Frequently Asked Questions
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Projects that propose activities beyond the 18-month time limit can be proposed, but in such cases the review team will concentrate on what is proposed for the anticipated project period.
Yes, please email woodheat@lbl.gov or visit woodheat.bnl.lbl.gov/contact. All questions and responses will be made publicly available on the FAQ page. Note: Do not submit concept papers or proposals to this email address, as they will not be considered.
For concept paper and proposal submissions visit How to Apply.
Proposals should be well-aligned with the missions of DOE BETO and WHIC to support the research, development, and demonstration of new domestic manufactured low-emission, high-efficiency, residential wood heaters that supply easily accessed and affordable renewable energy and have the potential to reduce the national costs associated with thermal energy.
The example projects can be found under Sample Activities. The example projects are not meant to be exhaustive—any project that will advance or accelerate commercial readiness of wood heater technologies, or supports the research, development, and demonstration of novel domestic manufactured low-emission, high-efficiency, residential wood heaters are acceptable.
Notification of awards is expected to be announced during the week of December 18th, 2023, with an anticipated project start in early 2024.
The goal of this program is to develop affordable, cleaner, more efficient residential wood heaters. We leave it to your judgement to decide if the proposed technology aligns with that goal.
Slides and a recording of the informational webinar can be found on the Work with Us page. Direct links are also provided here for the slides and the webinar recording.
Yes, this program can help support the development of alternative test methods for wood heater manufacturers who face challenges in certifying their heaters under the existing EPA certification test methods.
Each project is expected to last 12 - 18 months.
International researchers are eligible to participate as team members in the project. However, the recipient of the funding must meet specific criteria, including: US company or university, foreign company or university with a commercial partner based in the US (subject to DOE headquarters approval), US citizen or lawful permanent resident, domestic for-profit entity or educational institution or non-profit incorporated under the laws of a particular state or territory of the US, foreign entity (for profit or otherwise) incorporated under the laws of a state or territory of the US and have a physical location for business operations in the US. Please refer to the Eligibily Requirements for more details.
Please refer to the Eligibility page under Work with Us. Note that all applicants are required to register in sam.gov and have a Unique Entity Identifier for doing business with federal agencies.
The goal of this program is to develop affordable, cleaner, more efficient residential wood heaters. We leave it to your judgement to decide if the proposed technology aligns with that goal.
The goal of this program is to develop affordable, cleaner, more efficient residential wood heaters. We leave it to your judgement to decide if the proposed technology aligns with that goal.
The goal of this program is to develop affordable, cleaner, more efficient residential wood heaters. We leave it to your judgement to decide if the proposed technology aligns with that goal. Please view the example projects for more information.
The CRADA partnership can offer technical assistance in the development of an alternative test method for innovative wood heaters, especially for those that cannot be evaluated using existing accepted compliance methods. However, it is essential to recognize that the ultimate approval and use of the alternative test method is dependent on the US EPA.
The goal of this program is to develop affordable, cleaner, more efficient residential wood heaters. We leave it to your judgement to decide if the proposed technology aligns with that goal.
Assisting in the analysis of extensive experimental datasets, aiming to develop algorithms and efficiently interpret data to extract valuable insights and visualizations pertaining to wood heater use, would be in line with the objectives of the CRADA. The resulting information could significantly contribute to the advancement of R&D efforts.
The goal of this program is to develop affordable, cleaner, more efficient residential wood heaters. We leave it to your judgement to decide if the proposed technology aligns with that goal.
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Yes, the EPA Burn Wise website serves as an educational resource for the public, offering valuable information on the proper practices for seasoning fuel and its usage. Furthermore, the USDA, in collaboration with its partners, has obtained funding to extend its firewood relief program, aiming to enhance firewood banks and ensure the availability of properly seasoned wood for communities. More details about this initiative can be found at this link: (https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/releases/national-forest-foundation-receiv…)
Applicants must submit a concept paper using the template no later than 11:59 p.m. PT on the specified phase date. BETO will provide a technical review of concept papers for eligibility, feasibility, and relevance. Applicants encouraged to submit proposals will be asked to meet with their selected National Lab staff to help develop the proposal using this template. Proposals must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. PT on the specified phase date. Reviewers will not consider submissions after that time; there is no appeals process.
Completed submitted proposals, accompanied with the applicants’ acknowledgement of the application requirements, will be reviewed by BETO and a team of external reviewers, selected for subject matter expertise and independence from CRADA Call applications.
The applicant, by submitting its application, consents to the use of non-federal reviewers. Non-federal reviewers must sign conflict of interest and non-disclosure acknowledgements prior to reviewing an application. The review team will score and make recommendations for each project proposal. BETO will then select projects, based on strategic priorities and the available resources within WHIC partnering National Labs. BETO will then communicate to all applicants the results of the proposal selection process and next steps for selected applicants.
See the Application Process for additional details.
Yes, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project and otherwise meets the application requirements.
No. All proposal material must be contained within the 10-page limit.
Yes. As stated under Eligibility, "Domestic for-profit entities, educational institutions, and nonprofits that are incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States and have a physical location for business operations in the United States. (Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995, are not eligible to apply.)" Note that all applicants are required to register in sam.gov and have a Unique Entity Identifier for doing business with federal agencies.
Multiple concept papers for unique topics may be submitted, and only those that receive encouragement are eligible to proceed with the submission of a full proposal.
The CRADA is eligible to a wide range of participants, including US companies and universities, individual US citizens, lawful permanent residents, and foreign companies or universities with a US commercial partner- all subject to DOE headquarters approval. We encourage you to review our eligibility criteria for more detailed information.
