ARPA-E (Department of Energy) Announces Updates to REMOTE Grant for Reducing Transportation Emissions

Accordingly, this modification:
1) Inserts certain deadlines, including the deadlines for the submission of Full Applications and Replies to Reviewer Comments;
2) Inserts language to Section E. Technical Performance Targets, Metric Description Primary Technical Targets 3.1 requiring submission of the REMOTE Calculator Tool to address primary technical target 3.1, Overall Process CapEx;
3) Inserts anticipated dates for selection announcement and award of funding agreements;
4) Revises the following sections of the FOA to provide guidance on required application forms and the content and form of Full Applications and Replies to Reviewer Comments: Required Documents Checklist and Sections IV.D, IV.E, IV.G of the FOA;
5) Inserts criteria that ARPA-E will use to evaluate Full Applications;
6) Inserts criteria that ARPA-E will use to evaluate Replies to Reviewer Comments in Section V.A.3 of the FOA;
7) Inserts program Policy Factors;
8) Inserts Full Application Notification language;
9) Inserts Administrative and National Policy Requirements;
10) Inserts Reporting requirements;
11) Clarifies that ARPA-E awards may not be transferred, assigned, or assumed without the prior written consent of a Contracting Officer;
12) Clarifies that if entities elect to retain title to subject inventions, they must file a patent application in a timely fashion;
13) Clarifies the conditions under which the U.S. Government may exercise its March-in Rights;
14) Inserts information concerning annual compliance audits for for-profit Entities;
15) Updates total amount to be awarded to $30 million; and
16) Updates Application and Submission Information Section to include guidance on REMOTE Calculator Tool for ALL Category 3 Full Applications.
To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. Notices of Intent, Concept Papers, Full Applications, and Replies to Reviewer Comments must be submitted through ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/), ARPA-E?s online application portal. ARPA-E will not review or consider applications submitted through other means. For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ?ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide? (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). Templates for the Concept Paper, the Technical Volume of the Full Application, and the Reply to Reviewer Comments are provided as appendices to the FOA.

Accordingly, this modification, (1) extended first deadline for questions until 5 pm ET April 15, 2013; (2) extended the submission for Concept Paper submission until 5 pm ET April 22, 2013; and (3) clarified methodology for energy efficiency and carbon yield calculations, Section I.F. Calculation 2.

To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. Notices of Intent, Concept Papers, Full Applications, and Replies to Reviewer Comments must be submitted through ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/), ARPA-E?s online application portal. ARPA-E will not review or consider applications submitted through other means. For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ?ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide? (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). Templates for the Concept Paper, the Technical Volume of the Full Application, and the Reply to Reviewer Comments are provided as appendices to the FOA.

The mission of ARPA-E is to identify and fund research to translate science into breakthrough energy technologies that are too risky for the private sector and that, if successfully developed, will create the foundation for entirely new industries. Successful projects will address at least one of ARPA-E?s two Mission Areas:

1. Enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that result in:
a. reductions of imports of energy from foreign sources;
b. reductions of energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; and
c. improvement in the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; and
2. Ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies.

This program seeks to support fund the development of bioconversion technologies that transform our ability to convert methane into liquid fuels. Of interest are biological routes to improve the rates and energy efficiencies of methane activation and subsequent fuel synthesis, as well as approaches to engineer high-productivity methane conversion processes. Within this program, three technical categories are considered: (1) high-efficiency biological methane activation, (2) high-efficiency biological synthesis of liquid fuels, and (3) process intensification approaches for biological methane conversion. The potential impacts of this FOA includes increasing the economic and energy security of the nation through production of low-cost, liquid transportation fuels with lower emissions than petroleum-based fuels.