Early Career Research Program (ECRP)

The Early Career Research Program (ECRP), administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science (SC), is designed to support the development of individual research programs led by exceptional early-career scientists. Through this initiative, the DOE SC aims to foster long-term research careers in areas that align with its mission to deliver transformative scientific discoveries, advance energy solutions, and ensure the nation's economic and national security. The program is the flagship effort of the Office of Science to encourage high-impact research led by early-stage researchers at U.S. academic institutions, DOE national laboratories, and institutions operating SC Scientific User Facilities. The ECRP targets seven primary research program areas within the DOE SC: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Basic Energy Sciences (BES); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP); Nuclear Physics (NP); and Isotope Research and Development and Production (DOE IP). Applicants must align their proposed research with one of these supported topic areas. Within each research area, the program outlines highly specific thematic priorities and subject-matter exclusions that guide applicants on scope, relevance, and alignment with current DOE research strategies. For instance, BES may support topics such as quantum materials, catalytic science, and ultrafast chemical dynamics, while BER includes bioenergy crop systems and coastal ecosystem modeling. To be eligible, applicants must be full-time, non-postdoctoral, early-career researchers with permanent positions at eligible institutions. These institutions include U.S. institutions of higher education, DOE/NNSA national laboratories, and institutions operating SC user facilities. The applicant must be within 10 years of receiving their Ph.D. as of January 1, 2015, or later. Academic faculty must be untenured but on the tenure track, and DOE laboratory staff must be in permanent positions. Individuals who have previously received an award under this program are not eligible to apply again. The ECRP is intentionally structured to support the sole leadership of the PI and does not allow co-principal investigators. Applicants must first submit a pre-application through the DOE's Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) by March 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET. Submission must be completed by an authorized institutional representative. DOE will review pre-applications for responsiveness and issue invitations by April 21, 2026. Only invited pre-applicants may proceed to the full application stage. Full applications are due by June 2, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET through Grants.gov. Pre-application submission is mandatory; applications without a prior invitation will not be considered. Funding for this program totals approximately $145 million, including $79 million allocated for FY 2026 and an additional $66 million anticipated in outyear funding, subject to appropriations. The DOE expects to make about 100 awards under this opportunity. Each award has a performance period of five years. The award ceiling varies depending on the institution type: up to $875,000 for institutions of higher education, and up to $2.75 million for DOE/NNSA national laboratories or SC Scientific User Facilities. No cost sharing is required for this basic research program. Applications will be reviewed based on program relevance, scientific merit, and the potential of the applicant to develop into a leader in their research area. The DOE SC emphasizes the importance of program fit and encourages applicants to contact the listed program managers for technical questions. Administrative inquiries regarding budgets and eligibility can be directed to [email protected]. The program is expected to recur annually, offering continued opportunities for early-career researchers to compete in future cycles.