Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001858
OPEN 2018 (DE-FOA-0001858) is an ARPA-E funding opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. ARPA-E was created by Congress under the America COMPETES Act to strengthen U.S. economic and energy security by accelerating the development of advanced energy technologies. The agency's core mission is tied to three big national outcomes: reducing U.S. dependence on imported energy, cutting energy-related emissions (including greenhouse gases), and improving energy efficiency across the economy, while also helping the United States stay ahead technologically in next-generation energy innovation. The solicitation is issued under ARPA-E's authorizing statute (42 U.S.C. 16538) and awards are governed by federal assistance rules in 2 C.F.R. Part 200 (as amended) and 2 C.F.R. Part 910.
The OPEN solicitations are ARPA-E's broad, catch-all mechanism for funding ideas that do not neatly fit inside the agency's "focused" program areas. ARPA-E typically runs specialized programs with clearly defined technical targets in selected technology domains, but those programs cannot cover every emerging concept, and new breakthroughs often appear after a targeted program closes. OPEN 2018 is the fourth installment of this open-topic approach (following OPEN calls in 2009, 2012, and 2015), continuing ARPA-E's roughly three-year cycle. The intent is to capture a wide snapshot of cutting-edge energy R&D across the full landscape of applications and to avoid missing disruptive opportunities that fall outside existing program boundaries. ARPA-E explicitly frames OPEN as a complement to the focused programs, and it points to prior OPEN-funded projects as examples of the type of creativity and ambition it wants to see.
The objective of OPEN 2018 is to support high-risk, high-reward research and development that is still early enough to be unattractive for typical private investment, but mature enough that a modest, time-bounded ARPA-E award could materially move it forward. ARPA-E is looking for potentially transformational technologies across both stationary and transportation energy systems. The topic scope is intentionally very broad and includes, but is not limited to, electricity generation (conventional and renewable), power transmission and distribution, grid and other energy storage, and energy efficiency improvements in buildings, manufacturing, commercial activity, and end-use consumption. It also includes transportation-related innovation such as fuels (renewable and non-renewable), fuel production and distribution, electrification, and vehicle or system-level efficiency.
Because OPEN covers virtually the entire energy spectrum, ARPA-E does not provide the kind of pre-set performance metrics and technical targets common in its focused program FOAs. Instead, applicants carry the burden of proving why their idea matters. A central evaluation theme is ARPA-E's blunt test: "If it works, will it matter?" In practice, that means proposals need to make a compelling, evidence-based case that the technology, if successful, could produce meaningful impact on at least one of ARPA-E's mission areas (import reduction, emissions reduction, efficiency gains) and ideally reshape what is possible in an energy market or application. The strongest concepts are typically those that are not incremental improvements, but could plausibly change cost, performance, scalability, or deployment pathways enough to alter the energy landscape.
From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses a Cooperative Agreement as the funding instrument, which usually implies substantial federal involvement during the project compared with a standard grant. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity may apply (for example, universities, national labs, companies, startups, nonprofits, or teams/consortia), subject to any eligibility clarifications in the full FOA. The CFDA number is 81.135. The FOA was created on December 13, 2017, and the concept paper deadline (and original closing date listed) was February 12, 2018, with ARPA-E encouraging applicants to submit at least 48 hours before the deadline to avoid last-minute submission issues.
In terms of award scale, the maximum award amount listed is $10,000,000, and ARPA-E anticipated making about 50 awards under this solicitation. Applicants were directed to obtain and follow the full FOA package through ARPA-E's FOA portal (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), where the detailed application requirements, evaluation criteria, and submission process would be spelled out.Apply for DE FOA 0001858
- 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 "OPEN 2018" 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 Dec 13, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 12, 2018 The Concept Paper Due Date is 02/12/2018. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline.. (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 $10,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 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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FAQs: ARPA-E OPEN 2018 (DE-FOA-0001858)
What is OPEN 2018 (DE-FOA-0001858)?
OPEN 2018 (DE-FOA-0001858) is an ARPA-E funding opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to support advanced energy research and development projects.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by ARPA-E, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Why was ARPA-E created?
ARPA-E was created by Congress under the America COMPETES Act to strengthen U.S. economic and energy security by accelerating the development of advanced energy technologies.
What is ARPA-E's core mission and what outcomes does it target?
ARPA-E's mission is tied to three national outcomes: reducing U.S. dependence on imported energy, cutting energy-related emissions (including greenhouse gases), and improving energy efficiency across the economy, while also helping the United States maintain technological leadership in next-generation energy innovation.
