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U.S. Department of Energy

Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Demonstration

Federal program · program number 81.121 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · also called “(NE RD&D)”

Key facts

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6 grants
Type of help
Project grant
Typical award
The range of awards vary per funding opportunity and depends on available program funding. Information on awards is published in the Funding Opportunity Announcements and can be found on the NEUP.gov or Grants.gov...
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines

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What it pays for

The Department of Energy (DOE) promotes nuclear energy as a resource capable of meeting the nation's energy, environmental, and national security needs by resolving technical, cost, safety, security, and proliferation resistance through research, development and demonstration at our national laboratories, universities and colleges, and U.S. industry. Our financial assistance programs play a key role in helping the DOE accomplish its mission of leading the nation's investment in the development and exploration of advanced nuclear technology and its underlying sciences. With this financial assistance, DOE strives to stimulate nuclear science and engineering education through support of advanced research and by training the next generation nuclear energy workforce, while seeking to align the nuclear energy research being conducted at U.S. colleges and universities with DOE�s mission and goals.

Who can apply

Federal, State, local governments, universities, consortia, nonprofit institutions, commercial corporations, and individuals may apply.

How applications are judged

Each proposal will be evaluated based on an objective merit review in accordance with the requirement of "DOE Financial Assistance Regulations" (2 CFR 200) and the evaluation criteria set forth in the competitive solicitations. These criteria typically include: appropriateness of the proposal method or approach, competency of research personnel and adequacy of proposed resources, reasonableness and appropriateness of the proposed budget, and other appropriate factors.

Match

None required (federal program listing).

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal year 2016: Similar to previous years See the NE Web site at http://energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy Fiscal year 2018: Similar to previous years Fiscal year 2022: The NEUP.gov website is updated regularly with information on financial assistance to universities and colleges through Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) to stimulate and guide advanced nuclear energy research and to support students pursuing nuclear energy related disciplines at universities and colleges across the country. The website offers facts on prior awards, reporting information, and upcoming funding opportunity announcements (FOA). The programs covered in this website include the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) and Integrated University Program (IUP). NEUP has three R&D elements: Integrated Research Projects (IRP), NEUP R&D, and Infrastructure. IRPs cover large, collaborative, university-led projects, addressing near-term needs of the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy's (NE) research and development (R&D) programs. NEUP R&D projects are university led projects that focus on more general and longer term R&D, guided by NE's programs. And Infrastructure support, including upgrades to...

Who in Tennessee has won this program

27 awards to Tennessee groups since 2009. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$3.7M2009
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$3.2M2023
Container Technologies Industries, LLCHelenwood, Scott County$3M2026
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$2.9M2021
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$2.6M2021
Analysis and Measurement Services CorporationKnoxville, Knox County$2.1M2019
State of TennesseeNashville$2.1M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$2M2023
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$1.2M2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville$1M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$1M2024
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$1M2026

Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization

This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 17 pass-through grants on file. Largest shown:

Tennessee pass-through grant winners
Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyRegents of the University of Michigan$736K2024
State of TennesseeNashvilleThe Regents of the University of Michigan$596K spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyUniversity of New Mexico, the$280K2024
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyRegents of the University of Michigan$280K2024
State of TennesseeNashvilleThe Regents of the University of New Mexico$161K spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyNorth Carolina State University$125K2023
State of TennesseeNashvilleUniversity of Cincinnati$121K spent that year2023
State of TennesseeNashvilleUniversity of Illinois$117K spent that year2023
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyThe Research Foundation for the State University of New York$113K2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyThe Research Foundation for the State University of New York$113K2024
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyThe Research Foundation for the State University of New York$113K2025
State of TennesseeNashvilleThe Research Foundation for the State University of New York$97K spent that year2025

Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).

Official program listing (SAM.gov) Program website