Explore Our Programs
Solving challenges using HPC modeling using HPC modeling, simulation, and data analysis. Outcomes range from improved product quality to acceleration or elimination of product testing.
Visit Site
Accelerating the discovery and adoption of new materials that operate in extreme conditions for energy applications. Examples range from high-temperature, corrosion-resistant metals to new catalysts for hydrogen production.
Visit Site
Speeding up the discovery, design, and development of energy efficient mobility systems. Resulting impacts on transportation include reduced energy consumption, lowered costs, and improved accessibility.
Current Solicitations
HPC4EI conducts two solicitation calls a year, typically one in Spring and one in Fall.
Subscribe to our mailing list to receive open call notifications.
Open
Upcoming
Spring 2020
How the HPC4 Program Works for Demonstration Projects
Statistics
9
Participating Labs
96
Projects Awarded
$29.3 million
Funds Invested
650 million
Computer Core Hours
Success Stories
Frequently Asked Questions
Qualification & Submission
Is there a limit to the number of submissions from an organization?
There is no limit to the number of submissions from a given organization. However, diversity of the overall portfolio is considered when awarding projects, so submitting a large number of proposals by the same organization is strongly discouraged.
Does one of the principal or participating labs need to be involved in every project?
No, it is required that a DOE national laboratory be a partner on the project to leverage existing expertise and capabilities. All national laboratories are eligible to participate in individual projects.
If you have a preference for a specific national lab, is it acceptable to identify the lab in the concept paper?
If you have a laboratory partner in mind you may state that in the concept paper, along with the reason for that choice. If you do not specify a lab, the Technical Review Committee will provide the name of a national lab with the expertise needed for your project.
Is there a limit on the number of proposals you may submit?
There is no limit on the number of proposals an organization can submit. However, diversity of the overall portfolio is considered when awarding projects, so submitting a large number of proposals by the same organization is strongly discouraged.
Who can submit proposals to the HPC4EI solicitation?
U.S. manufacturing industries, nonprofit organizations supporting U.S. manufacturing, other U.S. businesses supporting U.S. manufacturing, and U.S. universities in partnership with a U.S. Manufacturer, are eligible to submit proposals to this solicitation. Foreign universities and companies that do not manufacture products in the U.S. cannot participate in this solicitation.
Can Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) submit proposals to the HPC4EI solicitation and receive AMO funding?
U.S.-based ISVs whose products support the U.S. manufacturing industry are eligible to respond to the solicitation. However, they are not eligible to receive AMO funding.
Are national labs not currently affiliated with the HPC4EI Program eligible to submit proposals to this solicitation?
DOE national labs are not eligible to submit projects, but could be listed as a partner on proposal submitted by a US Manufacturing firm.
How will the national laboratory partner(s) be decided for each project?
Once the Technical Merit Review committee down selects the Concept Papers to go forward for full proposal submission, they will determine which national laboratory or laboratories would best support the definition of the full proposal, based on available expertise and distribution of projects among the national laboratories. The industry participant would be notified of their potential partner(s).
Can multiple companies submit a joint proposal?
Absolutely. It is actually encouraged, as the impact would be assumed to be broader.
The solicitation states that, “Projects must demonstrate potential impact to energy efficiency in manufacturing and/or the development of new clean energy technologies with a potential for broad national impact.” Does energy efficiency apply to manufacturing processes only? What are “clean energy technologies”? What is considered a broad national impact? Where can we go to find information about potential energy savings from which to assess impact?
EIA.gov has a great deal of data on energy usage that could help to address energy impact issues.
Are foreign-owned companies eligible?
Eligibility is limited to U.S. manufacturers, defined as entities that are incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular State or territory of the United States, and which manufactures products in the United States. Foreign-owned subsidiaries that manufacture in the U.S. may apply but must go through an additional review as part of the CRADA process if selected.
Lab Resource Available
How much compute time is available?
No exact number has been established. The projects should state what is needed.
Are the labs only providing compute facilities, or is there common research activity?
The laboratory partners provide both computing cycles, as well as a scientist to work on project in applying HPC to the stated goals.
