Molybdenum-99 Program

In 2012, Congress passed the American Medical Isotopes Production Act (AMIPA), which directed the Department of Energy to establish a technology-neutral program to support the establishment of domestic supplies of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU). The Department of Energy�s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has implemented this by competitively awarding 50%/50% cost-shared cooperative agreements to commercial entities and providing funds to the DOE National Laboratories to support development of non-HEU Mo-99 production technologies. Mo-99 is a critical radioisotope whose decay byproduct technetium-99m (Tc-99m), is used in over 40,000 nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures performed daily in the United States. Its primary uses include diagnosing heart disease and cancer, as well as studying organ structure and function. The isotope�s short half-life and excellent binding properties make it uniquely suited for medical procedures. However, due to its short half-life it must be produced continuously to meet the medical community�s requirements. The United States does not currently have a domestic production capability for Mo-99 sufficient to meet the needs of the U.S. healthcare community, currently estimated at 4,500 6-day curies per week. The establishment of reliable, commercial, non-HEU-based Mo-99 production in the United States complements the long-standing U.S. policy to minimize and eliminate the use of proliferation-sensitive HEU in civilian applications in order to prevent the potential theft of this...

Only U.S. commercial entities with mature technologies to achieve commercial-scale production of Mo-99 in a facility or using facilities located in the United States in accordance with the goals of this FOA may submit applications. National Laboratories, M&O Contractors, Institutions of Higher Education, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) are not eligible to apply for an award under this FOA, but can be included in teaming arrangements.

All timely applications under the previous FOA that satisfactorily passed the initial compliance review were eligible for a comprehensive merit review. Prior to conducting the comprehensive merit review, an initial review was performed to determine whether: (1) the applicant is eligible for award; (2) the information required by the FOA has been submitted; (3) all other mandatory requirements of the FOA are satisfied; and (4) the proposed project is responsive to the program objectives of the FOA. This review is a thorough, consistent, and objective examination of applications based on the pre-established evaluation criteria set forth in the FOA. Each application was evaluated on the strengths and weaknesses it exhibited in relation to scientific and technological merit; technical approach; and business strategy and management capabilities.

Cooperative agreements (CA) will be awarded on a 50%/50% Federal/non-Federal cost sharing basis . The recipient will be required to match the U.S. Government contribution.

Fiscal year 2021: Cooperative Agreements with NorthStar Medical Technologies, LLC [FY 2021] Fiscal year 2022: Cooperative Agreement with Niowave Inc. Cooperative Agreement with SHINE Technologies, LLC