EFRC Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs)

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The Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC)

The EFRCs are 46 Centers established at universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private firms across the nation that are funded by the DoE and the Office of Basic Energy Science (BES) to accelerate the rate of scientific breakthroughs needed to create advanced energy technologies for the 21st century. The EFRCs will pursue the fundamental understanding necessary to meet the global need for abundant, clean, and economical energy.


1. What are the goals that the DoE/BES hopes to attain with these grants?
Background:
The following information is taken from the U.S. Department of Energy Funding Opportunity Anouncement (FOA), which is found Here

"Context - The 21st century brings with it staggering challenges for advanced energy technology. Limited supplies of traditional fossil energy resources and a clear consensus on the negative global effects of traditional fossil fuel utilization demand the discovery of transformative energy technologies for the development and effective utilization of new energy sources that are abundant, clean, and economical. Incremental advances in current energy technologies will not fully address the energy challenges of the 21st century. History has demonstrated that radically new technologies arise from disruptive advances at the frontiers of scientific thought. The incredible development of information technology of the 20th century provides the most recent example. What might a vision of 21st century energy technology look like? Imagine a virtually unlimited supply of electrical power from solar-energy systems, modeled on the photosynthetic processes utilized by green plants, and power lines that could transmit this electricity from the deserts of the southwest to the Eastern Seaboard at nearly 100 percent efficiency. This is but one of many visions of a new energy future that can only come from continuing to push the frontiers of science.

Establishing the Energy Research Directions: The Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program supports fundamental research in focused areas of the natural sciences in order to expand the scientific foundations for new and improved energy technologies and for understanding and mitigating the environmental impacts of energy use. BES has long invested in innovative basic research aimed to achieve this mission through its core research areas. In 2001, the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) conducted a far reaching study to assess the scope of fundamental scientific research that must be considered to address the DOE missions in energy efficiency, renewable energy resources, improved use of fossil fuels, safe and publicly acceptable nuclear energy, future energy sources, and reduced environmental impacts of energy production and use.

The scientific community responded to this BESAC study with enthusiasm through participation in a week-long workshop, whose results were published in early 2003 in the report, Basic Research Needs to Assure a Secure Energy Future. That report inspired a series of ten follow-on “Basic Research Needs” workshops over the next five years, which together attracted more than 1,500 participants from universities, industry, and DOE laboratories. The full reports from these 11 workshops can be found at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/list.html"

The 11 workshops were:

  1. Basic Research Needs To Assure A Secure Energy Future This workshop assessed the basic research needs for energy technologies to assure a reliable, economic, and environmentally sound energy supply for the future.
  2. Basic Research Needs for the Hydrogen Economy The BES Workshop on Hydrogen Production, Storage, and Use examined the current state of the art in each of these areas, analyzed issues blocking rapid development of the hydrogen economy, and identified high-priority fundamental research directions to address these challenges.
  3. Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization Sunlight is a compelling solution to the need for clean and abundant sources of energy in a world where demand for energy is projected to more than double by 2050 and to more than triple by the end of the century. However, there is a huge gap between our present use of solar energy and its enormous undeveloped potential. This defines a grand challenge in energy research.
  4. Basic Research Needs for Superconductivity The challenge facing the electricity grid to provide abundant, reliable power will soon grow to crisis proportions. Revolutionary new power transmission and control solutions based on superconductors can solve this by increasing the grid’s capacity, efficiency, stability and reliability as they are uniquely capable of carrying current without loss, mediating overcurrents intrinsically while providing instantaneous power regulation.
  5. Basic Research Needs for Solid-State Lighting Solid state lighting (SSL) modalities present an opportunity to achieve tremendous savings in energy efficiency.
  6. Basic Research Needs for Advanced Nuclear Energy SystemsThe workshop identified new, emerging, and scientifically challenging areas in materials and chemical sciences that have the potential for significant impact on advanced nuclear energy systems.
  7. Basic Research Needs for Clean and Efficient Combustion of 21st Century Transportation Fuels This workshop was charged with exploring basic research needs in the areas of gas-phase chemistry, combustion diagnostics, and combustion simulation that will enable the use of transportation fuels derived from non-traditional sources (oil shale, tar sands, coal, biomass) in a manner that optimizes engine efficiency and minimizes pollutant formation.
  8. Basic Research Needs for Geosciences Facilitating 21st Century Energy Systems. This report describes the scientific challenges associated with underground storage options for carbon dioxide and radioactive waste.
  9. Basic Research Needs for Electrical Energy StorageDramatic improvements in electrical energy storage (EES) systems are required for the effective use of intermittent, renewable energy sources and to progress from today’s hybrid electric vehicles to plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles.
  10. Basic Research Needs for Materials under Extreme Environments Future energy technologies will place increasing demands on materials performance with respect to extremes in stress, strain, temperature, pressure, chemical reactivity, photon or radiation flux, and electric or magnetic fields.
  11. Basic Research Needs: Catalysis for Energy The workshop examined basic research needs to maximize the potential for new catalytic discoveries in three specific areas according to source: bio- derived chemicals, heavy fossil-derived chemicals, and end-product (such as carbon dioxide and water) reconversion.

Outcome

  1. The New Era of Science Together, these workshop reports highlighted the remarkable scientific journey that has taken place during the past few decades. The resulting scientific challenges, which no longer were discussed in terms of traditional scientific disciplines, described a new era of science - an era in which materials functionalities are designed to specifications and chemical transformations are manipulated at will.
  2. The Science Grand Challenges This goal to direct and control matter at the quantum, atomic, and molecular levels requires a change in our fundamental understanding of how nature works.

