is a request for feedback and market/technical input, not a request for proposals and not a funding competition.
2) Is this a grant or cooperative agreement competition?
No. This notice is not a grant or cooperative agreement competition. ARPA-E is not accepting applications for financial assistance under this RFI.
3) Can I submit an application for funding under this RFI?
No. ARPA-E is not accepting applications for financial assistance in response to this RFI. The purpose is to collect information that could influence a future program.
4) Does a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) exist right now for this topic?
No. ARPA-E states that no FOA exists at this time. The RFI is intended to gather input that could shape a future funding program if ARPA-E decides to proceed.
5) What is ARPA-E trying to learn through this RFI?
ARPA-E is collecting feedback to help decide whether to create a future initiative and, if so, how it should be designed. The RFI is being used to identify scale-ready technologies previously funded by ARPA-E, potential organizations capable of leading pre-pilot and pilot efforts, and the level of real market interest from investors and industry partners.
6) What is the central idea behind the potential future initiative?
The RFI explores a possible new initiative focused on "pre-pilot" and "pilot" research and development projects intended to scale up technologies that ARPA-E previously funded. The emphasis is on bridging the gap between laboratory proof-of-concept and real-world deployment.
7) What types of technologies are in scope?
ARPA-E is specifically interested in technologies that have already demonstrated proof of concept under past or current ARPA-E awards, but still need additional work to become reliable, manufacturable, and scalable under realistic operating conditions.
8) What does ARPA-E mean by "pre-pilot" and "pilot" in this context?
Based on the RFI description, the envisioned work is the practical scale-up and demonstration phase that sits between prototypes and broader deployment. This includes efforts toward early manufacturing readiness and pilot-scale demonstrations in realistic operating conditions.
9) What kinds of challenges is ARPA-E targeting at the scale-up stage?
The RFI highlights scale-up challenges such as manufacturability, reliability, repeatability, and other issues that commonly arise when moving from lab-scale success to real-world operation and production.
10) Why is ARPA-E considering a public-private partnership structure?
ARPA-E is considering a model that deliberately involves investors and private-sector industry partners, rather than relying solely on federal support. The intent is to de-risk and validate the next stage of development and to create a clearer path for continued private-sector development after the pre-pilot or pilot phase.
11) What roles might investors and industry partners play?
ARPA-E is trying to gauge interest from partners who might contribute capital, facilities, expertise, supply-chain support, offtake interest, or other forms of participation that would strengthen the case for a future program.
12) What is ARPA-E looking for regarding leadership teams or organizations?
The RFI seeks input on which companies or organizations would be positioned to lead the next stage of development for candidate technologies. This implies interest in credible leaders with the ability to execute pre-pilot and pilot projects.
13) How will ARPA-E use information submitted in response to the RFI?
ARPA-E notes that RFI responses may be used for internal program planning and to shape what a later FOA could look like, if ARPA-E decides to proceed with a formal program.
14) Does responding to the RFI guarantee future funding?
No. The RFI is for information-gathering only. Any future funding opportunity would require ARPA-E to issue a formal FOA, and details such as awards, requirements, and selection would only exist under that later announcement.
15) What program design topics is ARPA-E asking the community to inform?
The RFI is meant to help ARPA-E think through potential design and management details for a future funding effort, including partnership roles, incentives, cost-share expectations in concept, project governance, milestones and down-selects, and how to measure readiness and success at the pre-pilot and pilot stages.
16) Is there any focus beyond energy outcomes?
Yes. ARPA-E notes a longer-term national benefit: scaling and piloting advanced energy technologies could help establish or expand a domestic U.S. manufacturing base for advanced energy technologies.
17) How does this RFI relate to the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit?
ARPA-E indicates the RFI also serves a community-building purpose tied to timing around the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in July 2019. The RFI was intended to facilitate engagement between innovators and potential partners and help make connections in advance of the Summit.
18) When was the RFI created, and what was the response deadline?
The RFI was created on April 2, 2019. The original closing date for responses was May 29, 2019.
19) Who is eligible to respond?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted in the source data, meaning it is open to any type of entity, subject to any clarifications in the full text of the RFI notice.
20) The record shows grants and cooperative agreements. Does that mean funding is available now?
No. Even though the record lists funding instrument types such as cooperative agreements and grants (and includes an activity category of science and technology and other research and development, CFDA 81.135), this specific notice is strictly an RFI and does not provide awards. Any funding details would only be defined if ARPA-E later issued a formal FOA.
21) What funding details are available (award size, number of awards, etc.)?
None are provided in this RFI. ARPA-E indicates that any award size, number of awards, and application requirements would only be established if a formal FOA is issued later.
22) What is the overarching goal if ARPA-E later launches a program?
The stated goal is to move ARPA-E-funded technologies from prototype/proof-of-concept toward early manufacturing and pilot-scale demonstration, with added validation from private-sector participation, so successful technologies can transition toward commercialization and broader deployment.
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