Atmospheric System Research | DE FOA 0001845

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001845

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) in the Climate and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD), is offering grant funding under the Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001845). The opportunity focuses on advancing the science needed to better understand and predict how clouds, aerosols, precipitation, and radiative transfer shape Earths radiative balance and the hydrological cycle. A central motivation is to address process-level gaps that currently limit the skill of regional and global climate models, especially where model physics or parameterizations do not adequately represent key atmospheric processes.

Projects are expected to be grounded in observations supported by CESD, with a strong emphasis on leveraging the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) scientific user facility and ASR-supported observations. The solicitation is open to research grant applications proposing observational studies, data analysis efforts, and/or modeling work that tightly connects with these datasets. In practical terms, DOE is looking for studies that use real-world measurements (often from ARM field sites and campaigns) to test hypotheses, quantify mechanisms, and translate that understanding into improved model representation. The targeted science themes highlighted in the announcement include specified aerosol processes, high-latitude atmospheric processes, and ice cloud processes, with an overarching goal of improving how models capture these phenomena and their impacts on radiation and precipitation.

Eligibility is broadly described as unrestricted, but with several important exclusions and participation limits. Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors are not eligible to apply, and certain nonprofit organizations (specifically 501(c)(4) groups that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995) are excluded. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are also not eligible, either as the prime applicant or even as a subawardee on a team, which is a notable restriction compared with some other federal research opportunities. There are also limits on how many proposals a given researcher can be involved in: an individual may participate in no more than two applications total in any senior role (lead PI, co-I, or other senior personnel), and may serve as lead principal investigator on only one application submitted under this funding opportunity.

Non-domestic organizations are allowed to apply, but DOE flags extra expectations and realism checks for those applicants. Individual applicants (as opposed to institutions) are cautioned that they are unlikely to have the breadth of skills and resources needed, and are encouraged to directly explain how they will meet the objectives if applying. Non-domestic applicants are advised that successful proposals typically include a clear, detailed justification showing they provide unique skills, abilities, or resources that are not available among domestic (U.S.) organizations, essentially setting a higher bar for demonstrating why funding should go overseas.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant in the science and technology / research and development category, associated with CFDA 81.049. The opportunity was created on November 16, 2017, and listed an original closing date of February 28, 2018. The award ceiling is stated as $700,000. Overall, the announcement is geared toward atmospheric process research that uses ARM/ASR observations to make measurable improvements in scientific understanding and in the way climate and weather models represent aerosols, high-latitude conditions, and ice cloud behavior, with the broader payoff being better predictive capability for climate-relevant radiation and water-cycle outcomes.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Atmospheric System Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-02-28. (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 $700,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0001845

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