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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $31 million in funding to support 42 research projects across 36 academic institutions in 24 states. The initiative, under the Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR) program, aims to enhance research capabilities, infrastructure, and expertise in a wide array of scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, and materials science.
The FAIR initiative fosters collaboration between participating academic institutions and DOE National Laboratories, scientific user facilities, or research-intensive universities to drive advancements in basic research. By bridging the gap between academia and DOE’s extensive resources, the program is poised to deliver impactful scientific discoveries.
“Providing America’s best and brightest students with pathways to STEM fields is the key to advancing American leadership in innovation,” remarked U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “FAIR helps academic institutions expand their research portfolios and spur future scientific discovery, broadening DOE’s impact in addressing critical scientific challenges.”
Key project themes range from the development of scientific machine learning algorithms for materials modeling to refining global snow predictions and innovating additive manufacturing for fusion reactor components. All projects were selected through a rigorous peer-review process under the FAIR solicitation.
A significant portion of the funding emphasizes inclusivity, with 33 of the 36 recipient institutions classified as Emerging Research Institutions. Among them, six are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), six are Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), three are Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), and eight hold dual designations as HSIs and AANAPISIs.
This investment underscores the DOE’s commitment to fostering diverse participation in STEM fields and advancing fundamental research critical to technology development and the clean energy transition. |
