DE-FOA-0002452 Funding Opportunity Announcement: Industrial Assessment Centers | DE FOA 0002452

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002452

DE-FOA-0002452 is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), specifically the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), administered through the DOE Golden Field Office. It supports the long-running Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) program, which has operated in some form since 1976 (originally called the Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Center program). The central idea is to improve the energy performance and competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing while simultaneously building a stronger pipeline of engineers with practical, hands-on experience in industrial energy and manufacturing systems.

The opportunity is framed around the scale and importance of industrial energy use in the United States. The FOA notes that manufacturing accounts for roughly a quarter of the nation’s energy consumption and carries an annual energy bill exceeding $150 billion. Because manufacturing energy efficiency influences both the cost structure of U.S. producers and the embedded energy in products across the broader economy, AMO positions these projects as having benefits that extend beyond individual facilities. In that context, AMO’s broader mission is described as supporting technical partnerships that develop, deploy, and validate technologies and practices that raise productivity and competitiveness for American manufacturers and other large energy users, while also strengthening the energy workforce.

The IAC program has two linked goals. First, it provides no-cost or low-cost industrial assessments and practical recommendations to small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMEs). These assessments focus on energy efficiency but also explicitly include productivity, sustainability, and overall competitiveness. A notable element in the description is the emphasis on documenting results, including measuring the greenhouse gas emissions reductions associated with implemented recommendations. In other words, the program is not only about identifying opportunities but also about tracking impact and outcomes tied to energy and emissions performance.

Second, the program is designed as a workforce development engine. It tackles a stated shortage of engineering professionals who have applied skills in industrial energy and manufacturing-related problem solving. The IAC model trains engineering students by putting them directly into real facility assessments where they learn how to gather data, analyze industrial systems, develop feasible recommendations, and communicate findings to plant management. The FOA highlights the intention to train a diverse cross-section of engineering students and encourages participation by minority-serving institutions that meet the eligibility rules.

Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial federal involvement compared to a standard grant, often including collaboration, reporting, and programmatic coordination with DOE. The listed award ceiling is $2 million, and DOE anticipated roughly 40 awards under this announcement. The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 81.117, and the activity category is energy, reflecting EERE’s focus on efficiency and industrial decarbonization-adjacent outcomes.

Eligibility is restricted and very specific. Applicants must be a U.S. college or school of engineering that is an integral part of the institution and physically located in the United States. The engineering unit must have at least one four-year undergraduate program accredited by ABET (through the Engineering Accreditation Commission or the Technology Accreditation Commission) or an equivalent accreditation. Importantly, the FOA specifies that the IAC must be housed in the engineering department that holds the programmatic ABET (or equivalent) accreditation, which narrows where the center can be administratively located on campus. Eligible applicant types include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education. Minority-serving institutions that satisfy these requirements are explicitly encouraged to apply.

Key administrative details in the source data show the FOA was created on March 8, 2021, with an original application closing date of April 22, 2021. The opportunity category is discretionary, consistent with competitive federal funding opportunities. Overall, the program is best understood as a combined industrial services and student training initiative: universities operate assessment centers that deliver actionable energy, productivity, and sustainability recommendations to SMEs, while DOE uses the program to expand national capacity for applied industrial energy engineering and to generate measurable energy and emissions benefits in the manufacturing sector.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DE-FOA-0002452 Funding Opportunity Announcement: Industrial Assessment Centers" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.117.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 08, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 22, 2021. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for DE FOA 0002452

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