Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0003274: Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity (MACRO) | DE FOA 0003276

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003276

The Notice of Intent for DE-FOA-0003274, titled Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity (MACRO), signals that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) plans to publish a forthcoming Funding Opportunity Announcement on behalf of two program offices: the Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM). The planned FOA is meant to fund research and development that sits at the intersection of biomass conversion and carbon utilization, with a specific emphasis on algae, especially seaweeds (macroalgae). The larger policy driver is DOE's role in supporting technologies that can cut greenhouse gas emissions and help advance the federal goal of reaching net-zero economy-wide emissions by 2050, using a broader and more diverse set of sustainable feedstocks than conventional land-based biomass alone.

A major theme of the notice is that seaweeds are being treated as a serious, scalable biomass resource with national relevance. BETO cites an estimated resource potential of about 3.3 billion dry metric tons of seaweed biomass, expected to be described in an upcoming Billion Ton Report, and points to momentum in domestic seaweed cultivation partly stimulated by earlier federal innovation efforts such as ARPA-E's MARINER program. Because cultivation is expanding and because seaweed could support multiple DOE mission areas, this is described as the first time BETO and FECM have jointly and specifically called for R&D focused on converting seaweeds into fuels and products. In practical terms, the opportunity is trying to move beyond just growing algae and into solving the harder downstream problems: storing, handling, blending, and converting wet algal materials into market-ready, low-carbon commodities.

If issued, the FOA is expected to align with BETO's Conversion Technologies Program, which focuses on converting biomass into finished liquid transportation fuels (renewable gasoline, diesel, jet fuel) along with coproducts and chemical intermediates, and with FECM's Carbon Dioxide Conversion Program, which supports technologies that convert captured CO2 into valuable products (chemicals, fuels, building materials, plastics, and other bioproducts). The combined framing is important: applicants are implicitly being asked to show not only technical conversion performance, but also a credible pathway to emissions reductions and real markets, including the possibility of leveraging carbon dioxide streams as inputs to algae cultivation.

The notice previews two topic areas. Topic Area 1, Conversion of Seaweeds and Waste Algae to Low Carbon Fuels and Products, targets gaps in storage, mobilization/logistics, and conversion of seaweed and other wet algal feedstocks. The emphasis is on laboratory- or bench-scale technologies and processes that can take macroalgae, blends of macroalgae with wet wastes, and/or wet algal wastes and convert them into low-carbon fuels or products with the potential to materially displace fossil-based greenhouse gas emissions at national scale. A key requirement anticipated for this topic is that applicants must be able to demonstrate that commercial-scale deployment of the proposed approach could achieve at least a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to conventional fuels and/or products. That implies projects will need credible process modeling, carbon accounting, and an argument for scalability, not just proof-of-concept chemistry.

Topic Area 2, Conversion of Algal Biomass for Low Carbon Agricultural Products, is framed around using anthropogenic CO2 emissions streams, such as from utilities or industrial sources, to grow algae and then convert that cultivated macroalgae and/or microalgae into agricultural products, with animal feed given as an example. This topic connects cultivation to carbon utilization: CO2 that would otherwise be emitted is used as an input to produce biomass, which is then upgraded into products that ideally reduce lifecycle emissions and offer performance or sustainability advantages over what is currently sold in the market. The notice suggests DOE will be looking for applicants to optimize conversion technologies and processes, clearly specify the intended end products, and back up claimed climate benefits with lifecycle analysis showing CO2 emissions reductions. For proposals that target animal feed, applicants are also expected to discuss what testing or demonstrations would be necessary to validate the product for its intended use, which signals attention to real-world deployment barriers like safety, performance, and regulatory or market acceptance.

The eligibility and participation rules are also a notable part of the notice. DOE's government-owned, government-operated National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is explicitly not eligible to receive an award under the anticipated FOA and cannot be included even as a subrecipient; including NETL as either a prime or subrecipient would make an application non-responsive. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) have a more limited role: DOE/NNSA and non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs cannot apply as prime recipients but can participate as subrecipients, with the constraint that total FFRDC effort in aggregate cannot exceed 50 percent of the total project cost (counting both the applicant and FFRDC portions of work). Beyond those restrictions, the listing indicates "Eligible Applicants: Unrestricted," suggesting a wide range of entities could potentially apply, subject to the final FOA language.

Administratively, this is only a Notice of Intent, meaning DOE is signaling what it plans to do but has not yet released final requirements, submission rules, evaluation criteria, or funding levels. All details are explicitly subject to change, and EERE states it will not answer questions about the notice itself; a formal Q&A channel would open only after the FOA is released. DOE indicated it planned to issue the FOA in or around March 2024, and applications would be accepted only through the EERE eXCHANGE portal (eere-exchange.energy.gov). Organizations interested in applying are encouraged to register in eXCHANGE to receive official updates, since that platform is where the final announcement, amendments, and submission process are managed.

The metadata attached to the notice reflects how early-stage this particular posting is: it lists the Golden Field Office as the agency office, categorizes the opportunity under Energy (CFDA 81.087 and 81.089), and shows an award ceiling of 1 and expected awards of 0, which are typical placeholders for a notice rather than finalized funding details. The practical takeaway is that MACRO is positioned as a targeted R&D push to make wet algae resources, especially seaweed and waste algae streams, more usable in the low-carbon economy by advancing conversion pathways to fuels, chemicals, and agricultural products while requiring strong lifecycle emissions arguments and clear commercialization relevance.

• The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0003274: Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity (MACRO)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087, 81.089.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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