Fiscal Year 2021 Scientific Infrastructure Support for Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) provides funding to support crosscutting nuclear energy research and development (R&D), and associated infrastructure support activities, to develop innovative technologies that offer the promise of dramatically improved performance for advanced reactors and fuel cycle concepts, while maximizing the use of DOE resources. The development of nuclear energy-related infrastructure and basic capabilities in the research community is necessary to promote R&D that supports nuclear science and engineering (NS&E), DOE-NE’s mission, and the Nation’s nuclear energy challenges. Accordingly, DOE intends to enable the education and training of nuclear scientists, engineers, and policy-makers, in graduate and undergraduate study, and two-year programs, as well as R&D that is relevant to the Department and the nuclear energy industry in general. The Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) utilizes up to 20 percent of funds appropriated to NE’s R&D program for university-based infrastructure support and R&D in key NE program-related areas: • Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FC R&D) • Reactor Concepts Research, Development and Demonstration (RC RD&D) • Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) The infrastructure requested should be individual, discrete, and definable items or capabilities that will: • Support, maintain, or enhance the institutions’ capacities to attract and teach high quality students interested in nuclear energy-related studies; • Build the institutions’ research or education capabilities; or • Enhance the institutions’ capabilities to perform R&D that is relevant to DOE-NE’s mission. • Focus on a single, synergistic goal or capability. A proposal made of several uncorrelated equipment requests in does not meet the goals of this FOA. • Not duplicate existing capabilities. To see NE R&D capabilities in the US, review the Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Database (NEID) available at https://nsuf-infrastructure.inl.gov. NE reserves the right to respond to potential shifts in priorities during FY 2021 that may be driven by events, policy developments, or Congressional/budget direction. NE will factor such considerations into decisions related to the timing and scale of award announcements associated with this FOA.