Well Told Grants

Grants / Department of Energy / Office of Science

DE-FOA-0002603: Quantum-Enabled Bioimaging and Sensing Approaches for Bioenergy

Closed Closed April 22, 2022 Opportunity DE-FOA-0002603

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship Pilot (DE-FOA-0003673). Status: Closes January 12, 2027 (66 days left). It is in our archive of Office of Science notices from 2021.

Office of Science offered grants of up to $750,000 (at least $250,000) to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make $15.0 million in total. Applications closed on April 22, 2022.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed April 21, 2022. Checked November 7, 2026.

Key dates

PostedNovember 12, 2021
DeadlineApril 22, 2022
Archived by Grants.govMay 4, 2022

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

All types of domestic applicants are eligible to apply, except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.Federally affiliated entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below:1. DOE/NNSA National LaboratoriesDOE/NNSA National Laboratories are not eligible to submit applications under this FOA but may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward will be removed from the prime applicant’s award and will be provided to the laboratory through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System and work will be conducted under the laboratory’s contract with DOE. No administrative provisions of this FOA will apply to the laboratory or any laboratory subcontractor. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section VIII of this FOA.2. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCsNon-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are not eligible to submit applications under this FOA but may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement to the FFRDC’s sponsoring Federal Agency. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section VIII of this FOA.3. Other Federal AgenciesOther Federal Agencies are not eligible to submit applications under this FOA but may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement. Additional instructions for providing statutory authorization are found in Section VIII of this FOA.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

BER seeks to advance our understanding of bioimaging by using new quantum science-enabled areas that could resolve limitations of classical optics including resolution and detection limits, signal-to-noise ratio, limitations on temporal dynamics, long term signal stability, sample photodamage and limited penetration, or selective biomolecule sensing. Fundamental research concepts and use-inspired, early prototype research are needed to realize quantum-enabled bioimaging and sensing. Promising approaches could employ photon entanglement, tunneling, quantum correlation, or other quantum phenomena to production and detection of photons or electrons for bioimaging. Applications must enable in situ imaging of live or preserved plant and microbial systems relevant to bioenergy research supported by BER. Current bioimaging techniques measure structure and dynamics to complement biomolecule identification and reactions in plant-microbe biosystems. This information is often crucial for validating hypotheses of cellular metabolism or synthetically engineered pathways. Biological macromolecules that catalyze metabolic and transport reactions exist in spatially defined or membrane-bound regions in the cell often deep within the living organism. Spatial and temporal information characterize the dynamic, sequential context for biochemical steps and substrates, metabolites, enzymes, and regulatory molecules within a biological process or metabolic pathway of interest. A major challenge is to understand how metabolic pathways are organized within topological constraints at the subcellular scale deep within living systems. Techniques to understand the dynamic organismal function, and location of macromolecules involved in these pathways is key towards developing a better understanding of the spatiotemporal dependence of metabolic processes in biological systems at cellular and subcellular levels.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Who has won Office of Science Financial Assistance Program grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (81.049) awarded $7.7 billion across 6,205 grant awards, an average of $1.2 million per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Michigan State University FoundationMichigan84$573 million
General AtomicsCalifornia30$495 million
University of Wisconsin SystemWisconsin101$275 million
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts118$238 million
University of IllinoisIllinois61$201 million

Top states: California ($1.5 billion), Michigan ($707 million), Massachusetts ($509 million), Illinois ($461 million), New York ($445 million).

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DE-FOA-0003673, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.

Questions people ask

Is DE-FOA-0002603 still open?

No. It closed on April 22, 2022. A newer notice is open: DE-FOA-0003673, closes January 12, 2027 (66 days left).

Who can apply for Quantum-Enabled Bioimaging and Sensing Approaches for Bioenergy?

Office of Science accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

What is the deadline for Quantum-Enabled Bioimaging and Sensing Approaches for Bioenergy?

Closed April 22, 2022. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $750,000 each. About $15.0 million in total.

Who has won Office of Science Financial Assistance Program grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Michigan State University Foundation, General Atomics, University of Wisconsin System. The program made 6,205 awards worth $7.7 billion in that time.

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