DOE ASCR: What It Funds and Who Can Apply

DOE ASCR, the Department of Energy’s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (also written DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Research), is the Office of Science program office that funds research in applied mathematics, computer science and emerging computing, and that supports the national supercomputing and networking facilities. Most confusion about ASCR comes from one distinction: grants are announced one solicitation at a time, while the four user facilities are access resources, not grant programs. This guide separates the two, using the official pages as described on 2026-10-29.

What it is and who runs it

ASCR is one of the Office of Science program offices (science.osti.gov/ascr). Its stated mission, as described on the official page on 2026-10-29, is to discover, develop and deploy computational and networking capability so that researchers can analyze, model, simulate and predict complex phenomena important to DOE and to science. The Department’s own program page lists its subprograms as Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Computational Partnerships, Emerging Technologies, and Supercomputing and Network Facilities.

The research side is organized into two divisions, per the official Research page: Computational Science Research and Partnerships (CSRP), which focuses on computational science research and partnerships with other DOE programs, and Advanced Computing Technology (ACT), which covers emerging computing including quantum and neuromorphic computing. For where ASCR sits among the other Office of Science offices and how DOE differs from NSF, see NSF vs. DOE grant requirements.

The six research programs and what each is for

Program (official page)	What the page says it does
Applied Mathematics	Basic research leading to fundamental mathematical advances and computational breakthroughs
Computer Science	Long-term, basic research on the software infrastructure, including high-performance computing, data tools and networking
Advanced Computing Technology	Emerging computing, including quantum and neuromorphic
Computational Partnerships	Primarily the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program
Cross Cutting Activities	Coordination with other ASCR, Office of Science and federal programs, including SBIR/STTR
Investing in People	Workforce development through fellowships, including the Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF), and early career programs

A proposal idea that is mainly a new numerical method fits Applied Mathematics; one about systems software or data tooling fits Computer Science; one about quantum or neuromorphic hardware and software fits Advanced Computing Technology. Which of these is actually open for proposals at any moment depends on the current solicitations, not on this list.

Facilities are access resources, not grants

The official Facilities page names four facilities: the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) and the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet, operated by Lawrence Berkeley). The page says many thousands of researchers from academia, industry and federal laboratories use them each year. Computing time on these systems is obtained through the facilities’ own access routes (the ASCR menu has an “Accessing ASCR Supercomputers” entry, and the Department’s program page lists ALCC and INCITE under ASCR research resources). Start there rather than from a funding solicitation.

Eligibility (summary, with the official source)

There is no single ASCR eligibility rule. The official Funding Opportunities page states that financial assistance announcements may be open to one or more institution types, and that each announcement lists its own eligible applicants. Separately, DOE National Laboratory Announcements are open only to DOE laboratories and go through a formal merit review. Read the eligibility section of the specific announcement before planning a team; a university-led idea can be a poor fit for a lab-only call, and the reverse. For how DOE’s general financial-assistance rules compare with other agencies, see NSF vs. DOE grant requirements.

What it funds or requires

On 2026-10-29 the Funding Opportunities page listed these among current items (titles and numbers change, so check the live list):

DE-FOA-0003665, “FY 2027 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program”
DE-FOA-0003612, “The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI” (see the Genesis Mission guide)
DE-FOA-0003673, “Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship Pilot”
LAB 26-3603, “Quantum High Performance Computing Validation and Verification Testbed”, a DOE-laboratory-only announcement

The page states that solicitations are published on Grants.gov, that selection is by competitive evaluation, and that DOE’s Grants and Contracts site carries notices. For narrative expectations on Office of Science proposals generally, see writing a DOE Office of Science proposal narrative.

Application or compliance steps

Find the announcement. Start from the ASCR Funding Opportunities page and the Grants.gov listing it points to.
Identify the announcement type. A financial assistance announcement (FOA) names eligible institution types; a National Laboratory Announcement is lab-only.
Check for a letter of intent or pre-application. The page says some announcements require one and that this varies. The page also refers applicants to DOE’s Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) for portal assistance.
Submit as the announcement instructs, through the system and by the deadline stated in that announcement.
Prepare for competitive evaluation. Selection is competitive; the announcement describes the criteria.

Questions about the office itself can go to the contact shown on the ASCR home page. For finding what DOE has already funded, see DOE award search.

Typical timeline phases

The phases below follow the process the official page describes. Their length and order differ by announcement, and none of them is a fixed calendar date.

Announcement posted on Grants.gov
Letter of intent or pre-application, only where the announcement requires it
Full application submitted by the stated deadline
Competitive evaluation (formal merit review for lab announcements)
Selection and award notification, as the announcement describes

Common mistakes

Treating a facility as a funder. ALCF, OLCF, NERSC and ESnet provide access to systems and networks; grants come from solicitations.
Applying to a lab-only announcement from a university or company. Those are open only to DOE laboratories.
Missing a required letter of intent. Some announcements require one; check each.
Reusing a title or number from an old summary. Announcement numbers and titles rotate; use the live list.
Attributing programs to the wrong office. SciDAC sits under ASCR’s Computational Partnerships; other Office of Science offices fund other research areas.

Related programs

Program	How the official ASCR pages place it
SciDAC	The main component of Computational Partnerships
Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF)	Listed under Investing in People and in the ASCR menu
Early Career Research Program	Listed in the ASCR menu; see DoD and DOE early-career awards, side by side
SBIR/STTR	Listed under Cross Cutting Activities
Genesis Mission	Solicitations listed on the ASCR Funding Opportunities page; see Genesis Mission

FAQ

What does DOE ASCR stand for?

Advanced Scientific Computing Research, a program office within the DOE Office of Science.

Is DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Research the same as DOE ASCR?

Yes. ASCR is the abbreviation of Advanced Scientific Computing Research.

Can a university apply for ASCR funding?

Possibly, depending on the announcement. Each financial assistance announcement states its eligible institution types, while National Laboratory Announcements are open only to DOE laboratories.

How do I get time on ASCR supercomputers?

Through the facilities’ own access routes, which the official pages treat separately from funding solicitations. Start from the “Accessing ASCR Supercomputers” entry in the ASCR menu.

Sources

DOE Office of Science, Advanced Scientific Computing Research, checked 2026-10-29
DOE Office of Science, ASCR Research, checked 2026-10-29
DOE Office of Science, ASCR Facilities, checked 2026-10-29
DOE Office of Science, ASCR Funding Opportunities, checked 2026-10-29
U.S. Department of Energy, Advanced Scientific Computing Research, checked 2026-10-29

DOE ASCR (Advanced Scientific Computing Research): What It Funds, Who Can Apply and How