REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)
DE-SOL-0008246
Base: April 13, 2015
MOD 0002: April 20, 2022
MOD 0003: March 3, 2023

Input to the Office of Nuclear Energy’s
Competitive Research and Development Funding
Opportunity Announcement for Universities

Office of Nuclear Energy
Office of Nuclear Energy Technologies

Table of Contents
1Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 32

Requested Information..................................................................................................................... 33

Cover Page....................................................................................................................................... 44

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Recommendations ........................................................ 45

Research Areas Recommendations .................................................................................................. 56

Other Information ............................................................................................................................ 57Participant Eligibility for Response to the RFI .................................................................................. 58Program Guidelines ......................................................................................................................... 69

Intellectual Property Rights .............................................................................................................. 6

10 Communications Protocol ................................................................................................................ 6
11 Schedule .......................................................................................................................................... 6
11.1 Submission Time and Date ...................................................................................................... 6
12 Disclaimers ...................................................................................................................................... 72

1 Introduction
NE’s mission is to advance nuclear energy science and technology to meet United States (U.S.)
energy, environmental, and economic needs. NE has identified the following goals to address
challenges in the nuclear energy sector, to help realize the potential of advanced technology,and to leverage the unique role of the Government in spurring innovation:
1. Enable continued operation of existing U.S. nuclear reactors.
2. Enable deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.
3. Develop advanced nuclear fuel cycles and spent nuclear fuel management options.
NE strives to promote integrated and collaborative research conducted by national laboratory,university, industry, and international partners under the direction of NE’s programs, and todeploy innovative nuclear energy technologies to the market and to optimize the benefits ofnuclear energy.
NE funds research activities, through competitive and direct mechanisms, to best meet NE’smission. This approach ensures a balanced research and development (R&D) portfolio andencourages new nuclear power deployment with creative solutions to the universe of nuclear
energy challenges.
This Request for Information (RFI) addresses the competitive portion of NE’s R&D portfolio,
as executed through the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) and the Nuclear Science
User Facilities (NSUF).
For more information on NE’s programs, please visit the Office of Nuclear Energy |Department of Energy website.
Please note that there will be a separate RFI for infrastructure input.

2 Requested Information
The focus of this RFI is to obtain input to and identify potential new research areas for future
FOAs in areas that support NE’s mission.
DOE is seeking ideas, input, comments, feedback, and recommendations from interested parties
for future competitive university-led research projects.
This input may lead to a more robust R&D program that reflects communities’ ideas and could
identify new creative, innovative, and transformative outcomes.
DOE also seeks input regarding the structure of the solicitation itself, including any examples ofother solicitations that have been successfully used for competitive university research.
As a result of last year’s RFI input, the Office of Nuclear Energy has incorporated several
changes to the current CINR solicitations as follows:•

Increased the award size up to $1,000,000 for NEUP R&D projects.
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•Broadened R&D topical areas to allow for innovative ideas that are of high interest tothe NE mission.

•Revised the application review process to increase focus on technical merit.

•Created blue-sky areas, including large, open-ended Integrated Research Project scopes.

•

Modified R&D award mechanism from cooperative agreements to grants, allowing foradditional flexibility in reporting requirements.

•

Adjusted eligibility requirements to allow for more participation by applicants as IRPand R&D Principal Investigators (PIs).

•

Increased engagement with Minority Serving Institutions.

Additionally, NE is considering implementation for the following items:•A ‘Phase II’ project competition based on successful current CINR awards.

•A research experience for undergraduate students to be incorporated into future CINRawards.

•A reactor sharing program to promote university research reactors, increase use andengagement, and provide outreach to K-12 audiences.

Please note that the following topics are not of interest to NE: medical physics, nuclear fusion,nuclear forensics, and environmental management.

3 Cover Page
Responses shall include a cover page containing the following information:••••

RFI titleNames, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for the principal points of contact
Company or affiliate name and address
Date of submittal

4 Funding Opportunity Announcement Recommendations
In addition to research area recommendations, described below, NE is requesting thatparticipants in this RFI consider providing input to the following questions:
1. In FY 2023, CINR topical areas were broadened to allow increased flexibility foruniversity creativity. Did this change create the appropriate environment for university
innovation and creativity in the application process?
2. Are there examples of effective university research programs that utilize different
application and review methodologies? What are the benefits and disadvantages of those
approaches compared to the CINR FOA? Please share a link to any recommended
applications and/or programs.

