Basic Energy Sciences - Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (BES-RENEW) | DE FOA 0002953

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002953

Basic Energy Sciences - Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (BES-RENEW) is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE SC) grant program designed to broaden who participates in Basic Energy Sciences (BES) research and training. At its core, the opportunity is about building long-term research capacity and creating clear training pathways for students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty at institutions that have historically been underrepresented in the Office of Science research portfolio. The program emphasizes both workforce development and stronger institutional connections to DOE science, with the larger aim of strengthening the national pipeline of scientists, engineers, and technicians prepared to contribute across the full range of BES-supported research.

A defining feature of BES-RENEW is its reliance on DOE Office of Science assets that most universities cannot replicate on their own, especially national laboratories and world-unique user facilities. The program is structured to give participants hands-on, immersive experiences such as research internships and collaborative projects that take advantage of specialized instruments, facilities, and expertise found at DOE labs and user facilities. These experiences are intended to be practical and career-shaping, giving trainees exposure to real BES research environments and helping them build the technical skills, research habits, and professional networks that often determine whether someone continues into advanced study or a research career.

The program specifically targets participation from non-R1 minority serving institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), that are currently underrepresented in the BES portfolio. In other words, it is not just a general training program; it is designed to shift the composition of the BES research community by expanding access to funding, mentorship, and infrastructure for institutions and groups that have not historically been well represented in BES-supported work. DOE provides a list of eligible institution designations (referenced in the funding notice) to clarify which organizations qualify, reflecting an intent to focus resources where the gap in participation has been most persistent.

BES-RENEW also builds community and professional development into the award experience. Principal Investigators, students, and postdoctoral researchers supported through RENEW are expected to engage with the broader BES and Office of Science ecosystem through invitations to BES meetings for supported researchers and/or Office of Science-wide professional development and collaborator events. This matters because it connects participants to the norms of the field: presenting work, learning how large scientific collaborations function, meeting potential mentors and future employers, and developing the professional confidence that comes from being included in the main venues where research directions and partnerships form.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the DOE Office of Science under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002953, with the activity category listed as science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 81.049). The opportunity had an original closing date of May 2, 2023, and an award ceiling of $2,250,000. While the specific number of expected awards is not provided in the text you shared, the ceiling indicates the program can support substantial, multi-component efforts that combine research, training, mentorship, and partnerships with national laboratories, user facilities, and potentially R1 partner MSIs.

Overall, BES-RENEW is best understood as a capacity-building and workforce pipeline initiative anchored in real BES research settings. It aims to expand who gets to do BES-relevant science, where that science can be done, and how students and early-career researchers from underrepresented institutions gain the credentials, experience, and connections needed to compete and thrive in the broader U.S. science and technology ecosystem.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Basic Energy Sciences - Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (BES-RENEW)" 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 2023-01-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-02. (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 $2,250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DE FOA 0002953

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