DE-FOA-0003085: Critical Materials Assessment Request for Information | DE FOA 0003085

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003085

DE-FOA-0003085 is not a traditional funding competition with grant awards. It is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Request for Information (RFI) focused on improving DOE's Critical Materials Assessment for energy. Through this RFI, DOE is asking the public to provide substantive feedback that can strengthen the assessment itself, including the way DOE evaluates criticality, the data sources and assumptions used, the resulting analysis, and the draft list of materials DOE considers "critical" for energy technologies and supply chains. The goal is to gather practical, evidence-based input that can help DOE refine both the content and the process behind future versions of the Critical Materials Assessment.

The RFI specifically seeks comments in two main areas. First, DOE is looking for data and information that could support revisions to the analysis. This can include updated datasets, new research findings, industry-relevant market intelligence, supply chain information, production and processing capacity insights, trade and geopolitical risk information, recycling and circularity data, substitution possibilities, technology deployment projections, and any other credible information that would improve the accuracy and usefulness of the assessment. Second, DOE is asking for suggestions on methodological improvements. That includes recommended changes to how DOE structures the assessment, how it defines and measures supply risk and demand growth, how it treats uncertainty, what time horizons or scenarios it should apply, how it handles assumptions, and how it translates analytical outputs into a draft "critical materials" list that is transparent, defensible, and aligned with real-world energy system needs.

This opportunity is run by DOE (Golden Field Office) and is categorized under energy assistance listings (CFDA 81.086). Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity can provide input, including companies, universities, national labs, non-profits, trade associations, state and local governments, and individual experts, as long as they follow any instructions described in the RFI materials. Because it is an RFI rather than a grant solicitation, there is no award funding associated with it (expected awards are listed as zero), and typical financial fields like award ceiling are not meaningful in the way they would be for a grant or cooperative agreement.

DOE indicated the RFI would be issued on May 31, 2023 through the EERE eXCHANGE website (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/). People who want official notifications or updates were encouraged to register on EERE eXCHANGE. Once the RFI was released, DOE required that all public comments be submitted only by email to the designated inbox: CriticalMaterialsRFI@ee.doe.gov. Submissions had to be received no later than 5:00 pm Eastern Time on June 20, 2023.

DOE also set clear formatting and submission rules. Responses had to be submitted electronically and included as attachments to the email, not pasted into the body of the message. The attachment had to be a Microsoft Word file (.docx) and could not exceed 10 pages, using 12-point font and 1-inch margins. DOE recommended compressing (zipping) attachments larger than 25MB to avoid delivery failures. No paper submissions or other submission channels were accepted, so compliance with these requirements was essential for the response to be considered.

In practical terms, this RFI was a mechanism for DOE to collect high-quality, technically grounded feedback from stakeholders who understand mining, processing, manufacturing, deployment, and end-of-life recycling for materials that underpin energy technologies. The resulting comments were intended to help DOE improve the rigor, transparency, and decision usefulness of its Critical Materials Assessment, and to better inform government and industry planning around supply chain vulnerabilities and priorities for innovation, diversification, and resilience.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DE-FOA-0003085: Critical Materials Assessment Request for Information" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 31, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2023. (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 $2.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0003085

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