Biosystems Design to Enable Safe Production of Next-Generation Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biomaterials | DE FOA 0002600

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) from the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program, under its Biosystems Design (BSSD) activities. The FOA is titled "Biosystems Design to Enable Safe Production of Next-Generation Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biomaterials" (DE-FOA-0002600).

Which DOE office and program are sponsoring this FOA?

The FOA is sponsored by the DOE Office of Science through BER (Biological and Environmental Research), specifically the Biosystems Design (BSSD) activities.

What is the main purpose of the FOA?

The FOA seeks foundational, fundamental research that improves the ability to understand, predict, manipulate, and design biological systems so they can convert renewable biomass, captured atmospheric CO2, and petroleum-derived polymers into biofuels, bioproducts, and biomaterials efficiently and safely.

Is this opportunity focused on fundamental research or commercialization?

Based on the FOA description provided, the emphasis is on fundamental, interdisciplinary science and transformative technology development that expands what biology can be engineered to do, rather than on product commercialization.

What does DOE mean by accelerating the "design, build, test, learn" (DBTL) cycle?

The FOA emphasizes improving the DBTL loop by developing better engineering tools and platforms that not only produce improved engineered organisms, but also uncover the underlying principles that govern organism function. The intent is to shorten iteration time and improve predictive accuracy through integrated experimentation and computation.

What research approaches are strongly emphasized in this FOA?

The FOA highlights integrative, multidisciplinary systems biology grounded in multi-omics (such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) paired with advanced computation. It also points to the role of synthetic biology, high-throughput experimentation, and artificial intelligence in speeding up the DBTL cycle.

What kinds of capabilities or platforms is DOE looking for teams to develop?

DOE is seeking advances such as new genome-scale design and editing capabilities, high-throughput platforms for testing and phenotyping, and modeling methods and algorithms that can interpret large datasets and improve predictive performance.

What are the two topic areas applicants must choose between?

Applicants must align proposals with one of two topic areas: (1) microbial biosystems design or (2) plant biosystems design.

What is included under the microbial biosystems design topic?

The microbial topic calls for genome-wide design and editing approaches and advanced engineering methods (including in vivo and cell-free approaches) for either prokaryotic or eukaryotic microbes, aimed at enabling production of biofuels, bioproducts, and biomaterials.

What feedstocks or inputs are relevant for the microbial topic?

The FOA notes microbial systems for producing fuels/products/materials from lignocellulosic biomass, from petroleum-derived synthetic polymers (including breaking them down and converting them), or as a byproduct of photosynthesis. It also signals interest in designs that incorporate carbon benefits such as atmospheric CO2 sequestration.

Does the FOA encourage using organisms beyond common "workhorse" microbes?

Yes. The FOA encourages proposers to expand beyond typical workhorse organisms by developing new or emerging model systems that broaden the range of platform microbes available for engineering.

What are examples of microbial research directions DOE lists as areas of interest?

Illustrative microbial areas of interest include engineering new functional modules (such as biosensors, tunable genetic circuits, and subcellular compartmentalization, including intercellular and cell-free systems); creating orthogonal metabolic, signaling, or macromolecular synthesis pathways; designing recoded, minimal, or synthetic genomes with novel behaviors; engineering microbes to degrade petroleum-based polymers and upcycle them into higher-value outputs; and developing microorganisms that can produce biominerals or inorganic-organic composites, including "living materials."

What does "orthogonal" pathways mean in the context of this FOA?

In the context provided, orthogonal pathways refer to metabolic, signaling, or macromolecular synthesis routes that allow cells to perform processes not found in nature, suggesting biological functions that are intentionally designed to operate in new-to-biology ways.

What is included under the plant biosystems design topic?

The plant topic focuses on engineering plant systems for sustainable production of biofuels, bioproducts, and biomaterials, with added emphasis on improving bioenergy crop performance in marginal environments, increasing biomass yield, and making biomass easier to deconstruct and convert.

What plant traits or targets does DOE explicitly highlight?

Highlighted targets include improved abiotic stress tolerance (such as drought, salinity, and temperature extremes), higher water and nutrient use efficiency, enhanced photosynthetic capacity, and modifications that facilitate cell wall deconstruction and downstream conversion into advanced fuels and products. The FOA also includes engineering plants to directly produce bioproducts or biomaterials.

What technology development is expected for plant proposals?

Plant proposals are expected to integrate experimental innovation with computational approaches, including technologies for introducing and stably expressing large multigene constructs, genome-wide editing and recombineering approaches, and high-throughput phenotyping supported by modeling and design methods.

Does the FOA mention epigenetic engineering for plants?

Yes. The FOA encourages epigenetic engineering approaches aimed at programmable, tunable, genome-wide control of gene expression, indicating openness to strategies beyond DNA sequence edits alone.

Are traditional model plants acceptable as the main focus?

The FOA asks applicants to keep work on traditional model plants to a minimum and to focus primarily on potential or emerging bioenergy crops.

Which plant species are named as examples of preferred bioenergy-relevant crops?

The FOA names examples such as switchgrass, poplar, Miscanthus, eucalyptus, sorghum, energy cane, and non-food oilseed crops.

What is the overall research theme that applies across both topic areas?

Across microbial and plant platforms, the FOA aims to expand the core toolkit of biosystems engineering by combining multi-omics, high-throughput experimentation, and predictive computation to create safer, more capable biological systems and to shorten the DBTL cycle.

Is there an explicit interest in carbon benefits or carbon capture-related biology?

Yes. The FOA explicitly notes interest in genome engineering strategies that couple product formation with carbon benefits, including organisms that efficiently produce chemicals or materials while sequestering atmospheric CO2.

Is upcycling or biological conversion of petroleum-derived polymers within scope?

Yes. The FOA includes petroleum-derived synthetic polymers as a relevant input for microbial systems, including breaking them down and converting them into useful products, and lists polymer degradation and upcycling as an illustrative microbial area of interest.

What category and CFDA number is associated with this grant opportunity?

The opportunity is described as a discretionary grant in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, with CFDA 81.049.

When was the FOA created and what were the listed closing details?

The FOA was created on December 9, 2021, and the original closing date listed is April 7, 2022.

What is the listed award ceiling?

The listed award ceiling is $25,000,000.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as broad across applicant types, with one specific exclusion noted: 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that have engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible.

Are 501(c)(4) organizations eligible if they have engaged in lobbying after December 31, 1995?

No. The FOA information provided states that 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that have engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible.

Can DOE/NNSA National Laboratories apply as the prime recipient?

No. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories cannot apply as the prime recipient under the constraints described, but they may participate as subrecipients under an eligible prime applicant.

Can other federally affiliated entities participate?

Non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and other federal agencies cannot apply as the prime recipient, but may participate as subrecipients under an eligible prime applicant, subject to the FOA-described restrictions and approvals.

How may funding be handled for participating national labs or federal entities if selected?

The FOA description indicates that if selected, their funding may be handled through DOE field-work mechanisms or interagency agreements, and that special authorization and contracting officer approvals apply as described in the FOA.

What kinds of team structures does this FOA implicitly support?

Based on the emphasis on integrative systems biology, multi-omics, high-throughput experimentation, and advanced computation, the FOA points toward multidisciplinary teams that tightly integrate experimental platform development with modeling and algorithm development.

What outcomes is DOE ultimately aiming for through this FOA?

DOE is aiming for foundational advances that broaden the range of engineerable organisms, improve predictive understanding of biological systems, and enable new routes to sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials, including approaches that integrate carbon capture or polymer upcycling as part of the biosystems design challenge.