National Energy Technology Laboratory · Department of Energy
Request for Information - Gauging Investor Interest in the Development and Commercialization of Subsurface Energy Technologies
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Nov 5, 2026 · 29 days left
- Award size
- Not stated: see the official notice
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Anyone (unrestricted)
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. The deadline is in 29 days. If your registration isn't already active, it may not be ready in time, so check it today. Get-ready checklist
How this fits you
- Available in Rhea County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 38
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/9157af4e-c67b-4827-88a5-49149fa24a3d · Printed from grantme.click/grants/5aa96af1-2ac2-47ee-b030-7566ff1e8bb5
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
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About this grant
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to notify parties of its potential interest in connecting private capital/ public-private partnership programs to industry opportunities. This initiative provides HGEO’s technical expertise across the Office of Subsurface Energy’s three core program areas: Coal, Oil & Gas, and Geothermal. Ultimately, the goal is to use HGEO’s research and development (R&D) capabilities to support industry and capital.Through this RFI, DOE requests input from all stakeholders, particularly the financial sector, to gauge investor interest in the development and commercialization of subsurface-energy technologies. This is solely a request for information and not a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). DOE’s HGEO is not accepting applications for funding at this time.
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct7
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - Oct15
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Oct29
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Nov3
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Nov5
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Writing the need statement? Rhea County facts with citations.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the official notice FundOpp_DE-FOA-0003671_Amd_000001.pdf (10 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words. Open the page to read it in context.
Length limits
Microsoft Word: 10 pages max · p. 10
“Responses must be emailed as a Microsoft Word (docx) attachment that is no more than 10 pages long, 12-point font, one-inch margins.” Open page 10
Formatting rules
12-point font, 1-inch margins · p. 10
“Responses must be emailed as a Microsoft Word (docx) attachment that is no more than 10 pages long, 12-point font, one-inch margins.” Open page 10
Dates in the notice
September 3, 2026 · p. 1
“Request for Information Key Facts Issuing Agency Department of Energy, Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) Request for Information Title Gauging Investor Interest in the Development and Commercialization of Subsurface Energy Technologies Request…” Open page 1
November 5, 2026 · p. 1
“Responses are now due no later than 5:00 PM (ET) on November 5, 2026.” Open page 1
Who in Tennessee has won this program
14 awards to Tennessee groups in 4 counties since 2017 · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation | Knoxville, Knox County | $2.1M | 2021 |
| Applied Thermal Coatings, Inc. | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | $1.8M | 2020 |
| Skynano LLC | Knoxville, Knox County | $1.8M | 2021 |
| Holocene Climate Corporation | Knoxville, Knox County | $1.5M | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $1.3M spent that year | 2025 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, Putnam County | $1M | 2023 |
| We New Energy, Inc. | Farragut, Knox County | $997K | 2021 |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville, Davidson County | $800K | 2024 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, Putnam County | $780K | 2020 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $524K | 2026 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $425K | 2021 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $400K | 2024 |
Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 24 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ut-Battelle LLC | Oak Ridge | West Virginia University Research Corporation | $1.3M | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Kentucky Research Foundation, the | $1.2M | 2023 |
| Ut-Battelle LLC | Oak Ridge, Anderson County | Holocene Climate Corporation | $675K | 2024 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | University of Alabama | $427K | 2024 |
| Ut-Battelle LLC | Oak Ridge, Anderson County | Collaborative Composite Solutions Corp | $339K | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | The University of Alabama in Huntsville | $185K spent that year | 2025 |
| Ut-Battelle LLC | Oak Ridge, Anderson County | Collaborative Composite Solutions Corp | $170K | 2023 |
| Ut-Battelle LLC | Oak Ridge | West Virginia University Research Corporation | $150K | 2024 |
| Ut-Battelle LLC | Oak Ridge, Anderson County | University of Tennessee | $125K | 2024 |
| Electric Power Research Institute Inc | Knoxville, Knox County | University of Kentucky Research Foundation, the | $124K | 2025 |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Technological University | $102K | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Kentucky Research Foundation, the | $100K | 2024 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
About the federal program
Fossil Energy Research and Development, also called “Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO)”
Program number 81.089 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Energy · Cooperative agreement (a grant with close agency involvement)
How applications are judged
Criteria varies according to the specific notice of funding opportunity. Typically, the selection criteria includes criteria related to merit of the technical work proposed, the reasonableness and thoroughness of the technical approach, program policy factors, the quality of the technical capabilities, facilities and personnel involved in the scope of work, availability of funds, and the thoroughness of the project management plan.
Match
Matching Requirements: Percent: Other As Specified under Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and EISA, with exceptions, a minimum of 20% cost share is required for research and development. A minimum of 50% is required for demonstration. Higher cost share may be requested. For education and outreach projects, the statuatory cost share is 0%.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2025: Advanced Energy Systems, Advanced Production Technologies, Carbon Transport and Storage; Mineral Sustainability; Enhanced Oil Recovery; Carbon Capture; University Training and Research; and Advanced Remediation Technologies.
Fiscal year 2026: Advanced Energy Systems; Transport and Storage; Conversion and Value-Added Product; Point-Source Capture; Advanced Production Technologies; Natural Gas Infrastructure and Hydrogen Technologies, Mineral Production and Processing Technologies; and University Training and Research