US-FED-00000394257 - Alternative Fuels & Feedstock Initiative to Add Value to Seed Oil Crops through Improved Preprocessing, Scalability, and Valoriz - Deadline October 15,2026

INTRODUCTIONBattelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), Management & Operating Contractor of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) owned Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is seeking an Expression of Interest (EOI) from prospective offerors to complement existing seed oil crop research efforts at the Biomass Feedstock National User Facility (BFNUF) through U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded work. Appropriate topics of research will develop a greater understanding of harvesting, storage, separations, and scalability that increase the value of seed oil crops by reducing processing costs, increasing yields, and/or generating material streams that can be valorized. Topics that are not of interest to this EOI include operations upstream of harvesting (e.g., agronomy, crop engineering, genetic engineering), and downstream of processing (e.g., new conversion technologies). This effort expects to fund a maximum of two projects through DOE`s Alternative Fuels & Feedstock Office (AFFO). Projects must be led by a U.S. university, with INL collaboration, and may include industry partners.BACKGROUNDAFFO and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) seek universityled research that improves postharvest preprocessing, storage, separations, and scalable fractionation of seed oil crops to reduce costs, increase yields, and create valuable nonoil product streams. Work must focus on postharvest operations and demonstrate scalability. Awardees will collaborate with INL`s BFNUF and generate data supporting an INLled technoeconomic assessment (TEA)SCOPE OF WORKBEA is seeking qualified university led teams to support the BFNUF and AFFO mission through novel research that increases the value of seed oil crops through more effective harvesting, storage, fractionation, and/or valorization for seed components.If the proposed work is bench–scale, a case must be made for why it is scalable to field applications. Proposed research may focus on commodity or niche seed oil crops. More niche seed feedstocks will be considered if the research team can demonstrate the extent to which the proposed methods are broadly applicable. EOIs should focus on the non–oil components of the seed, although outcomes affecting the oil extraction process can be considered in the overall potential impact of the proposed work.The winning project team will collaborate with INL and help design INL scope that uses BFNUF capabilities, which may be reviewed at Biomass Feedstock National User Facility – Idaho National Laboratory.Qualifications for successful applicants include:Technical Expertise and Leadership: Strong technical credentials and experience, demonstrated by impactful research publications. There will be a preference for teams with experience collaborating with industrial partners or in performing industrially relevant research.Collaboration and Networking: Demonstrated ability to work with and lead teams from different organizations.Industry and Workforce Development Connections: Extensive ties with agricultural companies, equipment manufacturers, and/or energy sectors.Interested applicants will propose scope to address the research challenge posed. It is anticipated that the project duration will be between 12 and 24 months and will support approximately 0.25 FTEs for project PI and 1.0 3.0 FTEs for technicians/post docs/students. In addition to labor, the project may include laboratory consumables commensurate with the proposed scope. Any non–consumable equipment purchases, or planned travel must be specified in the proposed scope and is subject to approval by INL.Project resources required to fund BEA and BFNUF activities are separate from the awarded amount, which will be managed through a contract with BEA. As determined by BEA, responders to this EOI may receive a Request for Proposal (RFP) that may require detailed technical and price proposals for evaluation and ranking in a selection process.PROCESSThis EOI is the first step in identifying interested and qualified vendors for future solicitation. Responses may be used to inform the development of a formal solicitation list. Selected vendors may be invited to participate in a Request for Proposal (RFP) process for award consideration.SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTSInterested individuals are requested to email expressions of interest to [email? redacted] and [email? redacted] by 6PM Mountain Standard Time on October 15, 2026.Included must be sufficient written information confirming the responder`s qualifications, including the following:For all core team members (no page limit):Name