- The DOE’s Office of Science Open Call will offer up to $400 million for FY 2027 funding
- The funding covers seven programs, including fusion energy sciences, high energy physics and nuclear physics
- The call also supports work that falls outside the office’s narrower FY 2027 funding notices
The Department of Energy has launched its annual Office of Science funding solicitation, making as much as $400 million available for foundational research expected to underpin future technologies.
DOE said the notice fulfills President Donald Trump’s executive order on restoring “gold standard science,” which emphasizes rigor, transparency and alignment with agency missions.
Hear IT priorities and contract opportunities from Department of Energy Chief Information Officer Dawn Zimmer during her keynote at Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29! Registration is still open.
What Is the Office of Science ‘Open Call’?
Formally a notice of funding opportunity, the open call is released each year as a new fiscal year begins. It allows institutions to seek Office of Science support for work falling outside the narrower, topic-specific solicitations the office plans to issue during fiscal 2027.
“Foundational research is where the breakthroughs that shape America’s future begin,” said Darío Gil, DOE under secretary for science. He added that the investment would help researchers “build the scientific foundations for tomorrow’s technologies.”
Which Research Programs Can Receive Funding?
Awards may support projects in seven program areas: advanced scientific computing research, basic energy sciences, biological and environmental research, fusion energy sciences, high energy physics, and nuclear physics, as well as isotope R&D and production. According to the DOE, the effort targets major scientific challenges and seeks faster progress in fields vital to U.S. competitiveness.
The Office of Science is the country’s biggest funder of basic physical sciences research, supporting work at hundreds of universities and overseeing 10 DOE national laboratories.
How Does the Funding Fit DOE’s Broader Science Agenda?
The open call follows a $352 million opportunity the office unveiled in March for Energy Frontier Research Centers, which also cited the gold standard science EO. Those centers will pursue areas including unconventional computing, critical minerals, microelectronics and quantum.
The DOE is also advancing the Genesis Mission, an artificial intelligence-driven initiative launched in November 2025 with 24 partner organizations to accelerate scientific discovery. The department has committed $320 million to begin building the American Science and Security Platform, a discovery engine meant to double the productivity of U.S. science and engineering investments within a decade.
Internally, the DOE is expanding artificial intelligence use through its Joulix platform under Chief Information Officer Dawn Zimmer. The department plans to consolidate more than 50 separate IT environments into a single system in fiscal 2026.