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3. Are there partnership mechanisms that could make CINR-funded university researchmore effective than it currently is? Please provide examples.
4. Are there ways to better integrate equity and justice considerations into the CINR FOA?
Please describe.

5 Research Areas Recommendations
Clearly define any proposed research area recommendation and how it relates to any part ofNE’s mission as described in this RFI. Describe any defined goals in achieving the desired
outcomes, along with appropriate metrics to assess how well those goals have been achieved.
Current work scope examples can be found in the FY 2023 CINR FOA.
Areas specifically not of interest to NE include medical physics, nuclear fusion, nuclear
forensics, and environmental management.
NE is requesting that participants in this RFI provide their input by answering the following
questions:
1. What technical areas should be considered in NE’s FOA that would have the highest
near or long-term impact to NE’s applied research mission?
2. What current nuclear energy-related technological needs/gaps could the university
research community be most effective in solving?
General information for each recommendation should include the following:•Description of R&D•

Project period length•

Budget range•

Justification for how it would support the NE mission (i.e., is it directly related to aspecific NE program, is it a strategic need that doesn’t fit within the current NE
program structure, etc.)

RFI participants are encouraged to include all relevant work scope recommendations in one
RFI submission.

6 Other Information
Provide any other relevant information that would help improve the solicitation process.

7 Participant Eligibility for Response to the RFIInformation is being sought from educational institutions, national laboratories, utilities, private
industry, and any other interested parties.

58 Program Guidelines
This market research request is done under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Parts 10 –Market Research and FAR subpart 15.201(e) – Requests for Information.

9 Intellectual Property Rights
Participants are advised that RFI responses should be submitted without any restrictive
markings. However, if restrictions are required to fully explain a response, the participant isresponsible for marking the cover page and any and all submittal documents appropriately.
Respondents are strongly discouraged from placing any restrictive markings on submissions as
they may limit DOE’s ability to use the submitted information.

10 Communications ProtocolResponses must be submitted through www.NEUP.gov to be considered. Applicants must createan account to access the submission site. Submit electronic submissions through the“Applications” function at www.NEUP.gov. If a respondent has problems completing theregistration process or submitting a response, call 208-526-2123 or send an email toNEUP@inl.gov.
Replies to this request should follow the general guidelines provided above and information
should be as succinct as possible. There is a three (3) page limit, not including the coverpage, on each submittal. Respondents are encouraged to provide input on any areas ofinterest of this RFI and each individual idea should be submitted separately identifying thearea of interest.
Participants are advised that any indication of interest, in the affirmative, is not meant toimply nor in any way impart an obligation on the part of the Government that an award will
be forthcoming for the offered work or project.

11 Schedule
11.1 Submission Time and Date
DOE will continually accept responses to this RFI as long as it remains active. For submitted
information to be considered for inclusion in the work scopes developed for grant
opportunities, a response is required no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time as follows:
RFI Response
Due Date

For FOADevelopment Year

May 15, 2023
May 13, 2024
May 12, 2025
May 11, 2026

2024
2025
2026
2027

This announcement does not impose any obligation on the United States Government, nor does
it signify any intent for a contract or other form of award.
612 Disclaimers
a. DOE does not plan to send individual acknowledgements or replies to respondents tothe RFI. However, DOE may conduct one-on-one meetings with entities that respond to
this request if clarification or additional information is required to improve DOE’s
understanding of the comments provided. If DOE decides to hold one-on-one meetings,applicable parties will be contacted. The decision to meet with an organization
one-on-one has no bearing on the worthiness of its RFI submittal or on any futureofferings.
b. This is a request for information only. It has no direct relation to other DOE FOAs orsolicitations. DOE does not presently intend to solicit or award any kind of contract orfinancial assistance award; this RFI is issued only with the intent of obtaining
information.
c. Any response to this RFI is voluntary and does not commit the Government to any
expense or obligation. This request does not impose any obligation on the Government
or signify a firm intention to enter into a contract or financial assistance award. No
costs associated with responding to this RFI or participating in any subsequentmeetings will be borne by the Government.
d. DOE does not intend to publish the results of the responses to this RFI.

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