Is there a complete list of codes available at the national labs?
No. Each lab maintains hundreds of codes with different capabilities. For any project, the problem would be analyzed to understand what lab code would best meet the needs of the project. It is also worth noting that the industry partners may have their own codes that would be used. In addition, commercially available codes could be used.
Can laboratory experts discuss proposal concepts with potential applicants while the solicitation is open?
Due to fairness of opportunity concerns, laboratory personnel are restricted from discussing specifics of proposals until after the concept paper down-select process. Selected concept papers will be assigned a PI from the laboratories to aid in writing the full proposal.
Is there someone at the national labs I can talk to about my concept paper or full application?
Once the funding opportunity is published until the review of the concept papers, none of the national lab staff may discuss the concept. All questions must be directed to the applicable email address, hpc4ei@llnl.gov. Outside the solicitation you may contact any of the national labs to discuss your concept. You may contact hpc4ei@llnl.gov to obtain a contact with specific expertise. Once a submitter has been requested to submit a full proposal, they will be given a lab contract to co-develop the submission.
Funding
Can the 20% cost share be "in kind" or does the company need to provide money to the national labs?
The cost share can be "in-kind," e.g., supporting the industry staff to collaborate with the national labs on the project.
Do lab overhead costs apply to the projects? How much effort from national lab personnel can be expected?
Standard lab overheads are applied to the costs of the lab efforts. On average, you can expect a 50% level of effort from a lab scientist for a year and as well as the needed HPC computer time.
If a commercial code is required for the project, will the funding be able to purchase licenses?
This is dependent on many things. Sometimes the industry or labs already have licenses that could be used. If licenses are not available, then they must be purchased by one of the partners.
If a project requires use of commercial software, is there any mechanism for licenses?
Applicants can utilize existing licenses at participating institutions. If they do not exist, they should be purchased, with cost estimates reflected in the proposal budget table.
Can a portion of the funding be used to perform experiments?
While verification and validation of the project results is key to the success of the proposal, the project focus is on application national lab expertise to the industry. If costs were minimal, it may be considered. It could also be acceptable for the industry cost share could be used to cover experimentation needed for validation of results.
Who can receive AMO funding as a result of the HPC4EI solicitation?
AMO funding is intended to support national laboratory staff and time on HPC systems to address U.S. manufacturing industry challenges. U.S. manufacturing industry, as well as for profit and nonprofit organizations that support them, cannot receive direct funding from this solicitation.
Can universities be funded?
The industry partner is expected to fund university collaborations on the proposal. Industry funds used for university collaborations can be used as part of the “in-kind” contribution.
What is the required amount of the participant contributing and what will it be used for?
Funding Requirements
The DOE monetary contribution for each project will not exceed $300,000. For demonstration projects, an industry partner must provide a participant contribution of at least 20% of the total project funding to support industry expertise to the project. The participant contribution can take the form of monetary funds in or “in-kind” contributions and must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. For follow-on projects defined as a project that is using the results of a previously funded project within the HPC4EI portfolio, the industry contribution is 33.3% of the total project funding of which at least half of this amount is a cash contribution. Sample budgets are shown below. Total project size cannot exceed $500,000. DOE funding will be provided to the national laboratory (or laboratories) in support of their work under the HPC4EI Program.
Sample Budgets
Demonstration Project (New project; total project funding of $375K)
| TASK | DOE Funds | Industry Partner Cash Contribution | Industry Partner In-kind |
| Total Project Funding | $300K | $75K |
Follow-on Implementation Projects (Uses results from a previously funded project; total project funding of $450K)
| TASK | DOE Funds | Industry Partner Cash Contribution | Industry Partner In-kind |
| Total Project Funding | $300K | $75K | $75K |
Are there requirements on the source of the participant contribution?
The participant contribution cannot come from another federal source, unless otherwise allowed by law.
Approximately what are the chances of getting funding?
In the two previous solicitation rounds, the success rate was approximately 25%.
What level of detail is needed on the budget and who supplies this?
The example table below will be included in the full proposal template.
