Science 30 October 2009: Vol. 326. no. 5953, p. 651 DOI: 10.1126/science.326_651
News of the Week Energy Research: DOE Gives $151 Million to ‘Out-of-Box’ Research Eli Kintisch
Three days after President Barack Obama told a Massachusetts Institute of Technology audience that he would lead the country into a "new frontier" of clean energy research, a fledgling federal agency made a $151 million down payment on that promise.
On Monday, the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) gave grants to 37 teams at companies, universities, and national labs that are pursuing cutting-edge technologies. "If only one project in a particular area works and produces transformational research, that will be a big success," says Matt Rogers of the Department of Energy (DOE). ......
Science 21 August 2009: Vol. 325. no. 5943, p. 926 DOI: 10.1126/science.325_926
News of the Week ARPA-E Funding: U.S. Energy Agency Stumbles Out of the Blocks Jeffrey Mervis
The new U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) is supposed to "disrupt the status quo" by funding "transformational" ideas that will help end the country's dependence on foreign oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and move the economy toward sustainable energy sources. So far, however, the agency has caused more disruption among scientists than transformation of the U.S. energy sector.
Researchers are grumbling about the way ARPA-E, which is part of the Department of Energy (DOE), is handling its first round of grant proposals. On 27 April, the agency asked for preliminary ideas for spending the first $150 million of some $400 million it was given in the president's stimulus package. The solicitation was a big hit: Researchers submitted 3500 concept papers describing myriad ways to revolutionize every conceivable type of energy technology. ......