Reliable Ore Characterization with Keystone Sensing (ROCKS)

"The Reliable Ore Characterization with Keystone Sensing (ROCKS) program, offered by the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) within the U.S. Department of Energy, seeks to transform mineral prospecting and orebody characterization methods. This initiative is rooted in ARPA-E’s mission to enhance the United States’ economic and energy security through high-impact energy technology development. The ROCKS program specifically targets rare earth elements (REEs) and critical minerals essential to energy production, storage, and transmission. These resources are vital for national energy security, yet current methods for resource characterization are time-consuming, costly, and insufficiently precise. The program aims to address these challenges by investing in breakthrough drilling, sensing, and analytical technologies that can accelerate characterization timelines from years to months. The program supports the development of tools that enable accurate, low-cost, and high-resolution assessments of mineral resources, particularly in hard rock environments. Technologies of interest are organized into three categories: Category A focuses on improving drilling speeds and efficiency while maintaining or enhancing core recovery quality. Category B seeks innovations in sensing and analysis that offer high-resolution mineralogical and geochemical insights either on-site or at a distance. Category C encompasses unique concepts or solutions that fall outside the first two categories but meet the program’s goals, including the characterization of unconventional resources such as REE-enriched clays and seafloor deposits. Projects must meet specific technical performance metrics related to cost, resolution, uncertainty, and efficiency in characterizing large subsurface volumes. The ROCKS program is open to a broad range of applicants including U.S. institutions of higher education, for-profit companies, non-profits, individuals, federal research facilities, and consortia. Foreign participation is permitted but requires waiver approval, and all work must generally be conducted within the United States. All applicants must submit concept papers by 2025-09-25, which are a prerequisite to be considered for the full application phase. Selected applicants will be notified in late October 2025 whether they are encouraged or discouraged from submitting a full proposal. Final applications will be due at a later date, to be announced. Awards are expected to be made in June 2026 with project start dates aligned with that timeline. Applications must be submitted through the ARPA-E eXCHANGE portal. Key components of a complete application include a technical volume, SF-424, budget justification, public summary, and business assurances form. Concept papers are limited to four pages and must include a technical summary and public-facing slide. The submission process also includes the opportunity to reply to reviewer comments once initial reviews are released. The grant will be administered as a cooperative agreement, allowing ARPA-E to maintain substantial involvement in funded projects, including performance monitoring and milestone enforcement. Funding for the program totals approximately $40 million, with expected individual awards ranging from $2 million to $5 million. Matching funds are required. The number of awards anticipated is 10 to 12 across two linked NOFOs. Projects are expected to last three years. All recipients must allocate at least 5% of federal funding received toward Technology Transfer and Outreach (TT&O) activities, such as conference attendance or commercialization planning. For additional information, applicants are directed to the full NOFO available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE. Questions may be directed to the agency at ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. Technical problems with the submission portal can be addressed via ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov. The FAQ page at https://arpa-e.energy.gov/faqs also provides additional guidance for applicants. "

Include technoeconomic model, highlight commercialization pathway, include industry partners when feasible, avoid software-only solutions