Desalination and Water Purification Research Program: Research Projects

The Bureau of Reclamation, within the U.S. Department of the Interior, is offering the Desalination and Water Purification Research Program: Research Projects funding opportunity to support innovative laboratory-scale and pilot-scale water treatment research. The Desalination and Water Purification Research Program seeks to increase water supplies by reducing costs, energy requirements, environmental impacts, and other barriers associated with treating impaired and unusable water for beneficial uses. Reclamation is particularly interested in research with national significance, widespread applicability, benefits to a large sector of the public, and a pathway toward technology commercialization. Research topics may include improvements to existing desalination and water treatment technologies, next-generation treatment technologies, concentrate management, selective contaminant removal or recovery, water reuse, and artificial intelligence applications that improve existing or emerging water treatment technologies or processes. Applicants may propose Laboratory-Scale Projects or Pilot-Scale Projects. Laboratory-scale projects are generally bench-scale studies involving small flow rates and may evaluate novel processes, materials, process modifications, modeling studies, decision support tools, and literature or technology reviews. These projects should be completed within 24 months of award and may request up to $300,000 in Federal funds. Pilot-scale projects test novel technologies or processes at a scale sufficient to assess practical implementation. They should involve flow rates above 1 gallon per minute, use natural rather than synthetic or laboratory-made feed water, and generate sufficient operating data to estimate requirements and demonstrate finished water quality performance. Pilot-scale projects should be completed within 36 months and may request up to $800,000 in Federal funds. The overall award floor is $100,000, the award ceiling is $800,000, and estimated total program funding is $5,700,000. Approximately 6 to 15 awards are expected. Cost sharing is not required, although voluntary non-Federal cost sharing is strongly encouraged and is an evaluation criterion. Eligible voluntary contributions may include direct cash and third-party in-kind contributions such as equipment, supplies, and services directly benefiting the project, subject to applicable Federal requirements. Projects not eligible for funding include planning activities eligible under the WaterSMART Water Recycling and Desalination Planning funding opportunity, construction of permanent research facilities or infrastructure, and testing established water treatment processes solely to generate site-specific information. Pre-award costs may be allowed with Grant Officer approval when incurred after award selection, but applicants incur such costs at their own risk. The NOFO identifies eligible applicants as Others and directs the program office to determine whether each proposed project is an eligible activity before merit review. Applicants must complete applicable Federal registrations before submission. Except for individuals applying as natural persons, applicants must be registered in SAM.gov and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier. Applications are submitted through Grants.gov, where an Authorized Organization Representative submits the completed Workspace. Required materials include the SF-424, SF-424A for non-construction projects, Project Abstract Summary, DOI Research and Development Current and Pending Other Support form and Biographical Sketch for research projects, Project Narrative, and Budget Narrative. Conditional forms include the SF-429 when requesting acquisition, improvement, or furnishing of real property and the SF-LLL when its stated lobbying disclosure conditions apply. The Project Narrative is limited to 20 pages and must use at least 11-point type and 1-inch margins. The narrative should address the project title and applicant information, table of contents, executive summary, project location, motivation and problem statement, prior work and results, technical approach and project activities, work plan and schedule, quality assurance and quality control, facilities and equipment, and responses to the evaluation criteria. Applicants must describe current and anticipated technology readiness levels, tasks, milestones, testing locations, water types, flow rates, potential challenges and mitigation strategies, and final technical report and presentation activities as applicable. The separate Budget Narrative must explain and justify project costs and identify total estimated costs, non-Federal cost share, third-party contributions, and pre-award costs. Applicants must also disclose relevant conflicts of interest and state whether proposed activities, costs, or key personnel time overlap with another Federal proposal or award. Applications are evaluated first for eligibility, completeness, responsiveness, and compliance with applicable requirements. Technical merit review totals 100 points: voluntary non-Federal cost share is worth 25 points, impact of the proposed research 20 points, project readiness 15 points, familiarity in the field of work 10 points, team qualifications 5 points, schedule or workplan and quality assurance and quality control 5 points, and Presidential and Department of Interior priorities 20 points. Top-ranking applications may undergo red-flag and managerial reviews, and applicants are also subject to risk, budget, business, responsibility, and duplication reviews. Reclamation may consider geographic dispersion, project types, applicant types, previous award history, and other factors described in the NOFO during selection. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov no later than September 29, 2026, at 4 PM Mountain Time. Late proposals generally will not be considered except under the circumstances specified in the NOFO for Reclamation-caused delays or validated Grants.gov technical issues. Reclamation anticipates contacting potential recipients and unsuccessful applicants in February 2027, subject to final appropriations. The anticipated project start date is July 1, 2027, and the anticipated project end date is June 30, 2030. For application and submission questions, applicants may contact bor-sha-fafoa@usbr.gov. Questions concerning applicant and project eligibility or application content may be directed to Program Coordinator Andrew Tiffenbach at atiffenbach@usbr.gov or 303-445-2393. Applicants should include funding opportunity number R26AS00052 in the subject line of email correspondence.

Maximize alignment with the scored criteria. Voluntary eligible non-Federal cost share can earn up to 25 points, with 50 percent or more earning the full 25 points. Clearly demonstrate the proposed research's technical, economic, and environmental impact, broad applicability, novelty, adoption potential, and likelihood of success. Document prior research and both current and expected technology readiness levels. Provide a feasible task and milestone schedule with appropriate QA/QC measures. Address only applicable Presidential and Department of Interior priorities and substantiate the connection rather than assuming that addressing more priorities will produce more points. Ensure the budget is mathematically correct, reasonable, allowable, necessary, linked to project activities, and consistent with any voluntary cost share. Submit all mandatory forms, the project narrative, and budget narrative because incomplete applications can be removed before merit review.