Critical Minerals & Materials: Chemical and Materials Sciences Research on Rare Earth and Platinum Group Elements | DE FOA 0002483

FAQs: DOE Office of Science (BES) Grant DE-FOA-0002483

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, issued through the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program. The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number is DE-FOA-0002483.

What is the main purpose of DE-FOA-0002483?

The purpose is to fund basic, fundamental research in chemical and materials sciences that is specifically tied to rare earth elements and platinum group elements (PGEs). The goal is to deepen scientific understanding of how these critical elements behave in minerals, molecules, and solid-state materials, and to use that understanding to strengthen the nation’s ability to obtain and process these elements and ultimately rely less heavily on vulnerable supplies.

Which DOE office and program are providing this funding?

The funding is provided by the DOE Office of Science through the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program.

Which scientific areas does the FOA emphasize?

The FOA emphasizes fundamental chemical and materials sciences, including research approaches spanning chemistry, materials science, geoscience-relevant chemistry, and physics, particularly where coordinated expertise is needed to make progress.

What types of research are supported (experimental vs. theoretical)?

The opportunity supports both experimental and theoretical work.

Are single-investigator projects allowed, or does it require a team?

It is open to both single investigators and multi-disciplinary teams.

What element families are in scope for this FOA?

The FOA restricts its scope to rare earth elements and platinum group elements (PGEs). Proposals are expected to keep their core scientific focus within those element families.

Does this FOA cover all critical elements recognized by DOE?

No. Although DOE recognizes many critical elements, this specific FOA is limited to rare earth elements and platinum group elements.

How does the FOA define “critical minerals,” “critical elements,” and “critical materials”?

DOE frames these as a connected chain:

• Critical minerals: natural resources that contain and yield critical elements.
• Critical elements: atomic elements with supply risk that are used in critical materials.
• Critical materials: substances that deliver essential performance in important technologies with few practical substitutes.

Why are “critical elements” described as central in this chain?

The FOA emphasizes that critical elements sit at the center because they influence both upstream and downstream outcomes: (1) mineral properties and the mechanisms by which the elements are incorporated, concentrated, and extracted, and (2) the functional properties of advanced materials that depend on them.

What does “upstream and downstream” mean in the context of this FOA?

“Upstream” refers to how an element occurs in ores and how it can be separated or extracted. “Downstream” refers to how that element enables performance in functional materials and devices (for example, magnets or catalysts). The FOA highlights that the same element can matter in both places.

What kinds of scientific questions is BES looking for projects to answer?

BES is looking for research that reveals the fundamental properties and mechanisms governing rare earth elements and PGEs in different environments. The intent is to generate foundational understanding that can improve process science (such as separations and extraction) and improve materials design rules.

What material behaviors or phenomena are highlighted as technologically important?

The FOA points to behaviors where rare earths and PGEs are often decisive, including superconductivity, magnetism, quantum phenomena, light generation, magnetocaloric effects, and catalytic activity.

What kinds of fundamental factors might projects focus on to explain performance?

Projects aligned with the FOA would typically aim to explain how factors such as electronic structure, bonding, coordination chemistry, defects, interfaces, and microstructure control important properties and mechanisms.

How does the FOA connect fundamental science to improved extraction and separations?

It encourages fundamental insights that can translate into improved separations and extraction approaches, including better understanding of how critical elements are incorporated in minerals and how their chemical behavior can be leveraged for more effective processing.

Does the FOA support research on substitutes and alternatives to critical elements?

Yes. A major thrust is enabling alternatives and substitutions. The FOA explicitly highlights the need to discover and design alternate critical materials that reduce or eliminate the need for critical elements, not only improving access to them.

What does the FOA mean by “alternatives and substitutions” in practice?

It includes fundamental work that identifies which atomic-scale features are truly responsible for a desired function (such as what makes a catalyst active or a magnetic compound high-performing). That understanding can enable non-traditional chemistries or architectures that reproduce performance without relying on the most supply-constrained elements.

Is recycling or reuse within scope?

Yes. The FOA ties fundamental understanding to improved reuse and recycling. It notes that better knowledge of chemical speciation, binding environments, and phase behavior can support more selective recovery and separation strategies.

What is the award instrument?

The award instrument is a grant administered by DOE’s Office of Science.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The FOA is listed under CFDA 81.049.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted in the summarized data provided, meaning the FOA does not limit applicants to a narrow institutional type based on the information given.

What is the maximum funding amount (award ceiling)?

The listed award ceiling is $1,200,000.

How many awards are expected?

The summarized data show “ExpectedAwards:” without a number. However, the stated intent is to support a portfolio of basic research efforts rather than a single project.

When was the FOA created and when did it close?

The FOA was created on March 18, 2021. The original application closing date was June 9, 2021.

What is the overarching national need this FOA is trying to address?

The FOA is aimed at strengthening scientific understanding that can improve the nation’s ability to obtain and process rare earth elements and PGEs and reduce reliance on vulnerable supplies, including supplies that may be scarce or geopolitically constrained.

What kinds of technology areas are implied by the FOA’s examples?

Based on the examples provided, the FOA is relevant to energy-relevant technologies that rely on magnets, catalysts, electronic and photonic devices, and other advanced materials where rare earth elements and PGEs can be essential to performance.