Environmental System Science | DE FOA 0002849

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002849

The Environmental System Science (ESS) funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002849) is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) grant program focused on improving how well scientists can predict the behavior of terrestrial environmental systems. The central aim is to build an integrated, robust, and scale-aware understanding of how land-based systems function and change over time, especially by connecting the biological and physical pieces that drive those changes. In practice, this means research that ties together microbial activity, biogeochemical cycling, ecology, hydrology, and other physical processes so that the science can move beyond isolated components and toward whole-system understanding.

A defining feature of the opportunity is its explicit emphasis on a systems approach spanning many scales, from molecular-level mechanisms (such as microbial metabolism and mineral interactions) to global-scale outcomes (such as ecosystem feedbacks to climate). The program is interested in the entire vertical profile of terrestrial environments, starting at bedrock and moving upward through soil, the rhizosphere (the biologically active region around roots), vegetation, and ultimately the atmosphere. Projects are expected to clarify the processes and controls that shape system structure and function, explain how those processes interact, and describe how they produce feedbacks and dynamic behavior across time.

Within that broad scope, ESS highlights foundational process research with particular interest in understudied ecosystems, where key mechanisms and uncertainties remain poorly constrained. The opportunity also stresses the importance of linkages, especially ecological and hydro-biogeochemical connections among components of a system. Applicants are encouraged to look carefully at interfaces where major transformations occur or where systems connect, including terrestrial-aquatic boundaries, coastal zones, and urban environments. The goal is to address knowledge gaps that limit predictive capability, especially where processes vary across spatial and temporal scales and where interactions among components introduce uncertainty.

Another major expectation is that results should feed into process and system models. The program views modeling not as an afterthought but as part of the overall strategy: scientific findings should be incorporated into models to improve predictive understanding, and models should also be used to reveal new hypotheses, identify missing mechanisms, and guide the next research directions. In other words, proposals that connect measurements, experiments, and theory to model development and improvement are closely aligned with the ESS program priorities.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the science and technology/research and development category (CFDA 81.049) under the DOE Office of Science. The listed award ceiling is $1,000,000. The original closing date shown is March 2, 2023, and the funding opportunity was created on November 1, 2022.

Eligibility is broadly open to most applicant types, with one explicit exclusion: nonprofit organizations classified as 501(c)(4) that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible. The announcement also spells out special rules for federally affiliated entities. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories cannot apply as the prime applicant, but they can participate as subrecipients on another organization’s application; if selected, their portion is handled separately through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System under the lab’s existing DOE contract, and the FOA’s administrative provisions do not apply to the lab or its subcontractors. Non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) may apply directly, but they cannot be subrecipients under another applicant; instead, they must submit their own application (including as a team member on a multi-institution effort), and if funded, support may flow via an interagency agreement to the sponsoring federal agency. Other federal agencies follow a similar approach: they may apply, but not as subrecipients, and funding is provided through an interagency agreement with appropriate statutory authorization.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental System Science" 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 2022-11-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-03-02. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0002849

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