DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences: Energy Frontier Research Centers

1. INDIVIDUALS

U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are eligible to apply for funding as a prime recipient (lead organization) or subawardee (team member).

2. DOMESTIC ENTITIES

For-profit entities, educational institutions, and nonprofit entities1 that are incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular State or territory of the United States are eligible to apply for funding as the lead organization or subawardee (team member).

State, local, and tribal government entities are eligible to apply for funding as the lead organization or subawardee (team member).

DOE/NNSA National Laboratory Contractors are eligible to apply for funding as the lead organization or subawardee (team member).

Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs and non-DOE GOGOs are eligible to apply for funding as a subawardee (team member), but are not eligible to apply as the lead organization.

Federal agencies and instrumentalities (other than DOE) are eligible to apply for funding as a subawardee (team member), but are not eligible to apply as the lead organization.

3. FOREIGN ENTITIES

Foreign entities, whether for-profit or otherwise, are eligible to apply for funding under this FOA.

Other than as provided in the “Individuals” or “Domestic Entities” sections above, all lead organizations receiving funding under this FOA must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States. If a foreign entity applies for funding as a lead organization, it must designate in the Letter of Intent (LOI) and full application a subsidiary or affiliate incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States to be the lead organization. The LOI and full application must state the nature of the corporate relationship between the foreign entity and domestic subsidiary or affiliate. Foreign entities may request a waiver of this requirement in the full application. See Section IV.C.7. for waiver request information. DOE has discretion to waive this requirement if it determines that it will further the purposes of this FOA and is otherwise in the interests of DOE.

4. INCORPORATED CONSORTIA

Incorporated consortia, which may include domestic and/or foreign entities, are eligible to apply for funding as the lead organization or subawardee (team member). For consortia incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States, please refer to “Domestic Entities” above. For consortia incorporated in foreign countries, please refer to the requirements in “Foreign Entities” above.

Each incorporated consortium must have an internal governance structure and a written set of internal rules. Upon request, the consortium must provide a written description of its internal governance structure and its internal rules to the DOE Contracting Officer.

5. UNINCORPORATED CONSORTIA

Unincorporated consortia (team arrangements), which may include domestic and foreign entities, must designate one member of the consortium to serve as the prime recipient/consortium representative (lead organization). The prime recipient/consortium representative must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States.

Upon request, unincorporated consortia must provide the DOE Contracting Officer with a collaboration agreement, commonly referred to as the articles of collaboration, which sets out the rights and responsibilities of each consortium member. This agreement binds the individual consortium members together and should discuss, among other things, the consortium’s:

• Management structure;
• Method of making payments to consortium members;
• Means of ensuring and overseeing members’ efforts on the project;
• Provisions for members’ cost sharing contributions; and
• Provisions for ownership and rights in intellectual […]