FY 2027 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program

FY 2027 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program

The Department of Energy’s Office of Science (DOE SC) has opened its FY 2027 continuation solicitation, DE-FOA-0003665. It is the current annual open call for research within SC’s congressionally authorized mission. DOE posted the notice on September 30, 2026. It replaces the FY 2026 notice, DE-FOA-0003600, whose cycle ended on September 30, 2026. The new call is currently open. It is not an extension of the old FY 2026 round: applications must follow the FY 2027 notice and its attached requirements.

This opportunity has a broad annual structure, but it is not a general-purpose research grant with uniform subject matter or a single review date. Each proposal must match one of the listed SC programs and the topic guidance in the notice. Individual topics may use scheduled review panels, and an application that misses a panel’s acceptance date may wait for a later panel. The overall notice stays open until September 30, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, or until DOE issues a successor notice, whichever happens first. Treat the topic-specific guidance as part of the schedule before deciding when to submit.

Funding and project scope

DOE SC expects approximately $400 million from current and future fiscal year funds for this notice. The amount is subject to the availability of future appropriations; it is not a guarantee that a particular amount will be awarded or that each program area will receive a fixed share. The federal opportunity listing displays an award floor of $5,000 and ceiling of $10,000,000. The notice itself says award size depends on the number of meritorious applications and available appropriations. Applicants should use the selected topic’s guidance and their project’s real costs to develop a defensible budget rather than treating the listing’s limits as a typical award.

The anticipated project period is six months to five years, with three years the most common. Prepare budgets in 12-month periods. The actual start date and budget periods are negotiated if DOE recommends a project for an award. Continuation funding depends on appropriations, progress toward approved objectives, required reporting, and compliance with award terms.

The call supports six program areas:

• Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR): applied mathematics, computer science, scientific computing, computing technologies, and related work described in the notice.
• Basic Energy Sciences (BES): fundamental research in materials sciences and engineering; chemical sciences, geosciences, and biosciences; and scientific user facilities.
• Biological and Environmental Research (BER): basic biological and environmental research priorities specified for this cycle.
• Fusion Energy Sciences (FES): research across the fusion and plasma science topics listed in the notice.
• High Energy and Nuclear Physics (HENP): experimental and theoretical research, computing, instrumentation, accelerator science, and other stated high-energy and nuclear physics topics.
• Isotope R&D and Production (IRP): isotope production routes, targetry, separation and purification, and the other research areas in the notice.

The FY 2027 notice updates topic descriptions and panel instructions. A proposal that fit an earlier cycle is not automatically responsive in this one. Read the current topic text, identify the program manager or contact for that topic, and explain the scientific question and proposed method in the terms of that program. DOE funds basic research to advance understanding. Work aimed at a commercial opportunity or current customer need may be declined without merit review. For-profit applicants must include an appendix of no more than 200 words explaining how the proposed work advances basic and fundamental scientific understanding.

Who may apply

The notice allows all applicant types except nonprofit organizations described under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engaged in lobbying after December 31, 1995. It also excludes entities that are debarred, suspended, otherwise barred from federal awards, or on the relevant Treasury sanctions list. The notice prohibits entities of concern from participating; review the current Part 2 eligibility rules for definitions and additional restrictions before assembling a team.

DOE/NNSA national laboratories cannot submit as the lead applicant under this call. They may be proposed as subrecipients, subject to DOE’s Field Work Proposal process and authorization requirements. Non-DOE/NNSA federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) may apply as a lead or team member, or join as subrecipients; funding is routed through their sponsoring Federal agency or under the applicable arrangement. Other Federal agencies may likewise apply as leads, team members, or subrecipients, with any award handled through an interagency agreement. These distinctions affect the award mechanism and paperwork, so federally affiliated teams should read the eligibility section and Part 2 carefully before choosing a lead organization.

Individuals are not categorically excluded. A principal investigator must work with an eligible organization or otherwise demonstrate the skills, resources, and ability to conduct the proposed research. Non-domestic applicants must provide a detailed explanation of the relevant skills, resources, and abilities that do not exist among potential domestic applicants. International collaboration should therefore be planned around the eligibility language and federal award terms rather than assumed to be unrestricted.

Cost sharing is not required for basic and fundamental research awards made under the standard federal financial assistance rules. There is a specific qualification for Other Transaction Authority (OTA) awards: to the maximum extent practicable, non-Federal parties carrying out an R&D project under an OTA are to provide at least 50 percent cost sharing. Federal entities and certain federally affiliated organizations have separate cost-share rules. Confirm the intended award instrument and applicable rule in the notice instead of assuming that the standard no-cost-share treatment applies to every award type.

