Fiscal Year 2026 Distinguished Early Career Program
Funding Agency:
Funding Agency
Department of Energy
RFP# and Website:
RFP# and Website
Awards:
Awards
Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: 0 – $800,000
Anticipated Funding Amount:
Anticipated Funding Amount
Approximate total available funding: $3,200,000 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026
Letter of Intent:
Letter of Intent
Please contact the program director
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
Preliminary Proposal Deadline:
Full Proposal Submission Deadline:
Full Proposal Submission Deadline
March 3, 2026
Contacts:
Contacts
U.S. Department of Energy
Idaho Operations Office
1955 Fremont Avenue
Idaho Falls, ID 83415
For questions relating to this specific NOFO, please send emails to NEUP@inl.gov.
Description
The Distinguished Early Career Program (DECP) is DOE-NE’s most prestigious award for the most innovative distinguished faculty members beginning their independent careers. The intent of the program is to provide stable support to those faculty to form the impactful research groups, innovative lines of inquiry, educational approaches, and critical new research directions that will drive the next generation of nuclear energy innovation.
The intent of this NOFO is to award approximately four awards, for up to five (5) years, to distinguished early career applications that provide a clear research and education plan that highlights the applicant’s research and educational strengths; the research and education vision to support the development of the faculty member; and research infrastructure, curriculum, and outcomes that will advance the applicant’s research focus while training the next generation of nuclear energy professionals.