To implement the collective scientific recommendations of these 12 reports and to stimulate frontier energy research in a new era of science, the Office of Basic Energy Sciences sought applications for the establishment of Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs). EFRCs bring together the skills and talents of multiple investigators to enable fundamental research of a scope and complexity that would not be possible with the standard individual investigator or small group research project. As such, the EFRCs will strengthen and complement the existing portfolio of the single Principal Investigator and small group research projects currently supported within BES core research areas. The EFRC awards are in the $2-5 million range annually for the initial five-year project period. It is anticipated that approximately $100 million will be available annually for multiple EFRC awards.


2. Is there any strategy and a timeline around these grants?
The EFRCs are funded at $2-5 million per year each for a planned initial five-year period. The grants are renewable for a second 5 year period.


3. How many centers applied?
A pool of some 260 applications was received in response to a solicitation issued in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science.


4. What are the criteria for selection as an EFRC?
See the information above along with the following selection guidelines taken from the above mentioned DoE FOA: All types of domestic entities, including DOE/NNSA National Laboratory contractors, are eligible to apply as prime awardees. Eligible entities are defined in Section 989 of EPAct 2005. In accordance with Section 989 of EPAct 2005, this competition is not open to other Federal agencies and their Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors. Nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible to apply.


5. Is there any coordination among the centers that is suggested/mandated by the DoE?
Dr. Robin Hayes noted: "The 46 EFRCs are actively managed by a team of program managers in the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Some activities include monthly phone conferences with subgroups of EFRC directors, periodic Director’s meetings, and a scientific forum." and "Several of the centers are already holding joint meetings and summer schools. We anticipate more of these collaborative efforts will arise as the centers mature."

6. How do the grants treat the knowledge and the IP coming from the centers' research?
Dr. Robin Hayes at the DoE's Office of Basic Energy Science noted that "Results are expected to be documented in the open scientific literature via publications in peer-reviewed archival journals and elsewhere. Patents and intellectual property are treated no differently than any other fundamental research we support; the detailed treatment of these is specific to the institutions receiving the awards."

7. Does the DoE ask for any privileged access/use of the knowledge/IP coming from these grants? Dr. Robin Hayes noted: "Patents and intellectual property are treated no differently than any other fundamental research we support; the detailed treatment of these is specific to the institutions receiving the awards. The EFRC management team, within DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Science, will work with the appropriate applied energy offices as needed to help recognize and identify support for commercializable technologies." and "The guideline for publication is the same as all other research funded by us; investigators may choose where to publish to best reach the appropriate scientific community."

8. Does the DoE ask the centers to communicate/coordinate in any fashion among each other and with the DoE? Such as meetings/conferences/workshops?
See question 5.

9. Does the DoE ask/suggest/mandates open access such as the NIH policy? Based on the answer to question 6 above it would seem that there is no policy regarding open access like the NIH, though I have posed the question to Dr. Robin Hayes and am awaiting a response.

10. Does the DoE ask/suggest/mandate that the centers grant research exemptions for the other centers?


Original emails from/to Dr. Robin Hayes:

Original Reply

Dear Mr. Bauer,

Thank you for your inquiry. The EFRCs’ primary mission is to pursue the fundamental understanding necessary to accelerate the rate of scientific breakthroughs needed to create advanced energy technologies for the 21st century. Although there is the expectation that transformative ideas and approaches will arise from these centers in the long term, the nature of basic research is not amenable to establishing specific timelines to commercialization. Results are expected to be documented in the open scientific literature via publications in peer-reviewed archival journals and elsewhere. Patents and intellectual property are treated no differently than any other fundamental research we support; the detailed treatment of these is specific to the institutions receiving the awards. The EFRC management team, within DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Science, will work with the appropriate applied energy offices as needed to help recognize and identify support for commercializable technologies. Good luck with your study.

Sincerely,

Robin Hayes

_________________________________________

Robin Hayes, PhD

AAAS Fellow

Office of Basic Energy Sciences

U.S. Department of Energy

SC.22 Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585-1290

Follow Up

Hello again Dr. Hayes,

Upon reflection I actually had a few follow up questions if you don't mind. I really appreciate your help.

1. Is there any coordination among the centers that is suggested/mandated by the DoE?

2. Do the DoE/BES ask the centers to communicate/coordinate in any fashion with each other or with the DoE/BES? Such as meetings/conferences/workshops? I spoke with one EFRC leader and I believe he was saying that there are meetings that bring together all of the EFRC directors for updates to each other and the DoE/BES. Is that correct?


3. Do the DoE/BES ask/suggest that the Centers grant research exemptions for the other centers-grantees?

4. You mentioned that the centers are expected to publish their research in open scientific literature. Is there any expectation or rule that the results be published in open access databases like the NIH has been mandating?

Thank you again for your time.

Regards,

Silas Bauer

Answers to above questions

Dear Mr. Bauer,

The 46 EFRCs are actively managed by a team of program managers in the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Some activities include monthly phone conferences with subgroups of EFRC directors, periodic Director’s meetings, and a scientific forum. More information about the management of the EFRCs can be found in a presentation given to the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee last July (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/BESAC/Meetings.html#0923; item 4: “EFRC Update”). Several of the centers are already holding joint meetings and summer schools. We anticipate more of these collaborative efforts will arise as the centers mature. The guideline for publication is the same as all other research funded by us; investigators may choose where to publish to best reach the appropriate scientific community.

Sincerely,

Robin Hayes _________________________________________

Robin Hayes, PhD

AAAS Fellow

Office of Basic Energy Sciences

U.S. Department of Energy

SC.22 Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585-1290

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