Federal grant programs / Department of Energy

Predictive Science Academic Alliance Program (81.124)

Also known as NNSA Predictive Science Academic Alliance Program

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$96.6 million
• Grant awards18
• Typical award$3.4 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$18.8 million
• Size rank824 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceProject grants

Key findings

• Annual funding was roughly flat, $18.8 million in fiscal 2021 and $18.8 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 824th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 15 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 13 states and territories.

What the program funds

(1) To focus on development and demonstration of modeling/simulation technologies and methodologies through the structure of Multidisciplinary Simulation Centers, Single-Disciplinary Centers, and Focus Investigatory Centers to solve open science and engineering problems relevant to NNSA Defense Programs missions; (2) to promote and sustain scientific interactions between the academic community and scientists at the NNSA laboratories; (3) and to train scientists in specific areas of long-term research relevant to NNSA stockpile stewardship.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Applicants (either prime or sub applicant) must be an institution of higher education in any state, federal district, or United States territory. Prime applicants must provide an educational program for which the institution awards a professional doctoral degree (e.g. Doctor of Philosophy or PhD).

What the money can and cannot pay for

Financial support in whole or in part may be provided for such purposes as salaries, materials and supplies, equipment, travel, publication costs, training costs, and services required for conducting research, training, NNSA laboratory internships, and advanced technology projects or assessments. Funding is provided for applied research in the field of computational science in support of the NNSA Stockpile Stewardship program. Restrictions on use of funds depend on grant provisions. Funding is provided for the purpose of exploring a research idea that does not unnecessarily duplicate work already in progress or contemplated by DOE, is not already known to DOE, or has previously unrecognized merit. See the Minimum Requirements in the NOFO.;

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines

Award range and average, in the agency's words

$17M for each award for five project years ranging from mid-FY08 to mid-FY13 (under a one year no cost time extension, with $3.4M as the average annual award amount. The six PSAAP II Centers that started in FY14 received $4M each year for 5 years for three Multidisciplinary Simulation Centers (MSC) and $2M each year for 5 years for three Single-Discipline Centers (SDC). These same Centers received this money annually for 5 years. We renewed the PSAAP II Centers for an additional sixth year to receive awards out of FY19 funds. In FY20, we funded nine new PSAAP III Centers to begin Year 1 of their projects. Out of these nine Centers, four MSCs received up to $2.5M their first year, two SDCs received up to $1.5M in FY20, and three Focus Investigatory Centers (FICs) received an amount ranging between $200K and $1M starting in FY20. The nine Centers each began their 5-year cooperative agreement awards in FY20. Since Year 1, the four MSCs have been funded up to $3.5M per year, and the two SDCs have been funded up to $2M per year. Three FICs have been funded up to $1M per year.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2016: We plan to fund the same projects in FY16, of course keeping in mind if Federal funds are made available. They have finished Year 2 and have submitted their Year 2 Annual Reports.Fiscal Year2017: We plan to fund the same six projects in FY17 for a total of $18,000,000.Fiscal Year2018: We funded the same six projects under PSAAP II in FY18 for a total of $17,000,000.Fiscal Year2019: We plan to fund the same six projects under PSAAP II in FY19 for an additional year.Fiscal Year2020: We plan to fund nine projects under PSAAP III in FY20.Fiscal Year2021: We plan to fund the same nine PSAAP III projects into the second year of their cooperative agreement awards.Fiscal Year2022: We plan to fund the same nine PSAAP III projects into the third year of their cooperative agreement awards.Fiscal Year2023: We funded the same nine PSAAP III projects into the fourth year of their cooperative agreement awards.Fiscal Year2024: We funded the same nine PSAAP III projects into the fifth year of their cooperative agreement awards.Fiscal Year2025: We plan to fund the PSAAP IV projects into their first year of their cooperative agreement awards.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Almost all of the money went to colleges and universities.

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.