Request For Information (RFI) on Accelerating the Catalyst Development Cycle for Net Zero Applications | DE FOA 0003375

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this ARPA-E notice (DE-FOA-0003375)?

This notice is a Request for Information (RFI) from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) titled "Accelerating the Catalyst Development Cycle for Net Zero Applications" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0003375). It is intended to gather technical and programmatic input that could help shape a future ARPA-E program area.

2) Is this an active funding opportunity or FOA?

No. The notice is strictly an information-gathering request and does not represent an active Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

3) Can I apply for funding under this notice?

No. This RFI is not accepting applications.

4) Does this RFI provide financial assistance or awards?

No. It does not offer financial assistance and no awards are available under this notice. The listing indicates an award ceiling of $0 and expected awards of 0.

5) Why is ARPA-E issuing this RFI?

ARPA-E is using the RFI to collect technical and programmatic feedback that could inform and shape a future program area focused on accelerating the catalyst development cycle for net zero-relevant applications.

6) What technical area is the RFI focused on?

The core focus is heterogeneous catalysts and methods to dramatically speed up the end-to-end catalyst development cycle for net zero-relevant technologies tied to U.S. 2050 climate goals.

7) What does ARPA-E mean by "accelerating the catalyst development cycle"?

ARPA-E highlights that catalyst development often takes decades, starting from early discovery work at milligram-scale quantities and progressing through later development and validation at kilogram-scale quantities suitable for real processes and equipment. The RFI seeks ideas that could compress this timeline to months while still producing meaningful performance and deployment outcomes.

8) What outcomes does ARPA-E want faster catalyst development to achieve?

The RFI describes desired outcomes such as higher energy efficiency, lower emissions, and/or reduced reliance on precious metals. One example given is decreasing the amount of platinum group metals needed to achieve a given performance target.

9) What are the main bottlenecks ARPA-E identifies in catalyst development?

ARPA-E points to recurring bottlenecks including: inefficient discovery approaches that do not explore enough of the possible materials landscape; difficulty reproducing synthesis methods across scales; slow or overly manual characterization workflows; optimization approaches that search too narrow a design space or rely on trial-and-error; performance evaluation methods that do not reflect actual operating conditions; and integration issues where catalysts are not "drop-in" compatible with emerging technologies.

10) What does ARPA-E mean by inefficient discovery approaches?

In the RFI, ARPA-E notes that some discovery methods do not explore enough of the possible material landscape, limiting the chance of finding high-performing catalysts quickly.

11) What does the RFI say about scaling synthesis from milligrams to kilograms?

ARPA-E highlights that synthesis methods can be difficult to reproduce across scales. A recipe that works in a small lab batch may fail or produce materially different outcomes when scaled up, slowing progress toward real-world validation.

12) Why is characterization called out as a problem area?

The RFI points to characterization workflows that are too slow or too manual to keep pace with rapid iteration, which can prevent fast learning cycles during catalyst development.

13) What optimization challenges does ARPA-E emphasize?

ARPA-E notes that optimization can be slowed by searching too narrow a design space and by relying on trial-and-error rather than systematic strategies.

14) What is the issue with performance evaluation methods?

ARPA-E indicates that performance evaluation can be disconnected from actual operating conditions. That can lead to results that do not translate well to commercial reactors, devices, or unit operations.

15) What does "drop-in compatible" mean in this RFI?

The RFI explains that even a strong catalyst can be impractical if it is not drop-in compatible with emerging technologies. If using a catalyst requires major changes to equipment, process conditions, or supply chains, adoption may be limited.

16) What kinds of applications does ARPA-E have in mind?

ARPA-E frames the opportunity broadly around incorporation of improved catalyst development methods into reactors, devices, equipment, unit operations, and process technology applications relevant to decarbonization and net zero.

17) Is this RFI tied to U.S. climate goals?

Yes. The RFI explicitly connects its focus to net zero-relevant technologies tied to U.S. 2050 climate goals.

18) Who is eligible to respond to this RFI?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, indicating ARPA-E is open to input from a wide range of stakeholders for information-gathering purposes.

19) What types of organizations might provide input?

The notice indicates ARPA-E is open to input from many stakeholder groups, including academia, industry, national labs, startups, equipment manufacturers, and other organizations.

20) What is the opportunity category and activity category listed for this RFI?

The listing describes the opportunity category as discretionary. The activity category is science and technology and other research and development (R&D).

21) Why does the listing show a "cooperative agreement" as the instrument type?

The funding instrument type is listed as a cooperative agreement, but the notice clarifies this is not a funding opportunity. The cooperative agreement reference is relevant only if a future FOA is released.

22) What CFDA number is associated with this listing?

The CFDA number listed is 81.135.

23) When was this RFI created and what was the closing date?

The RFI was created on May 14, 2024, and the original closing date listed is June 13, 2024.

24) Where can I find the full RFI text and submission instructions?

The full RFI text and submission instructions are available through the ARPA-E FOA website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

25) Does responding to this RFI guarantee future funding?

The notice does not indicate any guarantee of future funding. It states the purpose is to gather input that could shape a future program area, but no awards are available under this RFI.

26) What is ARPA-E ultimately trying to prevent in the catalyst development pipeline?

The RFI emphasizes linking faster discovery and scale-up with realistic deployment pathways so that promising catalysts do not stall between lab validation and practical use.