Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002673
The Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) released the 2021 SCALEUP funding opportunity, formally titled "Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy Technologies with Untapped Potential 2021" (FOA number DE-FOA-0002673). The core idea is to help the most promising ARPA-E-backed technologies move past the typical stopping point that happens when an initial ARPA-E award ends. ARPA-E is known for supporting high-risk, high-reward applied research and development that can create entirely new "learning curves" rather than simply improving existing technologies in small steps. SCALEUP is meant to take technologies that already showed strong results under ARPA-E and fund the next stage: the difficult, pre-commercial work needed to prove they can scale, integrate into real-world systems, and plausibly be manufactured and deployed at competitive cost.
SCALEUP 2021 is designed to bridge the gap between successful proof-of-concept work and the level of validation that private investors, corporate partners, or later-stage funders typically require before committing serious capital. ARPA-E emphasizes that even after a technically strong project, significant risk often remains, and without additional support, technologies can get "stranded" before they reach market readiness. The FOA highlights the importance of pre-commercial scaling efforts (often called "pre-pilot" work in industry) that translate bench-scale performance to commercially scalable designs, generate longer-term performance and reliability data, validate manufacturability, and demonstrate integration with broader energy systems. In other words, the program is less about inventing the core concept and more about de-risking the pathway to a real product or deployable system.
A major motivation in the announcement is U.S. competitiveness. ARPA-E points out that when scaling does not happen domestically, intellectual property and early technical leadership developed with U.S. taxpayer support can become vulnerable to being picked up and advanced elsewhere, allowing foreign competitors to capture economic benefits tied to manufacturing and deployment. SCALEUP is positioned as a mechanism to keep momentum in the United States so that breakthroughs do not stall after early technical success, and so that domestic industry has a better chance of leading the next steps toward commercialization, job creation, and supply chain development.
The opportunity is issued under ARPA-E's congressional authority (42 U.S.C. 16538) and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, meaning ARPA-E typically expects substantial involvement during project execution compared to a more hands-off grant. The FOA falls under federal assistance rules in 2 CFR Part 200 (as supplemented by 2 CFR Part 910). Eligibility is listed as "unrestricted," meaning it is broadly open to many types of entities, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full FOA. The listing references CFDA 81.135 and categorizes the activity area in a way tied to "Opportunity Zone Benefits," though the practical meaning of that category depends on the details in the formal announcement.
In terms of logistics, applications had to be submitted through ARPA-E eXCHANGE, ARPA-E's required online portal, and ARPA-E stated it would not review or consider submissions sent by other means. Applicants were directed to retrieve the full Funding Opportunity Announcement from the ARPA-E FOA website and use the eXCHANGE user guide for submission instructions. Technical issues with eXCHANGE were routed to ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov (with the FOA name and number in the subject line). Program questions were handled through posted FAQs and, if unanswered, through ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. The FOA was created December 16, 2021, and the full application deadline was 9:30 AM ET on April 27, 2022, with a strong suggestion to submit at least 48 hours early.
Finally, the FOA clarifies how ARPA-E fits into the broader DOE funding landscape. ARPA-E focuses on applied R&D and experimental development aimed at practical outcomes and disruptive potential, rather than basic science for its own sake. For projects that are more incremental or aligned with established technology roadmaps, DOE's applied energy offices (like EERE, Fossil Energy, Nuclear Energy, and Electricity) may be a better fit, while truly basic research is typically directed to the DOE Office of Science. SCALEUP 2021 sits in a specific niche within ARPA-E itself: it complements ARPA-E's usual early-stage proof-of-concept focus by supporting the next, scale-up phase that can make or break whether a breakthrough becomes an investable, manufacturable, and ultimately deployable U.S. energy technology.Apply for DE FOA 0002673
- The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the opportunity zone benefits sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SEEDING CRITICAL ADVANCES FOR LEADING ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES WITH UNTAPPED POTENTIAL 2021" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 16, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 27, 2022 Submission Deadline for Full Applications to this FOA are due no later than 930 AM ET, April 27, 2022. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit at least 48 hours in advance of the due date.. (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 $100,000,000.00 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - ARPA-E SCALEUP 2021 (DE-FOA-0002673)
1) What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is formally titled "Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy Technologies with Untapped Potential 2021", commonly referred to as ARPA-E SCALEUP 2021.
2) What is the FOA number for SCALEUP 2021?
The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number is DE-FOA-0002673.
3) Which agency is offering this opportunity?
This opportunity was released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
4) What is the main goal of the SCALEUP 2021 program?
SCALEUP 2021 is designed to help the most promising technologies previously backed by ARPA-E move beyond the typical stopping point that can occur when an initial ARPA-E award ends. The program focuses on the difficult work needed to prove a technology can scale, integrate into real-world systems, and plausibly be manufactured and deployed at competitive cost.