No. All awarded funds will be spent within the participating national laboratories, with applicants directing how resources and expertise within the WHIC are applied within the collaboration.
No. Companies are required to commit resources to the partnership in the form of 20%+ cost share (e.g., for a project with a total budget of $360,000, available federal funds would total $300,000 and the industry partner would be expected to contribute a minimum of $60,000).
No. The CRADA Call is intended for stakeholders to leverage national laboratory resources. A company may subcontract part of the work to a university, but DOE funds are only allocated to the national labs.
Companies are required to commit resources to the partnership in the form of 20%+ cost share, where cost share is calculated as a percentage of the total project budget (e.g., for a project with a total budget of $360,000, available federal funds would total $300,000 and the industry partner would be expected to contribute a minimum of $60,000).
Most substantive contributions to the project will count as cost share, such as, but not limited to, labor, travel, materials, equipment, data, or cash. Cost share may not be derived from U.S. federal government funding streams. Please see Code of Federal Regulations 200.306 for more details on what is considered allowable cost share.
There are no additional accounting requirements for the proposal beyond the completion of the industry tasks/deliverables and cost estimates listed in the CRADA template. If selected, the normal DOE requirements for accounting for in-kind cost share will apply.
Applicants should work with their national laboratory partners to prepare the proposal and an appropriate budget that aligns with tasks and deliverables.
Contributions to the project such as, but not limited to, labor, travel, materials, equipment, or data may count as in-kind cost share. Cost share may not be derived from U.S. federal government funding streams. Please see Code of Federal Regulations 200.306 for more details on what is considered allowable cost share.
Yes, indirect costs can be included as cost share. Funds from other federal sources MAY NOT be counted as cost share. Fee or profit, including foregone fee or profit, ARE NOT allowable as project costs (including cost share) under any resulting award.
For the cost share to apply the contributor has to be an affiliate of the lead entity with a corporate relationship between the domestic applicant and the foreign contributor. If they meet that requirement than it would be allowed.
Projects may propose budgets that exceed $300K for Phase 1. However, priority will be given to applications at or below $300k due to constraints on funding and resource availability.
Previous investments (e.g. sunk R&D costs in a technology development program) do not count as cost share. Most substantive contributions to the project will count as cost share, such as, but not limited to, labor, travel, materials, equipment, data, or cash. Cost share may not be derived from U.S. federal government funding streams. Please see Code of Federal Regulations 200.306 for more details on what is considered allowable cost share.
Successful applicants will have the option to disclose background IP, where disclosure does not grant to any party any option, grant, or license to commercialize, or otherwise use another party’s background intellectual property. Further, per the non-negotiable CRADA terms, the successful applicant shall have the option to select from an exclusive license or a non-exclusive license to IP developed as part of the project. For details, please review the WHIC CRADA.
Public disclosure of the key results of each project is mandatory, and dissemination plans will contribute to the overall proposal score. This disclosure could take many forms, such as a peer-reviewed journal article, an article in a trade journal, or a technical report published by the WHIC personnel working on the project. It is not the intention to require public disclosure of applicant’s proprietary data, but to share enough information to allow external stakeholders to benefit from the work performed. For example, if a project develops a new computational modeling tool to predict combustion based on stack flow and air supplied, the model must be disclosed, but not the proprietary applicant data used to parameterize or validate it. Please review the CRADA template for further details.
Please see Article VII in the CRADA Template.
Successful applicants will have the option to disclose background IP, where disclosure does not grant to any party any option, grant, or license to commercialize, or otherwise use another party’s background intellectual property. Further, per the non-negotiable CRADA terms, the successful applicant shall have the option to elect an exclusive license to IP developed as part of the project. Please see Article VI in the CRADA Template for further details.
DOE retains certain rights as outlined throughout the CRADA template, but ownership follows inventorship.
The goal of the program is further commercial development and as such data and information can be protected as per the guidance in the CRADA template.
Yes, work done under the CRADA can be published in peer-reviewed journals or technical journals.
Public availability of data provided by applicants will be decided on by the applicants and depend on the terms of the CRADA established between the applicant and their National Laboratory partner.
A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) project is a partnership between a government agency and a private sector company to collaborate on research and development activities. The goal of a CRADA project is to leverage the expertise, resources, and capabilities of both parties to develop new technologies, products, or services that can benefit society. Please review the CRADA template for details and before applying.
No. National lab partners may support work and tasks offsite or outside the National Laboratory facilities. Note that all DOE-BETO funding will go directly to the National Laboratories to execute the scope of work. No DOE-BETO funds will be issued to support applicants.
Both National Laboratory Partners offer the support for topics listed on the Capabilities page. Due to size limitations, only BNL is capable of supporting advancement of large wood burning heaters such as hydronic heaters and central furnaces. Both LBNL and BNL can support advancement of room heaters. For additional details about each National Laboratory, please visit the About page, or visit BNL or LBNL to learn more about their facilities and equipment.
Each project budget should include time and resources required by the National Laboratory to help complete the tasks and milestones outlined in their scope of work.
Yes, a Canadian company may partner with a US company. However, the US company must be the project lead.
The proposal will be collaboratively developed with the national lab partner(s). It is the applicant's responsibility to summarize the required tasks in the concept paper and effectively communicate the nature of the work to facilitate suitable partnering between the team and the relevant national lab(s). The national labs possess extensive knowledge of their facilities and capabilities and will provide assistance in curating the full proposal if the concept paper is encouraged.