US Energy Department opens its annual $400m call for basic science research

Serguey Asael Shinder02 October 2026, 07:381 min read

The US Department of Energy has announced up to $400 million in funding for basic research through its Office of Science. The announcement presents it as the annual Notice of Funding Opportunity known informally as the "Open Call", issued at the start of each fiscal year, in this case fiscal 2027.

The Open Call is the office's general route for research proposals in areas not covered by its more specific, topical funding notices for the year. Applications can fall across the Office of Science's main programmes: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Isotope R&D and Production.

The department frames the funding as delivering on the president's executive order on "Restoring Gold Standard Science", supporting what it calls rigorous, transparent and mission-driven research. Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil said foundational research is where breakthroughs begin and that the investment will help the country's researchers build the scientific foundations for future technologies.

The Office of Science describes itself as the largest US supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. It funds research at hundreds of universities and oversees 10 of the department's national laboratories. Details of the notice, including eligibility and deadlines, are published in the funding opportunity linked from the announcement.

Why it matters

For energy technology, the Open Call is where early work on materials, batteries, grid physics and fusion finds money outside the headline programmes. The amount is a ceiling across seven programmes, not a commitment to any field, so the share that reaches energy research will only be visible in the awards.