The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) often requires funding opportunity announcement (FOA) award recipients to comply with technical and economic validation of novel chemical, biological, and thermochemical technologies at the R&D, pilot, demo, and commercial scales through a bioenergy technology verification process.
Technology verification captures quantifiable performance metrics and measures progress over the life of a project, ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. The verification process benefits both DOE and FOA award recipients by:
- Establishing clear metrics for success
- Providing rigorous, independent, third-party technical analysis and risk assessment
- Supporting project and portfolio planning
- Maximizing the value of research dollars
- Increasing likelihood of project success
- Establishing transparency.
Verification Requirements for Funding Opportunity Announcements
Please note that not every BETO FOA or Topic Area requires technology verification. Prospective applicants and current award recipients should refer to FOA specifics to determine if their project must go through the technology verification process. If needed, additional details about technology verification requirements are outlined in each FOA’s verification section.
When preparing a FOA application, follow these steps to address verification requirements in the proposal:
- Plan and schedule that the first three months of the project are dedicated to the initial verification.
- Consider that the verification process looks closely at your baseline data, which might include previously published results or industry standards for the incumbent technology, and assesses your proposed project targets. The verification process also evaluates underlying assumptions and projections. Ensure each of these are clearly described in the proposal.
- Ensure metrics and targets are specific, measurable, and realistic for your proposed approach.
- When planning the project timeline, align the timing of Go/No-Go decisions with project verification phases.
