Issue: ORN-2026-18

DE-FOA-0003624: Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy 2026 (IGNIITE 2026)

ARPA-E recently posted a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy 2026 (IGNIITE 2026) program, DE-FOA-0003624. The IGNIITE program supports early-career innovators seeking to convert disruptive and unconventional ideas into impactful new energy technologies. IGNIITE aims to empower these early-career scientists and engineers in becoming independent researchers and unleashing their creativity to address the urgent energy-related challenges our society currently faces. The funding opportunity can be found here: DOE: ARPA-E eXCHANGE: Funding Opportunities: IGNIITE 2026. Concept paper submissions are due by May 29, 2026, at 9:30am. Please submit any questions by email to ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov. If you are interested, please coordinate your submission with Shawn Chester, AVP-Research Collaborations via email at shawn.chester@njit.edu.

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Prohibition on Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program Participation

Individuals participating in a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program are prohibited from participating in projects selected for federal funding under DOE notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs). Prior to FY 2025, many DOE funding opportunities included a notice that if applicants were participants in foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs sponsored by a country of risk, they were prohibited from participating in projects selected for DOE funding. In FY 2025, DOE updated the terminology and requirements in its longstanding prohibition to better align with the OSTP Foreign Talent Recruitment Program Guidelines issued in February 2024.

Requirements for Covered Individuals

At Application:

• Certify that you are not currently participating in a malign foreign talent recruitment program (MFTRP). This certification is located on the Common Forms in SciENcv.

During Project: 

• Notify your employer and DOE if there are any changes to your MFTRP participation status.

Requirements for Prime Applicants/Recipients and Subrecipients

At Application:

• Provide the identity of all owners, principal investigators, project managers, and covered individuals who are a party to any Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP).
• Certify that each covered individual has been made aware of the MFTRP prohibition and complied with their certification responsibilities. 

During Project:

• Exercise ongoing due diligence to reasonably ensure that no individuals participating on the DOE-funded project are participating in a MFTRP.
• Notify DOE within five business days upon learning that an individual on the project team is or is believed to be participating in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.