DOE Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research (CINR) Program
U.S. Department of Energy — Office of Nuclear Energy
Up to $3,100,000
Nuclear energy R&D for companies and universities
Annual DOE funding opportunity for R&D projects that advance nuclear energy technologies. Open to universities, national labs, and for-profit companies including small businesses. CINR covers eight technical focus areas from advanced reactor concepts to fuel cycle R&D. No cost share required. FY2026 cycle offers up to $3.1M per award from a $57M total pool.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $3,100,000
- Realistic amount
- Most single-organization awards range from $500K–$1.5M; larger awards typically go to multi-institution teams or project…
- Deadline
- June 9, 2026
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- Open to domestic entities: universities, national laboratories, for-profit companies (including small businesses), nonprofits, and state and local government entities
- Must be a domestic entity with primary place of performance in the United States
- Foreign-owned entities may participate as subrecipients but cannot be the prime applicant
- Must meet DOE financial management standards for federal award recipients
- No cost-share or matching funds required
- Projects must address one of the eight CINR technical focus areas (see FOA for current list)
- SAM.gov registration must be active at time of application
Hard requirements
- Must be incorporated
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Salaries and fringe benefits for research personnel (PI, co-PI, graduate students, postdocs, technicians)
- Laboratory equipment and instrumentation directly required for the project
- Materials and supplies consumed in the research
- Domestic travel to conferences, DOE review meetings, and collaborator sites
- Subcontracts with universities, national labs, or other qualified entities
- Indirect/overhead costs at the organization's federally negotiated rate (NICRA)
- Computing resources and software licenses required for modeling and simulation
- Publication and dissemination costs
Ineligible expenses
- Construction of new buildings or major renovations
- International travel (requires specific prior DOE approval)
- Costs incurred before award date
- Equipment not directly tied to the funded project
- Profit/fee (for non-profit and government applicants — for-profit companies may include profit as allowable cost subject to DOE review)
How to apply
-
1
Obtain and read the full FOA
Download FOA DE-FOA-0003538 from EERE Exchange (exchange.energy.gov). Read the full document — DOE FOAs are detailed and deviations from format requirements result in rejection. Identify which of the 8 technical focus areas your project fits.
~4 hrs
-
2
Register on EERE Exchange and confirm SAM.gov status
Create an account at exchange.energy.gov (separate from Grants.gov login). Confirm your SAM.gov entity registration is active and UEI is valid. Allow 10 business days for new SAM.gov registrations.
~3 hrs
-
3
Submit Letter of Intent (if required)
Most CINR cycles require a non-binding LOI 2–3 weeks before the full application deadline. LOI typically describes team composition, focus area, and project title. Confirm LOI requirement and deadline in the FOA.
~4 hrs
-
4
Develop technical volume and project narrative
Write the technical narrative (typically 20–30 pages) addressing: technical approach, innovation beyond state of the art, team qualifications, project management plan, and relevance to the DOE nuclear mission. This is the most time-intensive step.
~80 hrs
-
5
Prepare budget and budget justification
Develop a detailed budget using SF-424A. Justify all cost categories (labor, fringe, equipment, travel, indirect costs). DOE applies scrutiny to indirect cost rates — ensure your organization's NICRA (Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement) is current if applicable.
~16 hrs
-
6
Submit full application on EERE Exchange
Upload all required documents (technical volume, budget, SF-424 series, biographical sketches, facilities/resources) to EERE Exchange before the June 9, 2026 deadline. Submit 24–48 hours early — DOE does not accept late submissions regardless of technical issues.
~6 hrs
Industry & certifications
NAICS codes: 541712, 237110, 335999
CINR scores on mission relevance first. Applications framing work around DOE's nuclear energy goals (cost reduction, proliferation resistance, fuel cycle closure) score higher than generic R&D proposals that could fit any agency.
Deadline & timing
FY2026 CINR FOA number DE-FOA-0003538 is open on the DOE EERE Exchange portal and Grants.gov. A Letter of Intent (LOI) may be required before full application — check the current FOA for LOI deadline. Applications submitted through EERE Exchange (exchange.energy.gov), not directly on Grants.gov. SAM.gov registration required.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.