DOE is now accepting proposals for the Fiscal Year 2022 Office of Science Early Career Research Program (ECRP). This highly prestigious program supports early career researchers at DOE national laboratories with up to $2.5 million over five years to pursue their research.
To be eligible for the competition at the Lab, a researcher must be a full-time, career or career-track non-postdoctoral scientist or engineer. Associated faculty must apply through their university. The applicant must have received a Ph.D. no earlier than January 1, 2011.
Early career researchers may apply to one of eight Office of Science program offices: Advanced Scientific Computing Research; Biological and Environmental Research; Basic Energy Sciences; Fusion Energy Sciences; High Energy Physics; Nuclear Physics; Accelerator R&D and Production; and Isotope R&D and Production. Proposed research topics must fall within the programmatic priorities of DOE’s Office of Science that are established at LBNL.
Pre-applications are mandatory and are due by Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. PT. Interested applicants need to first register through the Lab’s dedicated website and contact the ECRP Network POC in their Area or Division.
Interested applicants should also attend the Directors’ Roundtable and Networking Social on Monday, Sep. 27 at 4 p.m., at which Director Mike Witherell, Deputy Director Carol Burns, and a panel of previous awardees will share their experience and strategies for success. All interested researchers, whether they plan to apply this year or in the future, are encouraged to attend. The event will be virtual this year, and breakout rooms with the panelists will be available for networking.
While this is a highly competitive program, LBNL researchers have received multiple awards in the past. In FY 2021, five Lab scientists were selected by the DOE Office of Science to receive the ECRP award across five program offices.
For more information about the ECRP program, the LBNL application process, and to identify your ECRP Network Area and Divisional POCs, see the Lab’s ECRP website, FAQ document, and the DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement.