[Raise-faculty] DOE funding opportunity: The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI

Wed Mar 18 23:12:45 PDT 2026

Dear RAISE faculty,
you may recall an earlier email back in February about the DOE Challenges
in the Genesis program. The call for proposals just came out. See details
below (thanks Brandon!)
There are some eligibility rules (see below). In particular: "Applicant
institutions are limited to no more than one application as the *lead*
institution *per focus area* for Phase I and Phase II applications
combined." There is a RED limited submission deadline on March 30. There is
also a webinar from the DOE on March 26 (needs registration, see below)

See attached the CFP for more info.
Best,
Vassilis and Amit

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Brandon Reese via Prof-filter <prof-filter at lists.cs.ucr.edu>
Date: Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 10:56 AM
Subject: [CSE Faculty List] DOE funding opportunity: The Genesis Mission:
Transforming Science and Energy with AI
To: <coeprofs at engr.ucr.edu>, <coeteachers at engr.ucr.edu>, <
certpi at cert.ucr.edu>
Cc: Huguette Albrecht <huguetta at ucr.edu>, Aimee Anaya <aanaya at engr.ucr.edu>,
Lucy Matsukawa <lmats003 at engr.ucr.edu>

*DOE: The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI*

DOE is interested in receiving applications from interdisciplinary teams
addressing the Genesis Mission National Science and Technology Challenges
<https://www.energy.gov/documents/genesis-mission-science-and-technology-challenges?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery>
to accelerate scientific discovery and research and development (R&D)
workflows using novel artificial intelligence (AI) models and frameworks.
By achieving AI advantage, these teams will advance the DOE's mission and
ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing energy,
environmental, and nuclear challenges through science and technology.
Teams are encouraged to leverage the extensive scientific and data
resources of the DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the
National Laboratories, U.S. industry, and academia. The resulting AI models
and workflows, if successful, may be integrated into the American Science
Cloud.

DOE is soliciting new FY26 Phase I small team and Phase II large team
applications. Each applicant must address a topic and focus area listed in
the solicitation. Phase I applications are limited to a single focus area.
Phase II applications must identify a primary focus area but can also
address secondary focus areas.

Challenge Areas for Application Formation:

*1.       Reenvisioning Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Productivity;
focus areas:*

   - Agentic AI-Driven Chemical Manufacturing
   - AI-Driven Materials Processing
   - AI-Enabled Manufacturing for Extreme Energy Systems
   - Digitalization of Industrial Processes
   - AI-Enabled Smart Manufacturing
   - Energy Material Manufacturing

*2.       Scaling the Biotechnology Revolution; focus areas:*

   - Biomolecular Science
   - Genotype to Phenotype
   - Predictive Engineering of Microbial Communities
   - Bio Design
   - AI-Enabled Biological Reaction Engineering, Bioreactor Design, Process
   Scale-up and Integration

*3.       Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply; focus areas:*

   - Resource Mapping and Development
   - AI-Enabled Materials Discovery and Engineering
   - Economic Modeling and Market Analysis
   - Extraction and Processing Technologies
   - Geological Finders/Keepers
   - Connections for Isolation
   - Biological Pathways to CMM

*4.       Delivering Nuclear Energy that is Faster, Safer, Cheaper; focus
areas:*

   - Accelerated Nuclear Power Plant Design
   - Autonomous Power Plant Operations
   - AI-Assisted Manufacturing and Construction
   - Autonomous Research and Development
   - Accelerated Fuel Cycle Facility Design
   - AI-Assisted Site Characterization
   - AI-Assisted End Disposition Design
   - Development, Utilization and/or Adoption of AI and ML Tools to Support
   the Efficient Review, Classification and Release of Legacy Documents to the
   Nuclear Industry

*5.       Accelerating Delivery of Fusion Energy; focus areas:*

   - Structural Materials
   - Plasma-Facing Materials
   - Advancing Confinement Approaches
   - Fuel Cycle and Tritium Processing
   - Tritium Breeding Blankets
   - Fusion Plant Engineering and System Integration
   - Plasma Science and Technology

*6.       Transforming Nuclear Restoration and Revitalization; focus areas:*

   - EM AI R&D Roadmap Implementation
   - Scale-Bridging AI Foundation Model
   - Treatment Process Optimization

*7.       Discovering Quantum Algorithms with AI; focus areas:*

   - Application-aware Error Correction
   - Computational Tools for Fault Tolerant Quantum Computational Science
   - Hybrid Quantum-Classical Optimization Algorithms
   - Quantum Algorithms for Nonlinear Plasma Physics
   - Quantum Advantage for Nuclear and Hadronic Systems

*8.       Realizing Quantum Systems for Discovery; focus areas:*

   - AI for Quantum Systems Design
   - AI for Control of Quantum System
   - AI for Quantum Imaging and Sensing
   - AI for Quantum Computing and Networking

*9.       Recentering Microelectronics in America; focus areas:*

   - Angstrom (sub-1-nm) Scale Microelectronics Manufacturing
   - Materials and Architectures for Non-von Neuman Computing Devices
   - AI-Driven Architecture Design
   - 3D non-volatile compute-in-memory technology
   - Physics-Based Circuit Design, Simulation, and Emulation
   - Microelectronics in Harsh Environments
   - Plasma-Enabled Microelectronics Manufacturing
   - Power Electronics and Communication Networks
   - Low-temperature Electronics for Sensors and Computation
   - Transform Neuromorphic Computing Connectivity, Communication, and
   System Hardware Integration

*10.   Securing U.S. Leadership in Data Centers; focus areas:*

   - Data Center Load Flexibility
   - Data Center Thermal Management

*11.   Achieving AI-Driven Autonomous Laboratories; focus areas:*

   - Advanced Robotics for Dynamic Laboratory Environments
   - AIOps - AI for Network Operations
   - AI-Accelerated Science: Correlation to Understanding
   - AI-Enabled Diagnostics and Remote Handling
   - Accelerate the design and prototyping of neuromorphic computing
   circuit primitives for robotic embodied physical artificial intelligence

*12.   Designing Materials with Predictable Functionality; focus areas:*

   - Functional to Quantum Materials
   - Structural Materials
   - Biomolecular Materials
   - Plasma-Facing Materials
   - Targetry by Design
   - AI-Enabled Materials Discovery, Development, and Qualification
   - Electrochemical Energy Conversion Catalyst Discovery and Scale up

*13.   Enhancing Particle Accelerators for Discovery; focus areas:*

   - AI-driven Accelerator Facilities
   - Integration of Digital Twins for Fusion Systems and Actuators

*14.   Unifying Physics from Quarks to the Cosmos; focus areas:*

   - Foundation Models of Particle Interactions and Cosmic Physics
   - AI Accelerated DUNE Science
   - Expedited Discovery from High Complexity and Petabyte-Scale Datasets

*15.   Predicting U.S. Water for Energy; focus areas:*

   - Cloud Microphysics and Atmospheric Turbulence
   - Water and Energy
   - Weeks to Years Prediction

*16.   Scaling the Grid to Power the American Economy; focus areas:*

   - Grid Modeling and Analysis
   - Grid Operations Optimization
   - Uncertainty Quantification

*17.   Unleashing Subsurface Strategic Energy Assets; focus areas:*

   - Chemical and Hydrologic Transport in Subsurface
   - Evolution of Fractures in the Upper Crust
   - Control of Subsurface Fractures

*18.   HPC Code Curation, Translation, and Development for Accelerated
Scientific Discoveries; focus areas:*

   - AI-Driven Code Porting and Optimization
   - Automated Scientific Problem-to-Code Generation
   - Neuro-Symbolic Agents for Code Development
   - Performance Prediction and Feedback Loops
   - Trustworthy AI for Scientific Software
   - Multi-Modal Data Integration for Code Intelligence
   - Partnerships for HPC AI Advancement

*19.   AI for Scientific Reasoning; focus areas:*

   - Trustworthy Mathematical and Symbolic Reasoning
   - Hypothesis Generation from Multi-Modal Data
   - Composable and Modular Foundation Models

*20.   Cybersecurity for AI-driven Science Workflows; focus areas:*

   - AI for Adversarial Robustness and Resilience
   - Data Provenance and Integrity Verification
   - Real-Time Attack Detection and Mitigation for AI Models

*21.   Artificial Intelligence in Fluid Flow for Energy Components and
Technologies; focus areas:*

   - Physics-Informed AI for Complex Flow Modeling
   - AI-Driven Design and Control for Performance and Durability
   - Data-Driven Operational Intelligence and System Resilience

DOE plans to hold an informational webinar on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at
12:00pm PT.  Registration instructions and other details will be posted at
https://science-doe.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_cByyhWASR72Do7yIDpe3_g#/registration
.

*Eligibility:*

   - Phase I: Applicants must propose small teams with partner institutions
   from at least two of the following categories: (1) DOE/NNSA National
   Laboratory or a Scientific User Facility, (2) Industry, and (3) Institute
   of Higher Education (IHE)/Non-profit/Other.
   - Phase II: Applicants will be expected to propose large teams with at
   least one partner institution from categories (1) and (2).  Inclusion of
   lead or partner institutions from category (3) are strongly encouraged but
   not required.
   - The PI on an application may also be listed as a senior or key
   personnel on an unlimited number of separate submissions but can be the
   lead PI on only one application. However, the PI on an awarded Phase I
   award may submit a Phase II proposal as part of the FY27 go/no-go decision
   process.

*Budget and Project Period:*

   - Phase I: Up to $750K over 9 months
   - Phase II: Envisioned as 3 to 5 times more than Phase I award over 3
   years.
   - There is a cost share requirement for any for-profit institutional
   team members

*Submission Deadlines: *

   - *UCR Limited Submission
   <https://research.ucr.edu/funding/limited-submissions>: March 30, 2026
   - Phase I Applications: April 28, 2026, 8:59pm PT
   - Phase II Letter of Intent: April 28, 2026, 2:00pm PT
   - Phase II Applications: May 19, 2026, 8:59pm PT
   - Phase II Applications resulting from Phase I Awards: December 17,
   2026, 8:59pm PT

**Only 1 submission as the lead institution per focus area for Phase I and
Phase II applications combined.*

*For more information, go to:* https://science.osti.gov/grants/FOAs/Open

*Brandon Reese*

Contract and Grant Facilitator

Bourns College of Engineering

University of California, Riverside

*breese at ucr.edu <breese at ucr.edu>*

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