November 11, 2018 - Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $100 million for new and renewal university grants for the study of high energy physics.  The grants are expected to cover the full range of particle physics research, including work based on proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the study of neutrinos, the search for dark matter and dark energy, the advance of particle accelerator and detector technologies, and particle physics theory. 

The grants, to be awarded competitively on the basis of peer review, are aimed at sustaining longstanding U.S. leadership in the vital field of particle physics.

“America’s leadership in particle physics dates back to World War II and has been critical to our nation’s overall leadership in science,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.  “These grants will ensure a strong particle physics university program and expand the robust scientific workforce of our country, which will lead to important new insights into the nature of our universe.”

The Funding Opportunity Announcement, issued by the Office of High Energy Physics within the Department’s Office of Science, represents an annual re-competition of roughly a third of its ongoing university research program in particle physics. Each year approximately one-third of the typically three-year university research grants expire.  Applications are accepted both for new grants and for grant renewals, and each year a combination of new and renewal grants is funded, usually for a duration of three years.

The Department anticipates that $40 million will be available for this program in Fiscal Year 2019, with a total of $100 million in funding anticipated over the three-year grant period.  Funding beyond FY 2019 is contingent on congressional appropriations.

Final applications for this funding opportunity are due on January 22, 2019 by 5 PM. Letters of intent are due on December 5, 2018 by 5 PM. The full text of the Funding Opportunity Announcement can be found here.