Subsurface Biogeochemical Research

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The Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby announces interest in receiving applications for research grants for Subsurface Biogeochemical Research (SBR). The SBR program is part of the Climate and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD) in BER. The SBR program seeks to advance fundamental science to understand, predict and mitigate the impacts of environmental contamination from past nuclear weapons production and a scientific basis for the long term stewardship of nuclear waste disposal. The activity supports an integrated portfolio of research ranging from molecular to field scales with emphasis on the use of advanced computer models and multidisciplinary, iterative experimentation to understand and predict contaminant transport in complex subsurface environments. The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support fundamental research to investigate the key physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting the form and mobility of subsurface contaminants found at DOE sites. Research projects should be based on critical knowledge gaps and be hypothesis driven, with an aim to provide the scientific basis for the long term stewardship of contaminated sites across the DOE complex and the development of new remediation concepts and strategies. The environment of interest is the terrestrial subsurface including the vadose zone, the saturated zone and key groundwater-surface water interfaces. The specific radionuclide and heavy metal contaminants and the general science needs for this FOA are outlined in the Supplementary Information. Phytoremediation and the study of organic contaminants are NOT addressed in this FOA. The full text of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is located on FedConnect. Instructions for completing the Grant Application Package are contained in the full text of the FOA which c an be obtained at: https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/?doc=DE-FOA-0000555&agency=DOE.

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