- Lab costs: Once the scope is defined, the lab PI will help fill out the lab costs, broken down by labor, travel, and procurements. There is a $300K cap on this budget, funded by the AMO.
- Industry in-kind: Industry provides these cost estimates, broken down by labor, travel, and procurements. Procurements are unlikely and will require justification. A minimum in-kind contribution of 20% of the above AMO funding is required.
- Industry cash contribution: This is an optional contribution. Industry includes a cash contribution to achieve additional scope on the project. AMO views this additional investment by industry as a strong indication of both commitment to and importance of the project by the industry partner.
- Total project costs: The total costs of lab, in-kind, and cash contribution for Phase I projects cannot be greater than $500K, a limit set by the CRADA terms.
Example budget sheet with maximum AMO funding, minimal industry cost share, and maximum industry cash contribution for a Demonstration Project.
| Task | AMO Funds | Industry Partner Funds |
|---|---|---|
| National Lab Labor (cash) | 290 | 140 |
| National Lab Travel | 5 | |
| National Lab HPC (200k core hours on Cab) | 5 | |
| National Lab Procurements | 0 | |
| Industry Partner Labor (in kind) | 55 | |
| Industry Partner Travel (in kind) | 5 | |
| Industry Partner Procurement (include licenses or subcontracts) | 0 | |
| Totals | 300 | 200 |
Full Proposal
Are references included in the 6-page limit?
No.
Are letters of support from computing facilities (e.g. NERSC or OLCF) recommended?
Letters of support from computing facilities are not necessary, but articulating computing requirements is required.
Is any particular format or content recommended for the resumes included in the full proposal submission?
No. Applicants are free to provide information on qualifications and expertise of key personnel in whatever format they feel is most effective.
CRADA Agreement
Can proprietary information be used and protected under this program?
Existing proprietary information can be included in, as well as generated by the project and will be protected by the terms of the DOE Model Short Form CRADA (industry) or a sub-contract (academia). Please note that the abstract should not possess proprietary information. To the extent possible, the proposal should not contain proprietary information.
Must a DOE Model Short Form CRADA be used by projects in the solicitation?
Industry members submitting a proposal to the solicitation are expected to sign a DOE Model Short Form CRADA.
There is an issue with one of the terms of the Short Form CRADA. Can it be changed?
The HPCEI programs are specifically designed for short-term projects with a need for accelerated placement and execution. To accommodate this, the HPC4EI programs has adopted the DOE Model Short Form CRADA, which was designed with favorable terms allowable within DOE guidelines. Awardees are expected to enter into a DOE Model Short Form CRADA, as is, with the national laboratory or laboratories that will be performing the work.
Clarifications can be requested through hpc4ei@llnl.gov. Objections to the Terms and Conditions of the CRADA can be noted within the Concept Paper; however, this could lead to delays in processing, and/or rejection of your proposal.
HPC4Mfg
Is the HPC4Mfg Program strictly about Energy or would a topic like climate change qualify as well?
The goals of the program are: (1) increasing energy efficiency, and (2) advancing energy technologies.
Is the HPC4Mfg solicitation limited to the six industry sectors (petroleum, chemicals, wood pulp and paper, metals, food processing, and glass & cement) that were encouraged within the solicitation?
All U.S. manufacturing sectors are eligible to apply. Note that broad impact on increasing energy efficiency and/or advancing energy technologies are primary selection criteria.
Verification & Validation
Are verification and validation generally included in project scope, and if so, what approach is used for these processes?
V&V are included in the scope of the project. Specific requirements (e.g., ASME V&V standards) are not defined, but best practices relative to the size of the project are encouraged.
For the model validation, are you recommending standard procedures, such as given in the ASME V&V standards?
Model validation methods are determined by the project participants. Models are often validated against experimental data collected by the companies for their process or product. Unique code can be validated using standard techniques.
DOE Sponsors
High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) is sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Offices:
Contact Us
For additional information on the HPC4 Energy Innovation Program, email hpc4ei@llnl.gov.
Interested in Learning More?
To subscribe to HPC for Manufacturing information and announcements (hpc4ei-info@llnl.gov) mailing list, please use the following form: