New Bioimaging Approaches for Bioenergy | DE FOA 0002041

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): New Bioimaging Approaches for Bioenergy (DE-FOA-0002041)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a discretionary grant funding opportunity from the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program, specifically through its Biological Systems Science Division (BSSD). The funding opportunity title is "New Bioimaging Approaches for Bioenergy" (DE-FOA-0002041; CFDA 81.049).

What is the main goal of the FOA?

The FOA seeks fundamental research that creates new bioimaging capabilities to improve how scientists observe and understand plant and microbial systems relevant to bioenergy. The emphasis is on imaging approaches that are non-destructive, real time, and detailed enough to test biological hypotheses rather than only producing static descriptive snapshots.

What kinds of scientific systems are in scope?

Plant and microbial systems relevant to bioenergy are in scope. The FOA also emphasizes complex living communities, including rhizosphere environments and soil microbiomes, rather than only simplified laboratory cultures.

Is this FOA focused more on biology discovery or on tool development?

Based on the description provided, this is primarily a capability-advancement and tool-building FOA. Competitive projects are expected to advance next-generation optical bioimaging methods that enable new kinds of measurements and observations in living systems.

What is the central technology emphasis in this opportunity?

A major emphasis is on quantum dot (QD)-based imaging approaches. DOE is looking for new quantum dot-enabled probes, sensors, and related optical imaging instrumentation that can track multiple biological processes as they occur in living systems.

Are quantum dots required, or just encouraged?

The FOA places a major emphasis on quantum dot-based imaging approaches and describes DOE as looking for QD-enabled probes, sensors, and related optical instrumentation. From the provided information, quantum dot-enabled approaches appear to be a central theme for alignment with the FOA intent.

What does DOE mean by "non-destructive" and "real time" imaging in this context?

The FOA emphasizes observing what is happening inside living cells and within complex living communities without destroying the sample, and in real time. This implies imaging and sensing approaches that allow repeated or continuous measurements as biological processes unfold, rather than methods that require fixing, sectioning, or otherwise terminating the sample to obtain data.

What kind of measurement capabilities is DOE trying to enable?

The FOA highlights dynamic localization (seeing where a process is occurring) and time-resolved measurement (seeing how it changes over time), ideally in ways that can monitor more than one target or process at once (multiplexing).

What does "multiplexed" imaging mean here?

In this FOA context, multiplexing refers to tracking multiple biological targets or processes at the same time in living systems, using quantum dot-enabled probes/sensors and supporting optical methods.

What biological process areas are mentioned as examples of interest?

The FOA provides examples (not an exhaustive list), including: measuring enzyme function inside cells; tracking metabolic pathways in vivo; monitoring transport of materials within cells or across cellular membranes; and observing signaling processes between cells.

Are plant-microbe interactions within scope?

Yes. The FOA explicitly includes signaling and interaction processes that extend to plant-microbe relationships.

Are microbe-microbe interactions within scope?

Yes. The FOA also explicitly includes microbe-microbe interactions, reflecting the importance of microbial communities in bioenergy research.

Does DOE prefer imaging in realistic environments like the rhizosphere or soil microbiomes?

Yes. Applications that illuminate interactions within realistic biological contexts (for example, in the rhizosphere rather than only in simplified lab cultures) are described as strongly aligned with the intent of the call.

What kinds of probes and sensors are encouraged?

DOE encourages proposals that create probes and sensors with strong optical performance and that are functionalized with biologically active molecules so they can bind to or interact with specific cellular targets.

What does "functionalized with biologically active molecules" imply for project design?

It implies designing imaging agents with specificity so they can bind to or interact with defined molecules, structures, activities, or microenvironments inside living cells, supporting mechanistic interpretation rather than general labeling.

Is optical instrumentation development part of the FOA?

Yes. The FOA mentions quantum dot-enabled probes and sensors as well as related optical imaging instrumentation, and indicates that engineered quantum dot tools together with complementary optical instrumentation are expected to improve real-time measurement in living systems.

What makes a project strongly aligned with the FOA intent?

Based on the description provided, strong alignment includes: developing new QD-based probes/sensors (and supporting optical systems) that enable specific, multiplexed, real-time visualization or measurement of key cellular functions and interactions in living plant and microbial systems, particularly in complex environments like soil-associated microbiomes where current imaging approaches are limited.

Who is the sponsoring agency and program office?

The sponsoring agency is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program, Biological Systems Science Division (BSSD).

What is the opportunity number and CFDA number?

Opportunity number: DE-FOA-0002041. CFDA number: 81.049.

When was the opportunity created and what is the closing date listed?

The opportunity was created on January 11, 2019. The original closing date listed is May 20, 2019.

What is the maximum funding amount per award?

The award ceiling shown is $750,000, indicating the maximum expected funding per award under the terms described in the provided information.

How many awards will DOE make?

The number of expected awards is not clearly provided in the excerpted information.

What category is this grant opportunity listed under?

It is listed under Science and Technology / Research and Development.

Who can apply as the prime (lead) applicant?

Eligibility is described as broad for lead applicants, meaning most organization types can apply as the prime (lead) institution, with specific exclusions described in the FOA information provided.

Who is NOT allowed to serve as the lead applicant?

The following cannot serve as the lead: DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, other Federal Agencies, FFRDC contractors, and certain lobbying 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations (as described in the Internal Revenue Code and the FOA text).

Can DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, other Federal Agencies, or FFRDCs participate at all?

Yes. Even though they cannot be the lead, the FOA explicitly allows DOE/NNSA labs, other Federal agencies, and FFRDC contractors to participate as collaborators on an application led by an eligible prime institution.

Is there a budget limit on participation by federal/FFRDC collaborators?

Yes. Collaborators from DOE/NNSA labs, other Federal agencies, and their FFRDCs together may account for no more than 25 percent of the total project budget. The same 25 percent limit applies to the collaborative group, meaning the project must be primarily performed and budgeted through the eligible lead institution and its allowable partners.

Why does the FOA allow federal and FFRDC collaborators if they cannot lead?

The FOA frames these collaborations as acceptable and potentially valuable when they fill critical gaps in expertise, as long as their role remains limited and targeted under the 25 percent total budget cap described.

What types of research outcomes is DOE looking for?

DOE is seeking new bioimaging capabilities that overcome existing limitations by enabling dynamic, time-resolved, and potentially multiplexed measurement of biological processes in living systems, supporting direct observation of complex cellular and intercellular behavior tied to bioenergy-relevant traits and functions.

Does the FOA indicate whether the list of processes of interest is exhaustive?

No. The FOA makes clear the list of process areas of interest is not exhaustive, and provides examples rather than a complete set of eligible topics.

What is the key differentiator between desired approaches and "static snapshot" imaging?

The FOA prioritizes approaches that can capture biological processes as they happen (real time, time-resolved) within living cells and communities, and that are suitable for testing hypotheses about mechanism and function, rather than only producing descriptive images at a single time point.