Request for Information (RFI)- Biological Approaches for Developing a New Nitrogen Cycle in Agriculture for Bioenergy Crops | DE FOA 0003199

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this ARPA-E notice (DE-FOA-0003199)?

This notice is a Request for Information (RFI) from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) titled "Biological Approaches for Developing a New Nitrogen Cycle in Agriculture for Bioenergy Crops" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0003199). Its purpose is to collect technical and stakeholder input that could help shape a future ARPA-E program.

2) Is this a funding opportunity announcement (FOA)?

No. The notice is explicitly not a funding opportunity announcement and it is not accepting applications for financial assistance.

3) Are any awards being made under this notice?

No. The notice indicates no awards are planned (award ceiling is listed as $0 and the expected number of awards is 0).

4) What is ARPA-E trying to learn by issuing this RFI?

ARPA-E is gathering input to understand the current state of the art, identify major technical bottlenecks, surface promising research directions, and gauge how potential solutions could be deployed at scale in real agricultural settings. The feedback is intended to inform what is scientifically plausible and what breakthroughs may be needed for a future program.

5) What crops are the focus of this RFI?

The RFI focuses on major bioenergy-relevant row crops: corn, soybean, and sorghum.

6) What problem is the RFI centered on?

The central challenge is how to reduce both (1) nitrogen fertilizer inputs and (2) nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soils during cultivation of corn, soybean, and sorghum, using biology-driven innovations.

7) Why does the notice emphasize nitrogen fertilizer reduction?

The RFI highlights that synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are energy-intensive to manufacture and can contribute to downstream environmental impacts. Reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizer is a key motivation of the program concept described in the notice.

8) Why is nitrous oxide (N2O) a key target?

The RFI calls out N2O as a potent greenhouse gas commonly associated with nitrogen transformations in agricultural soils, and it seeks approaches that reduce soil-based N2O emissions during cultivation.

9) What does ARPA-E mean by developing a "new nitrogen cycle" for these crops?

Based on the notice, the "new nitrogen cycle" concept centers on enabling major improvements through biological innovations (rather than primarily through farm management changes) so that nitrogen is supplied and cycled differently in crop systems, reducing synthetic fertilizer demand and lowering N2O emissions.

10) What kinds of solutions is ARPA-E interested in for lowering fertilizer inputs?

The RFI describes a technical goal area focused on developing and evaluating high-efficacy, lower-energy alternatives to conventional synthetic fertilizer. Examples mentioned include microbial fertilization strategies (including engineered or selected microbes that improve nitrogen availability), improvements to plant traits tied to nitrogen use efficiency, and enabling tools that could support autogenic N2 fixation (systems where crops or crop-associated biology fix atmospheric nitrogen more directly).

11) What is meant by "microbial fertilization strategies" in the notice?

The notice signals interest in approaches involving microbes (including engineered or selected microbes) that improve nitrogen availability to plants, potentially reducing the need for applied synthetic fertilizer.

12) What does the RFI mean by improving "nitrogen use efficiency" in plants?

The RFI references improving plant traits tied to nitrogen use efficiency so crops can achieve comparable yields with less nitrogen input.

13) What is "autogenic N2 fixation" as described in the RFI?

In this notice, autogenic N2 fixation refers to crops or crop-associated systems that can fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2) more directly, reducing the need for applied synthetic fertilizer.

14) What kinds of solutions is ARPA-E interested in for reducing soil N2O emissions?

The second technical goal area aims to reduce soil-based N2O emissions by altering the soil microbial nitrogen cycle. The RFI notes microbial approaches (for example, shifting microbial communities or functions that drive nitrification and denitrification pathways linked to N2O production) and/or plant approaches (such as plant traits that influence root exudates, rhizosphere conditions, or nitrogen uptake dynamics in ways that reduce the microbial processes that generate N2O).

15) Does ARPA-E want proposals focused on changing fertilizer timing, placement, or farm operations?

The notice draws a boundary around the topic and emphasizes biological approaches rather than management-based approaches. It states the RFI is less about conventional best practices (such as optimized fertilizer scheduling, cover crops, or field operations) and more about biology-driven solutions like engineered microbes, modified plant traits, or new biological systems that change how nitrogen is supplied and cycled.

16) Who is ARPA-E asking to respond to the RFI?

ARPA-E is seeking input from technical experts and stakeholder communities. The notice lists molecular biologists, biochemists, microbiologists, bioengineers, soil scientists, crop breeders, crop geneticists, and plant scientists, as well as others with expertise in the nitrogen cycle, plant-microbe interactions, and biological engineering.

17) Is ARPA-E also looking for input from growers and industry?

Yes. The RFI also seeks practical feedback from prospective end-users and market participants, including growers of corn, soybean, and sorghum; seed producers; agronomists; farm monitoring and equipment companies; biofuel stakeholders; and participants across nitrogen fertilizer supply chains.

18) What is the main difference between the two technical goal areas in the RFI?

The first goal area focuses on reducing fertilizer inputs by developing biological alternatives or improvements that reduce the need for synthetic nitrogen. The second goal area focuses on reducing soil-based N2O emissions by intervening in the biological drivers of nitrogen transformations in soil (including microbial and plant-mediated pathways).

19) What kind of activity category is associated with this notice?

Administratively, the notice is categorized as discretionary and linked to research and development activity (Science and Technology and other R&D).

20) What CFDA number is listed for this opportunity?

The notice lists CFDA number 81.135.

21) Who is eligible to respond?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, which aligns with the fact that this is an information request rather than a competitive award.

22) What was the closing date for RFI responses?

The original closing date for responses was November 27, 2023.

23) Where were the full RFI details posted?

The notice states the RFI details were posted through ARPA-E's funding opportunity site at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

24) What is the bottom-line purpose of this RFI?

This RFI is a listening and market/technology scouting step by ARPA-E intended to shape a potential future program aimed at biologically reducing fertilizer demand and cutting N2O emissions in corn, soybean, and sorghum systems relevant to bioenergy.