Application process and materials

Applications are submitted through Grants.gov. Letters of intent are not applicable to this FY 2027 notice. When a topic permits or requires a pre-application, submit it through DOE SC’s Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS), not through Grants.gov. Pre-applications are optional for many topics, but some review panels require or strongly encourage them and may set specific target dates. A missing optional pre-application does not by itself count against a responsive application; for a panel that requires one, the application must be associated with an encouraged pre-application to be considered. Check the exact topic section for its prerequisites, content instructions, and dates before planning the full submission.

Start the organization’s registrations early. The lead applicant must register with SAM.gov, obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and have an active Grants.gov account and authorized submitter. DOE advises organizations new to these systems to allow at least four weeks for registrations and enrollments. These registrations are free. Check that they remain active and that the organization’s authorized representative can submit before the target panel date.

The application package follows DOE’s Research and Related (R&R) forms and the requirements in both parts of the notice. Plan to assemble the SF-424 (R&R), project and performance information, senior/key person profiles, budget forms, subaward budgets if applicable, project site information, and disclosures and attachments required for the proposal. The project narrative should define the scientific objective, explain how it fits the chosen program topic, describe the research plan and methods, set out milestones or evidence of progress, and justify the requested resources. Letters of collaboration or access may be included as allowed by the instructions. For a pre-application, follow the panel’s content and page instructions and submit it in PAMS; the full application is then submitted in Grants.gov and associated with the pre-application where required.

Before pressing submit, verify that the correct current-year package is being used, the selected topic and application type are accurate, the budget matches the narrative and work plan, every required form is present, and the submission has enough time to clear Grants.gov validation. Follow both the common NOFO instructions and the topic-specific requirements. Keep the Grants.gov tracking and submission confirmation with the institution’s records. Questions about technical scope belong with the contact listed for the relevant program area. The notice lists [email protected] for administrative questions about budgets and eligibility and PAMS helpdesk information for system issues.

Review and selection

DOE first checks eligibility, completeness, required pre-applications or letters of intent, mandatory requirements, fit with the notice, and whether the proposal duplicates program work. Applications that do not pass this initial compliance review are removed before scientific peer review. The technical criteria then rank scientific and technical merit, the suitability of the proposed approach, the qualifications of the team and adequacy of resources, budget reasonableness, and the data management and sharing plan. The first criterion has the highest stated importance. Reviewers are asked to consider originality, likelihood of valuable results, feasibility, risks and alternatives, fit with published priorities, team capability, facilities, and the clarity of the data-sharing plan.

DOE reviews and considers applications on a rolling basis, while panel schedules and program-area priorities still shape timing. A proposal that misses a topic panel’s acceptance date may be held until the next panel. The notice also cautions that applications submitted during the latter half of the federal fiscal year, April 1 through September 30, may be considered for funding in the next fiscal year because the federal budget cycle affects available funds. Selection also depends on appropriated funds and program considerations such as relevance to SC priorities, balance across the portfolio, past performance, and plans to share research results. A strong peer review does not guarantee an award; scope, compliance, budget, and available funds all remain part of the decision.

Building a responsive proposal

A persuasive submission begins with a narrow research problem that belongs in one SC program area. Explain what is not yet understood, why the question matters to that program, and what result would count as meaningful progress. Connect the methods to the question rather than presenting a list of equipment or capabilities. Where a project crosses disciplines, identify the primary program fit and make the contribution to each participating field clear.

Budget and duration should follow the research plan. Include the staff effort, facilities, instruments, computing, materials, travel, and subawards needed for the work, then explain why those costs are appropriate. The published range is broad and the funding pool is finite, so avoid relying on the headline ceiling as evidence that a large request is justified. Specify dependencies and risks that could affect the schedule, and use milestones that reviewers can assess. If the research depends on access to a facility, data, software, or a partner’s expertise, document that access in the form permitted by the application instructions.

For a multi-institution team, make roles and budget responsibilities unambiguous. Confirm that each participating entity is eligible for its proposed role and that any federally affiliated participant has the required approval path. Where a program asks for a pre-application, keep the full proposal consistent with it, including the project title, team, objectives, and topic. Contact the program manager early if those elements need to change so that the proposal is routed to the intended review panel.

Official sources and status

The DOE Office of Science open FOAs page lists the FY 2027 notice, its close date, and the pre-application and panel caveats. The official FY 2027 NOFO Part 1 PDF contains program descriptions, eligibility, submission instructions, application content, and review requirements. The Simpler.Grants.gov opportunity listing provides the federal listing record and displayed award range. Read the accompanying NOFO Part 2 as well; DOE states applicants must review both parts before applying.

The program has not ended. The FY 2026 call has been succeeded by an announced FY 2027 cycle, so this page describes the active solicitation and should be treated as an open opportunity. Confirm that DE-FOA-0003665 remains current before filing because a successor notice can replace it before the stated end of the window.