Fiscal Year 2026 Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its Idaho Operations Office, is offering funding under the Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research (CINR) program. This initiative is part of DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) mission to advance nuclear science and technology to address U.S. energy, environmental, and economic challenges. The FY 2026 CINR Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), identified as DE-FOA-0003538, consolidates multiple funding mechanisms to support university-led research, access to Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF), and larger-scale Integrated Research Projects (IRPs). It aims to foster collaboration among academia, industry, and national laboratories while providing hands-on research opportunities and strengthening the nuclear workforce pipeline. The CINR NOFO funds projects in three primary areas: university-led research and NSUF access with R&D, access-only NSUF projects led by universities, labs, or industry, and university-led Integrated Research Projects. Each area targets different scopes and collaboration levels. The first funding area allocates up to $43 million for R&D and NSUF-supported research projects led by universities, including optional supplements for undergraduate research. The second area offers $6 million for access-only NSUF projects, with support allocated directly to user facilities rather than the principal investigators. The third area provides $6 million for IRPs, which are typically large, interdisciplinary efforts. A separate $2 million pool supports supplemental undergraduate research experiences across awarded projects. Eligible applicants include U.S. universities and colleges for all areas, and national laboratories and industry are also eligible for NSUF Access Only (NSUF-2). Subrecipients can include state and local governments, nonprofits, for-profits, tribal governments, and federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), though FFRDCs face participation limits. All work must be performed within the United States, and cost-sharing is encouraged but not mandatory. Cost share, if proposed, must be from non-federal sources and comply with federal cost principles. The application process includes several stages. A mandatory Letter of Intent (LOI) is due for NSUF access projects by January 5, 2026, followed by mandatory pre-applications for R&D and NSUF projects by January 28, 2026. The NSUF Statement of Work is due February 17, 2026, with a final application deadline of June 9, 2026. Applications must be submitted through the NEUP.gov portal, and applicants must complete all required registrations in SAM.gov, obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and register with Grants.gov to stay informed. NSUF projects also require agreement to the DOE’s User Agreement for facility access. Evaluation criteria include compliance with submission requirements, scientific and technical merit, alignment with NE program goals, feasibility, potential for impact, and appropriateness of the proposed team and budget. Applications must also demonstrate how the proposed research contributes to NE’s mission of enabling advanced reactor deployment, fuel cycle innovation, and leadership in nuclear energy. Projects must be non-proprietary, and results are expected to be published publicly via DOE’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). Awards are expected to be announced by September 30, 2026, with funding anticipated to begin by February 1, 2027. While most project periods will last up to three years, NSUF-supported projects that include neutron irradiation and post-irradiation examination (PIE) may extend up to seven years. The CINR program is recurring annually, and interested applicants should prepare for similar timelines in future funding cycles.

Emphasize alignment with NE mission, non-proprietary publishing, and technical feasibility; team structure and project relevance are critical evaluation factors.