Atmospheric System Research (ASR) | DE FOA 0002850

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002850

The Atmospheric System Research (ASR) funding opportunity (DE FOA 0002850) is a discretionary grant solicitation from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, within the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program and its Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD). The program focus is on atmospheric science research that improves the basic understanding of clouds, aerosols, precipitation, thermodynamics, and radiative transfer, especially where these processes create major uncertainties in regional and global Earth system models. The broader purpose is to strengthen scientific foundations for representing the atmosphere in models that underpin weather and climate prediction, with an explicit emphasis on public benefit through improved understanding of the Earth system.

The FOA seeks research proposals that are observational, data-analysis focused, modeling based, or a combination of these approaches, as long as the work leverages BER-supported observations. A central resource is DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, meaning applicants are expected to make strong use of ARM measurements and related datasets to diagnose processes, evaluate model performance, and develop or test improved parameterizations. In practical terms, competitive projects will typically connect real-world observations to specific model weaknesses, then demonstrate how the proposed analysis or modeling work can reduce those weaknesses and improve predictability.

The solicitation highlights four specific research topic areas. First, it encourages studies of cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and thermodynamic processes using observations from ARM's Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER), which is geared toward understanding how aerosols and convection interact and how those interactions influence cloud development and rainfall. Second, it seeks work on cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiation processes drawing on ARM's Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL), emphasizing coupled surface-atmosphere interactions and their effects on clouds and radiative balance. Third, it invites research on warm boundary layer atmospheric processes, a category that includes the turbulent, cloud-forming, and moisture and heat exchange processes near the surface that strongly influence low clouds and precipitation initiation. Fourth, it supports research on atmospheric processes in the Southeast United States through early use of observations from the third ARM Mobile Facility (AMF3), encouraging investigators to exploit new measurements quickly to advance process understanding and model representation for that region.

Eligibility is broad for domestic applicants, covering most U.S.-based institutions, with one notable statutory exception: nonprofit organizations classified under IRS code 501(c)(4) that have engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible. International (non-domestic) institutions cannot apply as the prime recipient, but they can participate as team members in multi-institution projects and can be included as subrecipients under a domestic lead applicant. The FOA also provides special rules for federally affiliated entities. DOE and NNSA National Laboratories are not allowed to apply as lead applicants and also cannot be included as subrecipients on someone else's application under this FOA. In contrast, non-DOE/NNSA federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) may apply either as leads or as team members and may be included as subrecipients, but if they are funded, the money flows through an interagency agreement to the sponsoring federal agency, with additional contracting officer authorization requirements referenced in the FOA. Other federal agencies are also eligible to submit applications, either alone or as part of a team, but they cannot be subrecipients on another organization's proposal; instead, they must submit their own application as a team member, with funding likewise handled via interagency agreement and subject to statutory authorization instructions in the FOA.

Administratively, this opportunity is a grant (funding instrument type: Grant) categorized under science and technology research and development, with CFDA number 81.049. The original closing date listed is February 23, 2023, and the stated award ceiling is $945,000. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at producing measurable improvements in how key atmospheric processes are understood and represented in models, grounded in high-quality ARM observations and field campaign datasets tied to TRACER, SAIL, warm boundary layer studies, and early AMF3 measurements in the Southeast U.S.

• 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 (ASR)" 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 2022-10-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-02-23. (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 $945,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DE FOA 0002850

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