ARPA-E AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY TECHNOLOGY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM DEMONSTRATION PARTNERSHIP 2.0 | DE FOA 0002492

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002492

The ARPA-E and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) Demonstration Partnership 2.0 is a Department of Energy ARPA-E funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002492) designed to move promising, ARPA-E-supported energy technologies out of the lab and into real-world operation on U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) installations. The basic idea is to combine ARPA-E's role as an early-stage, high-risk/high-reward technology funder with ESTCP's role as DoD's program for demonstrating and validating technologies that can measurably improve installation energy performance, cut operating and maintenance costs, and strengthen energy security. In this partnership model, ARPA-E helps provide technologies and funding, while ESTCP helps provide access to DoD sites and the practical expertise needed to run credible demonstration projects under operational conditions.

The projects targeted by this FOA are focused on high-priority DoD installation energy needs, particularly where better energy efficiency or improved energy security can translate into improved readiness and reduced facility costs. The emphasis is not on basic research; it is on demonstration and validation. Technologies proposed for funding are expected to be beyond the laboratory stage, meaning they should have already completed lab testing and, when relevant, some initial small-scale field testing. The funded work is meant to generate strong, decision-quality evidence about how a technology actually performs in the field, what it costs to operate and maintain, and what the realistic value proposition looks like when deployed at DoD facilities. The intent is to produce the data that end users, installation decision-makers, and other stakeholders typically need before they will accept a new technology and deploy it at scale, while also accelerating the path to commercialization.

A key feature of the opportunity is its focus on solutions with broader applicability across the Department of Defense, rather than one-off projects aimed mainly at fixing a single installation's unique issue. The FOA explicitly notes that it will not support full-scale demonstrations that are primarily intended to solve an individual installation problem, and it signals a preference for projects that address multi-Service or DoD-wide requirements. In other words, applicants are expected to frame their demonstrations around needs and use cases that can be replicated across multiple bases or services, with a clear line of sight to wider adoption.

Selected projects are expected to carry out three major sets of responsibilities. First, teams must execute a well-governed technology demonstration that validates both performance and expected operational costs. This requires developing formal Pre-Demonstration and Demonstration Plans that cover the technical approach and the management of the demonstration, using ESTCP demonstration plan guidance. Those plans must be reviewed and approved by ARPA-E before any work begins at the installation. During and after the demonstration, teams are expected to collect high-quality, relevant data sufficient to scientifically support the technology's claims, and to share cost and performance results with ARPA-E and DoD so that realistic projections can be made for full-scale implementation at the demonstration site and at other DoD sites.

Second, teams must actively plan for and support technology transition, not just technical success. This includes producing a Technology Transition Plan for ARPA-E approval (again using ESTCP guidance), identifying and engaging the intended DoD user community to obtain practical feedback, and developing materials that make future implementation easier. Examples of transition-enabling outputs include user guidance, design documents, and protocol documents that help installation staff and contractors understand how to design, install, operate, and maintain the technology. Teams must also publish a publicly available Final Report that includes the demonstration test data, and they are encouraged to publish results in peer-reviewed scientific outlets and present at technical conferences where appropriate. A central expectation is that the project identifies concrete pathways to implementation, showing how the technology can move from a successful demo to broader use.

Third, where regulatory approval or acceptance is a barrier, teams must generate the data and engagement needed to address that barrier early, not late. If a technology requires regulatory approval for use, the project must engage the relevant regulatory community at the outset of execution, solicit feedback, and incorporate that feedback into the Demonstration Plans. The FOA does not force a single regulatory engagement strategy; instead, it encourages an approach that fits the specific technology and its regulatory landscape. This may include working with state regulators, interstate regulatory groups, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as needed.

Operationally, awardees will not be navigating DoD on their own. Applicants selected for demonstration will be teamed with a DoD liaison who helps with selecting an appropriate demonstration site, validating cost and performance claims, connecting with regulatory and user communities, and supporting technology transfer across DoD. That liaison role is meant to improve the quality and relevance of demonstrations and to increase the odds that a successful project actually gets adopted beyond the pilot location.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement instrument, reflecting a more hands-on partnership between the government and the awardee than a standard grant. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 81.135 and is run by the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The FOA anticipated up to 4 awards, with an award ceiling of $2,000,000 per award. The posting indicates a concept paper deadline of May 14, 2021 (with a recommendation to submit at least 48 hours early). Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with details to be clarified in the FOA's additional eligibility information, which typically means applicants should confirm organizational fit and any restrictions directly in the full announcement.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as a bridge between innovation and adoption: it is trying to take advanced energy technologies that are promising but not yet widely trusted in real operational environments, prove them under the day-to-day constraints of DoD facilities, document performance and costs in a rigorous and transparent way, and produce the practical and regulatory groundwork needed for DoD-wide scaling and commercial uptake.

• The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ARPA-E AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY TECHNOLOGY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM DEMONSTRATION PARTNERSHIP 2.0" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 15, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 14, 2021 The submission due date for concept papers is May 14, 2021. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications at least 48 hours in advance of the submission due date.. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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