5) What kind of projects is SCALEUP 2021 meant to support?
Based on the FOA description provided, SCALEUP 2021 supports pre-commercial scaling efforts for technologies that have already shown strong results under ARPA-E. This includes work sometimes called "pre-pilot" in industry, where teams translate bench-scale performance into commercially scalable designs and generate the types of validation that later-stage funders typically require.
6) Is SCALEUP 2021 focused on inventing new concepts or scaling proven ones?
SCALEUP 2021 is positioned as less about inventing the core concept and more about de-risking the pathway to a real product or deployable system. It targets the gap between successful proof-of-concept results and the level of validation needed for serious private investment or corporate partnering.
7) Why does ARPA-E say additional support is needed after a strong technical project?
ARPA-E emphasizes that even after a technically strong project, significant risk often remains. Without additional support, technologies can become "stranded" before reaching market readiness, meaning they may not get the scale-up validation that investors or later-stage funders want to see.
8) What types of scale-up activities are highlighted in the FOA?
The FOA highlights several scale-up and validation needs, including: translating bench-scale performance to commercially scalable designs; generating longer-term performance and reliability data; validating manufacturability; and demonstrating integration with broader energy systems.
9) How does SCALEUP 2021 relate to ARPA-E's broader mission?
ARPA-E is known for supporting high-risk, high-reward applied research and development intended to create entirely new learning curves rather than incremental improvements. SCALEUP 2021 complements ARPA-E's typical early-stage proof-of-concept support by funding the next phase that can determine whether a breakthrough becomes investable and deployable.
10) What is the competitiveness motivation mentioned for SCALEUP 2021?
A key motivation described is U.S. competitiveness. ARPA-E notes that when scaling does not happen domestically, intellectual property and early leadership developed with U.S. taxpayer support can be vulnerable to being advanced elsewhere, allowing foreign competitors to capture manufacturing and deployment benefits. SCALEUP is positioned to help keep momentum in the United States.
11) What is the funding instrument used for SCALEUP 2021?
The FOA uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. This generally means ARPA-E expects substantial involvement during project execution compared to a more hands-off grant structure.
12) Under what authority is the program issued?
The opportunity is issued under ARPA-E's congressional authority, referenced as 42 U.S.C. 16538.
13) What federal assistance rules apply to this opportunity?
The FOA falls under federal assistance rules in 2 CFR Part 200 (as supplemented by 2 CFR Part 910).
14) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as "unrestricted", meaning it is broadly open to many types of entities, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full FOA.
15) What CFDA number is referenced for this opportunity?
The listing references CFDA 81.135.
16) Where were applications required to be submitted?
Applications had to be submitted through ARPA-E eXCHANGE, ARPA-E's required online portal. ARPA-E stated it would not review or consider submissions sent by other means.
17) Does ARPA-E accept applications by email or other submission methods?
No. The information provided states ARPA-E would not review or consider submissions sent by means other than the ARPA-E eXCHANGE portal.
18) Where could applicants find the full Funding Opportunity Announcement?
Applicants were directed to retrieve the full Funding Opportunity Announcement from the ARPA-E FOA website.
19) What guidance was provided for using the submission portal?
Applicants were instructed to use the eXCHANGE user guide for submission instructions.
20) Who should applicants contact for technical issues with eXCHANGE?
Technical issues with eXCHANGE were routed to ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov. Applicants were instructed to include the FOA name and number in the subject line.
21) Who should applicants contact for program questions?
Program questions were handled through posted FAQs and, if unanswered, through ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov.
22) When was the FOA created?
The FOA was created on December 16, 2021.
23) What was the full application deadline for SCALEUP 2021?
The full application deadline was 9:30 AM ET on April 27, 2022.
24) Was there any recommendation about when to submit?
Yes. ARPA-E strongly suggested submitting at least 48 hours early.
25) How does ARPA-E differ from other DOE funding offices, according to the FOA description?
The FOA description explains that ARPA-E focuses on applied R&D and experimental development aimed at practical outcomes and disruptive potential, rather than basic science for its own sake. For more incremental projects aligned with established technology roadmaps, DOE applied energy offices (such as EERE, Fossil Energy, Nuclear Energy, and Electricity) may be a better fit, while truly basic research is typically directed to the DOE Office of Science.
26) What niche does SCALEUP 2021 fill within ARPA-E?
SCALEUP 2021 sits in a niche that bridges ARPA-E's typical proof-of-concept stage and the later-stage validation needed for manufacturing and deployment. It supports the scale-up phase that can determine whether an early breakthrough becomes an investable, manufacturable, and deployable U.S. energy technology.
27) What does the listing mean by an activity area tied to "Opportunity Zone Benefits"?
The listing categorizes the activity area in a way tied to "Opportunity Zone Benefits", but the practical meaning of that category is stated to depend on details in the formal announcement.
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