Environmental System Science (ESS) | DE FOA 0002584

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Environmental System Science (ESS) (DE-FOA-0002584)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is the Environmental System Science (ESS) funding opportunity, identified as DE-FOA-0002584. It is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science within the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program.

2) What type of funding mechanism is being offered?

The opportunity uses a grant mechanism (discretionary grant program).

3) What is the program trying to achieve?

The program supports science and technology research and development aimed at improving how ecosystems and watersheds are measured, understood, and represented in predictive models. A central goal is to connect real-world observations (measurements, experiments, and field datasets) with modeling so models better capture environmental processes from fine-scale mechanisms up to Earth system scales.

4) What is the CFDA number associated with this program?

The source information lists CFDA 81.049.

5) What kinds of projects are a good fit?

Projects are expected to strengthen the scientific basis for next-generation ecosystem and watershed modeling. The program is looking for work that goes beyond collecting data in isolation and instead uses empirical evidence to reduce uncertainty, represent key processes more realistically, and improve model capability across scales.

6) What does it mean to "connect observations with modeling" in this FOA?

Based on the description, the FOA prioritizes projects where measurements, experiments, and field datasets are used directly to inform, constrain, evaluate, or improve predictive models, so that model representations of environmental processes become more accurate and less uncertain across multiple scales.

7) What are the main science research areas in this FOA?

The opportunity is organized around three main research areas: (1) ecosystem and watershed responses driven by plant-mediated ecohydrologic processes; (2) disturbance-driven change (with emphasis on wildfire and flood events); and (3) fungal networks and their role in ecosystem functioning.

8) What topics fall under plant-mediated ecohydrologic processes?

This area focuses on ecosystem and watershed responses where vegetation influences biogeochemical cycling, water movement and storage, and exchanges between land and atmosphere.

9) What does the FOA mean by disturbance-driven change?

This area targets how wildfire and flood events alter hydro-biogeochemical processes and overall system function. Examples mentioned include shifts in nutrient cycling, sediment and carbon transport, soil and water chemistry, and recovery trajectories.

10) What role do fungal networks play in this FOA?

The third area emphasizes fungal networks and their role in ecosystem functioning, including how fungi coordinate ecohydrological or biogeochemical responses under stress, when resources are short-lived (ephemeral soil resources), or when environmental conditions change rapidly (transient factors).

11) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as broad, with most applicant types allowed, subject to specific exclusions and special rules for federally affiliated entities.

12) Are any nonprofit organizations specifically excluded?

Yes. Nonprofit organizations classified under IRS code 501(c)(4) that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible.

13) Can DOE/NNSA National Laboratories apply as the prime applicant?

No. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories cannot apply as the prime applicant under this FOA.

14) Can DOE/NNSA National Laboratories participate at all?

Yes. They can participate as subrecipients on another organization’s proposal. If funded, their portion is handled separately through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System under the lab’s DOE contract, and the FOA’s administrative provisions do not apply to the lab or its subcontractors.

15) Can non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) apply as prime applicants?

Yes. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs may apply as prime applicants.

16) Can non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs be subrecipients on someone else’s application?

No. They cannot be included as subrecipients on another organization’s application. Instead, they must participate as a team member in a multi-institutional application and submit their own application materials.

17) How are awards typically issued to non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs if selected?

Any award would typically be issued via an interagency agreement to the sponsoring federal agency.

18) Can other federal agencies apply?

Yes. Other federal agencies are allowed to apply, but not as subrecipients.

19) How would funding work for other federal agencies if selected?

If selected, they would be funded through an interagency agreement with required statutory authorization.

20) What is the maximum (ceiling) award amount?

The award ceiling listed in the source information is $1,000,000.

21) When was this FOA created?

The opportunity was created on October 15, 2021.

22) What was the original closing date?

The original closing date was February 10, 2022.

23) What kind of team or capability does this FOA seem best suited for?

This FOA is best suited for teams that can integrate field and experimental science with advanced modeling to improve representation of ecosystems and watersheds, including plant-driven ecohydrologic controls, disturbance impacts (wildfire and flooding), and biologically mediated controls such as fungal network dynamics.

24) Is the program focused on data collection alone?

No. The source information indicates the program wants research that does more than collect data in isolation. It emphasizes using empirical evidence to reduce uncertainty and improve process representation in predictive models across scales.

25) What scales of modeling improvement does this FOA emphasize?

The FOA emphasizes improving models from fine-scale mechanisms all the way up to Earth system scales.