Advancing Technology Development for Securing a Domestic Supply of Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM) | DE FOA 0002955

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is "Advancing Technology Development for Securing a Domestic Supply of Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM)"?

It is a Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Notice of Intent (NOI) that previews a planned, future funding opportunity. The focus is on technology development that strengthens domestic supply chains for critical minerals and materials, particularly rare earth elements (REEs), using non-traditional or underutilized sources.

Is this posting the actual Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)?

No. This is not the FOA. It is an informational preview indicating DOE plans to issue a future FOA. The NOI references the upcoming FOA as DE-FOA-0002956.

Are applications being accepted right now?

No. Because this is only a Notice of Intent, applications are not being accepted at this time.

Is DOE requesting public comments on this Notice of Intent?

No. The notice states DOE is not requesting public comments.

Can the details in the Notice of Intent change when the FOA is released?

Yes. The NOI explicitly indicates the details described are subject to change when the actual FOA is issued.

Which DOE office/program is associated with this planned funding opportunity?

The planned effort is under DOE's Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) program, and it is associated with DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

What type of funding instrument does DOE expect to use?

DOE indicates it expects to use cooperative agreements. This typically means DOE anticipates substantial involvement during the project period, such as collaboration related to technical direction, milestones, or reporting.

What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this opportunity?

The Assistance Listing associated with the opportunity is 81.089.

What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category is Energy and Natural Resources.

Who is eligible to apply?

At the NOI stage, the listing shows an "unrestricted" applicant pool. However, definitive eligibility will be established in the final FOA, so prospective applicants should rely on the FOA for the official eligibility requirements.

What is the overall goal of the planned FOA?

The planned FOA is aimed at advancing technologies that increase U.S. access to critical minerals and materials, especially rare earth elements, from non-traditional or currently underutilized sources. The overarching objective is to strengthen domestic supply chains.

How is the future FOA expected to be organized?

DOE indicates the future FOA will be organized around four Areas of Interest (AOIs), each targeting different pathways to recover or produce critical minerals and materials domestically.

What are the four Areas of Interest (AOIs) described in the NOI?

The NOI describes four AOIs: (1) coproduction of critical minerals and materials with carbon manufacturing precursor materials from unconventional coal and other carbon-based feedstocks; (2) recovery of heavy rare earth elements from secondary and unconventional resources; (3) critical mineral recovery from produced water; and (4) process diversification for producing rare earth elements from secondary or unconventional resources and recycled materials.

What does AOI 1 focus on (coproduction with carbon manufacturing precursor materials)?

AOI 1 focuses on technologies that can coproduce critical minerals and materials while also producing carbon manufacturing precursor materials derived from unconventional coal and other carbon-based feedstocks. The concept suggests R&D approaches that extract mineral value and generate carbon-based precursor products in parallel, potentially improving project economics through multiple outputs from the same feedstock.

What does AOI 2 focus on (heavy rare earth elements from secondary/unconventional resources)?

AOI 2 targets the recovery of heavy rare earth elements from secondary and unconventional resources. The NOI highlights that heavy rare earths are often more supply constrained and strategically important, so this area is oriented toward technologies that can economically extract and separate heavy rare earth elements from non-traditional sources (such as legacy materials or industrial byproducts) rather than relying only on conventional mining.

What does AOI 3 focus on (critical mineral recovery from produced water)?

AOI 3 is aimed at recovering critical minerals from produced water, which is water brought to the surface during oil and gas production and other subsurface operations. This area generally involves developing extraction processes for dissolved minerals in high-salinity brines while accounting for operational constraints like variable water chemistry, scaling, pretreatment needs, and disposal limitations.

What does AOI 4 focus on (process diversification and recycled materials)?

AOI 4 emphasizes process diversification for producing rare earth elements from secondary or unconventional resources and recycled materials. This signals interest in expanding and diversifying separation, refining, and processing routes, including approaches that can handle recycled inputs or complex mixed-material streams to reduce bottlenecks and improve resilience in U.S.-based REE production.

Where can I find the full Notice of Intent?

The notice directs readers to obtain the full NOI through NETL's exchange site at https://netl-exchange.energy.gov.

Where will the final FOA most likely be posted?

Based on the notice, NETL's exchange site (https://netl-exchange.energy.gov) is the expected place where the final FOA would typically appear once issued.

The record shows an original closing date of 2024-09-27. Does that mean I have to submit by then?

No submission is being accepted at the NOI stage. The notice explains that meaningful submission deadlines and award details will be established in the eventual FOA. The date shown in the record should not be treated as an active application deadline for this NOI.

The listing shows an award ceiling value of 2 and expected awards of 0. What does that mean?

The notice indicates these values should be treated as placeholder or preliminary metadata at the NOI stage, not as confirmed funding amounts or a confirmed plan for the number of awards. Official funding levels, expected awards, and other award terms will be provided in the final FOA.

Will the FOA include cost share requirements or specific merit review criteria?

The NOI states that key details like cost share requirements (if any) and technical merit review criteria are not finalized at this stage and will be established in the eventual FOA.

What should interested organizations do now?

The NOI is an early heads-up. The practical next steps described in the notice are to monitor the NETL Exchange posting for the actual FOA release and wait for the final eligibility rules and application instructions before taking formal action.

What is the main takeaway from this NOI?

The main takeaway is that DOE intends to fund technology development to expand domestic, non-traditional sources of critical minerals and rare earth elements, with emphasis on carbon-based feedstocks, secondary and unconventional resources, produced water, and recycled materials. Because it is only a preview, stakeholders should treat it as preparatory information until the final FOA is published.