Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003435
The Department of Energy is requesting public input through a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Request for Information (RFI) on Enhancing Coordination of the Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP)" (Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003435). This is not a typical grant solicitation that will immediately make awards; instead, it is a market and stakeholder listening exercise designed to collect practical recommendations that can shape how the LEEP program is managed and coordinated moving forward. The RFI is administered through DOE's Golden Field Office under the Energy funding activity category (CFDA 81.086), and it is open to all respondents with unrestricted eligibility.
The core purpose of the RFI is to gather feedback from people and organizations involved in clean energy innovation and entrepreneurship, including entrepreneurs, national laboratory partners, incubators and accelerators, universities, investors, corporate partners, state and local entities, and others who interact with or could benefit from LEEP. DOE specifically wants ideas on the best strategies and opportunities to expand LEEP's quality, reach, impact, and equity. In practice, that means they are looking for input on what is working, what is not working, and what changes could help more founders, in more places, from more backgrounds, successfully translate clean energy technologies from early development into real-world deployment.
A major theme in the RFI is coordination: DOE's Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) are considering different approaches to centralization and inter-node coordination. LEEP operates through "nodes" embedded at national laboratories, and DOE is weighing how much program design, oversight, shared services, common standards, and decision-making should be centralized across the network versus left to each node. The intent is to identify the right balance so that the program can scale and feel consistent and recognizable nationwide while still allowing each lab node to leverage its unique facilities, technical strengths, regional partnerships, and local entrepreneurial ecosystems.
DOE also makes clear that equity and inclusion are not side topics but central outcomes they want to improve. The RFI is meant to surface ways to broaden access and reduce barriers for underrepresented founders and communities, and to ensure that the benefits of clean energy innovation are more widely shared. That could include suggestions about recruitment and selection practices, mentorship and support models, partnerships with community-based organizations and minority-serving institutions, access to facilities and expertise, funding or stipend structures, and how to measure equitable outcomes in a meaningful way.
In terms of expected results, DOE frames this RFI as an input that will help guide future program changes and related activities intended to make LEEP one of the nation's most recognizable, inclusive, and expansive platforms for supporting entrepreneurs. The broader goal is to accelerate the development and deployment of high-impact clean energy technologies at scale, meaning DOE is focused not just on inventions or prototypes, but on the practical path to commercialization, manufacturing, market adoption, and real emissions and energy-system benefits.
Key administrative details include an original closing date of September 19, 2024, and a listed award ceiling of 2 with expected awards shown as 0. Those figures reinforce that this posting is an information-gathering RFI rather than a direct funding competition; respondents should not interpret it as a commitment to make awards under this notice. The full announcement and submission instructions are available on EERE Exchange at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/, which is DOE's platform for EERE-related funding opportunities and related notices.Apply for DE FOA 0003435
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI) on Enhancing Coordination of the Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-25.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-19. (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 $2.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this DOE opportunity?
This opportunity is a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Request for Information (RFI) on Enhancing Coordination of the Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP)" under Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003435. It is a public input process intended to collect recommendations that can inform how the LEEP program is managed and coordinated in the future.
Is this a grant solicitation or a funding opportunity that will make awards right away?
No. DOE describes this notice as a market and stakeholder listening exercise. It is designed to gather practical feedback and does not function like a typical grant competition that immediately results in awards.
What is the purpose of the RFI?
The purpose is to gather feedback from stakeholders involved in clean energy innovation and entrepreneurship on how to expand LEEP's quality, reach, impact, and equity. DOE is looking for input on what is working, what is not working, and what changes could help more founders successfully translate clean energy technologies toward real-world deployment.
Who is running or administering the RFI?
The RFI is administered through the Department of Energy's Golden Field Office. It is associated with the Energy funding activity category and is listed under CFDA 81.086.
Which DOE offices are involved in considering changes to LEEP coordination?
DOE notes that the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) are considering different approaches to centralization and inter-node coordination for LEEP.
Who can respond to this RFI (eligibility)?
The RFI is open to all respondents with unrestricted eligibility. DOE also explicitly invites input from a wide range of stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, national laboratory partners, incubators and accelerators, universities, investors, corporate partners, and state and local entities, as well as others who interact with or could benefit from LEEP.
What is LEEP and what does "lab embedded" mean in this context?
LEEP operates through "nodes" embedded at national laboratories. In this context, the program is structured as a network of lab-based nodes that support entrepreneurship tied to clean energy technologies and innovation.
What kinds of feedback is DOE specifically seeking?
DOE is seeking ideas on strategies and opportunities to expand LEEP's quality, reach, impact, and equity. The RFI emphasizes collecting practical recommendations, including observations about what is working today, what is not, and what program changes could improve outcomes for founders and technology deployment.
What does DOE mean by "coordination" in this RFI?
Coordination refers to how LEEP is managed across its network of national lab nodes. DOE is weighing how much should be centralized across the network (such as program design, oversight, shared services, common standards, and decision-making) versus what should remain at the discretion of individual nodes.
Why is DOE considering centralization versus leaving decisions to each lab node?
DOE is trying to identify the right balance so that LEEP can scale and be consistent and recognizable nationwide, while still allowing each lab node to leverage its unique facilities, technical strengths, regional partnerships, and local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
How important are equity and inclusion in this RFI?
DOE frames equity and inclusion as central outcomes it wants to improve, not side topics. The RFI is intended to surface ways to broaden access, reduce barriers for underrepresented founders and communities, and ensure the benefits of clean energy innovation are more widely shared.
What equity-related topics does DOE want input on?
DOE indicates it is interested in suggestions related to recruitment and selection practices, mentorship and support models, partnerships with community-based organizations and minority-serving institutions, access to facilities and expertise, funding or stipend structures, and approaches for measuring equitable outcomes in meaningful ways.
What outcomes does DOE hope this RFI will influence?
DOE states the RFI input will help guide future program changes and related activities intended to make LEEP one of the nation's most recognizable, inclusive, and expansive platforms for supporting entrepreneurs.
What is the broader goal behind improving LEEP?
The broader goal is to accelerate the development and deployment of high-impact clean energy technologies at scale. DOE emphasizes the practical path to commercialization, manufacturing, market adoption, and real emissions and energy-system benefits, not only inventions or prototypes.
What is the closing date for submitting input?
The notice lists an original closing date of September 19, 2024.
The posting shows an award ceiling of 2 and expected awards of 0. What does that mean?
Those figures reinforce that the posting is an information-gathering RFI rather than a direct funding competition. DOE indicates respondents should not interpret the notice as a commitment to make awards under this posting.
Where can I find the full announcement and submission instructions?
The full announcement and submission instructions are available on EERE Exchange at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/, which is DOE's platform for EERE-related funding opportunities and related notices.
What program areas or communities is DOE trying to hear from?
DOE is seeking input from people and organizations involved in clean energy innovation and entrepreneurship, including entrepreneurs, national laboratory partners, incubators and accelerators, universities, investors, corporate partners, and state and local entities, plus others who interact with or could benefit from LEEP.
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