What makes the OPEN solicitation different from ARPA-E's focused programs?
OPEN is ARPA-E's broad, open-topic mechanism designed to fund strong ideas that do not fit neatly into ARPA-E's focused program areas, which typically have tightly defined technical targets in selected domains.
What is the purpose of running OPEN solicitations?
The OPEN solicitations are intended to capture emerging and potentially disruptive energy R&D concepts that may appear outside existing program boundaries or after a targeted program closes, helping ARPA-E avoid missing high-impact opportunities.
How often does ARPA-E run OPEN solicitations?
Based on the prior OPEN calls in 2009, 2012, and 2015, OPEN 2018 continues an approximately three-year cycle for this open-topic approach.
What is the main objective of OPEN 2018?
The objective is to support high-risk, high-reward R&D that is early enough to be unattractive for typical private investment, but mature enough that a modest, time-bounded ARPA-E award could materially advance the technology.
What kinds of projects is ARPA-E looking for under OPEN 2018?
ARPA-E is looking for potentially transformational technologies across both stationary and transportation energy systems, covering a very broad range of energy applications.
Which technology areas are within scope for OPEN 2018?
The scope is intentionally broad and includes (but is not limited to) electricity generation (conventional and renewable), power transmission and distribution, grid and other energy storage, and energy efficiency improvements in buildings, manufacturing, commercial activity, and end-use consumption.
Does OPEN 2018 include transportation-related energy innovation?
Yes. The scope includes transportation-related innovation such as fuels (renewable and non-renewable), fuel production and distribution, electrification, and vehicle or system-level efficiency.
Does ARPA-E provide preset performance metrics or technical targets for OPEN 2018?
No. Because OPEN spans virtually the entire energy spectrum, ARPA-E does not provide the preset performance metrics and technical targets that are common in focused program FOAs.
If there are no preset targets, how are proposals expected to make their case?
Applicants are expected to carry the burden of proving why the idea matters by making a compelling, evidence-based case for potential impact.
What is a central evaluation theme for OPEN 2018 proposals?
A central evaluation theme is ARPA-E's test: "If it works, will it matter?" Proposals should explain why the technology, if successful, could create meaningful impact.
What types of impacts should a proposal aim to demonstrate?
Proposals should aim to show meaningful impact on at least one of ARPA-E's mission areas: reducing imported energy dependence, reducing energy-related emissions (including greenhouse gases), and/or improving energy efficiency.
Are incremental improvements likely to be competitive under OPEN 2018?
ARPA-E emphasizes potentially transformational concepts rather than incremental improvements, highlighting technologies that could plausibly change cost, performance, scalability, or deployment pathways enough to alter the energy landscape.
What type of funding is this classified as?
This opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding.
What is the funding instrument for awards under this solicitation?
The funding instrument is a Cooperative Agreement, which generally implies substantial federal involvement during the project compared with a standard grant.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity may apply (for example, universities, national labs, companies, startups, nonprofits, or teams/consortia), subject to any eligibility clarifications in the full FOA.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 81.135.
What authorizing statute and regulations govern this opportunity?
The solicitation is issued under ARPA-E's authorizing statute (42 U.S.C. 16538). Awards are governed by federal assistance rules in 2 C.F.R. Part 200 (as amended) and 2 C.F.R. Part 910.
What is the maximum award amount for OPEN 2018?
The maximum award amount listed is $10,000,000.
How many awards did ARPA-E anticipate making under OPEN 2018?
ARPA-E anticipated making about 50 awards under this solicitation.
When was the FOA created?
The FOA was created on December 13, 2017.
What was the concept paper deadline for OPEN 2018?
The concept paper deadline (and original closing date listed) was February 12, 2018.
Did ARPA-E provide any submission timing recommendations?
Yes. ARPA-E encouraged applicants to submit at least 48 hours before the deadline to avoid last-minute submission issues.
Where can applicants find the full FOA package and submission instructions?
Applicants were directed to obtain and follow the full FOA package through ARPA-E's FOA portal at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov, where detailed application requirements, evaluation criteria, and the submission process are provided.
Why does ARPA-E use OPEN solicitations as a complement to focused programs?
ARPA-E frames OPEN as a complement to focused programs because focused programs cannot cover every emerging concept, and OPEN helps capture a wider snapshot of cutting-edge energy R&D across the full landscape of applications.
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