Request for Information (RFI) - Three-Dimensional Characterization of the Subsurface by Advanced Modeling and Sensing Techniques | DE FOA 0003480

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003480

The opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI) - Three-Dimensional Characterization of the Subsurface by Advanced Modeling and Sensing Techniques" (Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003480) is not a grant competition and is not accepting applications for funding. It is strictly a Request for Information, meaning ARPA-E is collecting ideas, technical input, and feedback from the community to help shape and decide whether to launch a future program. Even though the listing references items like "cooperative agreement" and includes standard federal assistance fields, the award ceiling is listed as $0 and the expected number of awards is 0, reinforcing that there is no money available under this notice and no Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) exists at this time.

The core goal of the RFI is to gather input for a potential joint effort involving ARPA-E, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The envisioned program would aim to dramatically improve how the United States explores for and characterizes critical mineral deposits underground, with an emphasis on creating accurate three-dimensional (3-D) representations of what is in the subsurface. The motivation is strategic and economic: the U.S. wants to reduce reliance on imported critical minerals that are essential to energy technologies and national security applications. The RFI frames current exploration and characterization approaches as costly, slow, labor-intensive, and often uncertain, and it signals interest in transformative methods that could deliver faster, more accurate assessments of mineral deposits.

The RFI highlights two main technical focus areas that ARPA-E and its partners are considering. The first is enhanced data acquisition, centered on new sensors and sensing techniques that can collect better subsurface data more efficiently than current state-of-the-art approaches. The second is advanced 3-D analysis, centered on modern analytical tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, which could integrate diverse datasets, reduce uncertainty, and produce more reliable 3-D models of mineralization and geology. A key theme is synergy: the agencies expect that pairing next-generation sensing with advanced computational modeling and AI/ML-driven interpretation could outperform incremental improvements in either area alone. They also note that breakthroughs here could spill over into other subsurface imaging challenges beyond critical minerals.

ARPA-E, USGS, and DARPA each bring a different mission lens to the topic, which is part of why the collaboration is emphasized. ARPA-E is focused on critical minerals that underpin multiple energy technologies, USGS serves as a primary federal source for geologic information on energy and mineral resources and their supply chains, and DARPA is oriented toward high-risk, high-reward technology breakthroughs tied to national security needs, including technologies that depend on critical mineral availability. Taken together, the partnership suggests the RFI is looking for ideas that are not only technically novel, but also practical enough to be implemented and scaled in real exploration and characterization workflows.

In terms of who should respond, eligibility is described as unrestricted because this is an information-gathering exercise rather than a funding solicitation. ARPA-E explicitly invites input from a wide range of organizations, including universities, non-governmental organizations, small and large businesses, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), and government-owned/government-operated (GOGO) organizations. The request is specifically for "transformative and implementable" technologies that are not currently deployed, implying an interest in approaches that go beyond standard commercial practice and could meaningfully change the speed, cost, resolution, and confidence of subsurface critical mineral characterization.

Administrative details included in the listing emphasize its RFI status and timeline. The agency is ARPA-E, the activity category is science and technology and other R&D, and the CFDA number shown is 81.135. The original closing date for submitting information is 2024-11-04, and the full RFI is available through the ARPA-E FOA site at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. The most important takeaway for anyone reading it as a potential applicant is that there is nothing to apply for yet; the immediate action is only to provide information and ideas that may influence whether and how a future funded program is designed.

• The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the oz, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI) - Three-Dimensional Characterization of the Subsurface by Advanced Modeling and Sensing Techniques" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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