Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002734
The Fiscal Year 2023 Distinguished Early Career Program (DECP) is a competitive federal grant opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE). It is positioned as DOE-NE's most prestigious early-career award for university faculty who are just beginning their independent academic careers. The central goal is to give selected investigators stable, meaningful support over a long enough period and at a high enough funding level to help them launch and sustain a strong research trajectory while also building a track record as committed educators. In other words, the program is not framed as research-only funding; it explicitly expects awardees to show excellence in research and a serious commitment to teaching, learning, and sharing knowledge beyond their own labs.
From an eligibility standpoint, applicants must be affiliated with institutions of higher education. Both public and state-controlled universities and private universities are eligible to apply, which makes this broadly accessible across the U.S. higher education landscape. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity area is classified under Energy. The listing is associated with CFDA number 81.121, which is commonly used to identify and track federal domestic assistance programs.
The opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Announcement number DE-FOA-0002734, and it was created on September 30, 2022, with an original application deadline of November 3, 2022. DOE-NE anticipated making around four awards under this call, indicating a highly selective process. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is listed as $625,000, which signals a substantial level of support for an early-career faculty member, especially given the program's intent to provide stability and adequate duration to build an independent program.
A notable feature of the announcement is its explicit encouragement of applications from groups that have historically been underrepresented in related fields. DOE-NE specifically urges all eligible candidates to apply, and it calls out women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities in particular. This language reflects an intent to broaden participation and strengthen the pipeline of diverse early-career leaders in nuclear energy-related research and education.
In practical terms, DECP functions as a career-building award: it is designed to help early-career faculty establish themselves as leading researchers in areas aligned with DOE-NE's mission while also developing and demonstrating educational impact. The program emphasizes not only generating new knowledge, but also teaching, mentoring, and disseminating results in ways that contribute to the broader scientific and engineering community.Apply for DE FOA 0002734
- The Department of Energy in the energy, opportunity zone benefits sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2023 Distinguished Early Career Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.121.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 30, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 03, 2022. (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 $625,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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