The Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (ISN/CTR) is pleased to announce an open competition for assistance awards through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). ISN/CTR sponsors foreign assistance activities funded by the Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) and other accounts, and focuses on mitigating weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and WMD-related delivery systems proliferation and security threats from non-state actors and proliferator states. An underlying aim of all ISN/CTR’s efforts is long-term sustainability to maximize programmatic impact while minimizing the need for foreign partners to rely on outside financial or technical assistance.
As part of the FIRST program under the Nuclear Expediting the Energy Transition (NEXT) subprogram, ISN/CTR seeks implementing partners for a special project to develop a Roadmap to Rebuild, Modernize, and Decarbonize the Ukraine Steel Industry with SMRs. The implementer(s) for this project will work closely with Ukrainian stakeholders from government, the civil nuclear sector, and the steel industry to jointly conduct a study and develop a detailed roadmap with input and buy-in from Ukrainian stakeholders to rebuild, modernize, and decarbonize Ukraine’s steel industry with SMRs. The steel decarbonization roadmap should describe how SMRs can provide clean electricity, process heat and potentially hydrogen for clean steel manufacturing in Ukraine, incorporating currently underutilized recycling opportunities for scrap metal, and supporting the rebuilding of Ukraine’s economy. Specifically, it should examine availability of raw materials, the range of clean technologies (including consideration of direct electrification, carbon capture, and SMR-produced hydrogen), the economics of different decarbonization pathways, and how best to maintain and expand steel-product market penetration. This detailed Roadmap will outline the necessary measures to conduct decarbonized steelmaking at Ukraine steelmaking facilities that will ultimately rely on nuclear energy for clean, carbon-free electricity, process heat, and potentially hydrogen with scrap material or processed iron ore for feedstock. This project will demonstrate the viability of using SMR technology—in a manner that prioritizes the highest international standards of nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation—to modernize and decarbonize Ukraine’s steel industry, while advancing Ukraine’s economic recovery and independence.
Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal package per organization. If more than one proposal package is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution may be considered ineligible for funding. Interested applicants from within Duke should contact fundopps@duke.edu as early as possible.
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2024
The following organizations are eligible to apply: • Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations • Public and private educational institutions • Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) • For-profit organizations Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions
Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $5,000,000