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The Genesis Mission is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiative to apply artificial intelligence to scientific discovery, launched by Executive Order 14363 on November 24, 2025. It is an initiative, not a single grant program: it has a platform, a list of national science and technology challenges, and funding vehicles, of which the FY2026 Request for Application (RFA) is the one researchers have been able to apply to. This guide separates what the executive order requires of DOE from what DOE has announced for applicants, as described on the official pages on 2026-10-29.
What it is and who runs it
The executive order, titled “Launching the Genesis Mission,” establishes the Mission as “a national effort to accelerate the application of AI for transformative scientific discovery focused on pressing national challenges” (Sec. 2(a)). The Secretary of Energy is responsible for implementing it within DOE (Sec. 2(b)). DOE describes it as “a national initiative building the world’s most powerful scientific platform” that unites DOE National Laboratories, industry and academia. Under Secretary for Science Dario Gil serves as DOE’s director for the Genesis Mission.
Is the Genesis Mission an executive order?
The Mission was created by one: Executive Order 14363, “Launching the Genesis Mission,” dated November 24, 2025. The order is the legal basis for the Mission, not an application document. Funding calls such as the FY2026 RFA are issued separately by DOE.
What does “Genesis Mission AI” mean in practice?
The order directs the Secretary to establish and operate the American Science and Security Platform, the infrastructure for the Mission. Section 3(a) lists what it is to provide, in an integrated manner and to the maximum extent practicable: high-performance computing resources; AI modeling and analysis frameworks, including AI agents; computational tools; domain-specific foundation models; secure access to datasets; and experimental and production tools for autonomous and AI-augmented experimentation. DOE’s own wording for awardees is access to the Genesis Mission Platform, including AI agent frameworks, AI models and software from industry partners, and high-performance computing across the National Laboratories and partner facilities.
Is it a grant program?
Not by itself. DOE’s Genesis Mission hub says that for funding opportunities, readers should “watch this space” and sign up for the newsletter. The funding instrument described in detail on DOE’s pages is the $293 million FY2026 RFA, “The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI,” under NOFO DE-FOA-0003612.
Eligibility (summary, with the official source)
As described on DOE’s RFA announcement on 2026-10-29, the RFA was “open to interdisciplinary teams from DOE National Laboratories, U.S. industry, and academia.” DOE’s release points to the NOFO, DE-FOA-0003612, for “full eligibility, application instructions, and challenge details,” and states that registration instructions and other details are on the DOE Office of Science funding opportunities pages. The release itself does not list selection criteria or cost-share terms, so those belong to the NOFO and should be read there, not inferred. For background on how a notice of funding is structured, see CASRAI’s entry on the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).
What it funds or requires
The FY2026 RFA invited teams to use AI models and frameworks on “over 20 national challenges” spanning advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear energy and quantum information science. The executive order itself (Sec. 4(a)) requires DOE to identify at least 20 challenges, and names advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear fission and fusion energy, quantum information science, and semiconductors and microelectronics as priority domains. The award structure in the RFA announcement:
| Instrument | Award range | Project period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase I | $500,000 to $750,000 | Nine months | DOE RFA announcement |
| Phase II | $6 million to $15 million | Three years | DOE RFA announcement |
DOE states that teams could apply directly to either phase in FY2026, and that successful Phase I teams will be eligible to compete for larger Phase II awards in future cycles. The announcement also describes the RFA as a total of $293 million; the table shows per-award ranges only, and the per-award ranges should not be added together to estimate a total.
Application or compliance steps
The steps below are the ones DOE’s release states; the NOFO governs everything else.
- Read NOFO DE-FOA-0003612 for eligibility, application instructions and challenge details.
- Follow the registration instructions DOE posts on its Office of Science funding opportunities pages.
- Choose a phase. The release allowed direct application to either Phase I or Phase II in FY2026.
- For Phase II, a letter of intent was part of the FY2026 process in addition to the full application.
Federal applications also commonly involve institutional registrations; CASRAI’s explainers on SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration describe those systems generally. Whether and how they apply to a Genesis Mission opportunity is set by the NOFO of that opportunity.
Typical timeline phases
Two different clocks run under the Mission, and they should not be confused. The executive order sets internal deadlines for DOE, counted from the date of the order. The RFA set dates for applicants.
| Counted from the order | What the order requires of the Secretary | Section |
|---|---|---|
| 60 days | Identify and submit a list of at least 20 science and technology challenges | Sec. 4(a) |
| 90 days | Identify Federal computing, storage and networking resources, including industry-partner resources | Sec. 3(c) |
| 120 days | Identify initial data and model assets; plan for incorporating further datasets | Sec. 3(d) |
| 240 days | Review robotic laboratory and production capabilities for AI-directed experimentation | Sec. 3(e) |
| 270 days | Seek to demonstrate an initial operating capability of the Platform for at least one challenge, subject to law and appropriations | Sec. 3(f) |
For applicants, the FY2026 RFA sequence was: an informational webinar, then Phase I applications and Phase II letters of intent on one deadline, then Phase II applications on a later one, then merit review, then selection and negotiation. Specific dates for later cycles are not fixed by the order; check the current NOFO.
What does “selected” mean?
DOE announced selections on July 22, 2026: 278 projects, of which 87 are led by DOE and NNSA National Laboratories, 168 by universities, 19 by companies and 4 by nonprofit organizations, involving 342 participating institutions. DOE called the response the largest to a funding opportunity in its history. Its release also states: “Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding,” and that DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind a selection for any reason during that process. A selection is therefore a step toward an award, not the award. (The release’s subtitle says “nearly 300”; its body gives 278, which is the figure used here.)
Common mistakes
- Treating the initiative as an open grant program. DOE’s hub says funding opportunities are announced separately; the RFA was one vehicle with defined deadlines.
- Treating selection as an award. DOE’s own sentence says selection for negotiations is not a commitment to fund.
- Mixing the two clocks. The 60 to 270 day milestones bind DOE under the order; they are not applicant deadlines.
- Summing figures from different announcements. The $293 million RFA, per-award ranges and the largest single project ($60 million over three years, nuclear energy) come from different statements and describe different things.
- Skipping the NOFO. The announcement says eligibility and application instructions are in DE-FOA-0003612.
Related programs
Within the Mission, the pages and instruments below are described on DOE’s official pages as of 2026-10-29. For AI governance rules that apply to people who use AI in DOE-funded work, see CASRAI’s entry on DOE AI Policy; it is a different topic from the Mission’s funding.
| Item | What DOE’s page says |
|---|---|
| American Science and Security Platform | Infrastructure for the Mission, established by the Secretary under Sec. 3 of the order |
| Genesis Mission Platform (as described for awardees) | AI agent frameworks, AI models and software from industry partners, and high-performance computing resources |
| Workforce | DOE is helping prepare 100,000 American science and technology professionals over the next decade |
| FY2026 RFA (DE-FOA-0003612) | $293 million; Phase I and Phase II awards as tabulated above |
FAQ
What is the Genesis Mission?
A DOE-led national effort, created by Executive Order 14363, to use AI to accelerate scientific discovery on national challenges, built around the American Science and Security Platform.
Who can apply for Genesis Mission funding?
For the FY2026 RFA, interdisciplinary teams from DOE National Laboratories, U.S. industry and academia. Full eligibility rules are in NOFO DE-FOA-0003612.
How large were the awards?
Phase I awards ranged from $500,000 to $750,000 over nine months; Phase II awards from $6 million to $15 million over three years.
Who directs it at DOE?
Under Secretary for Science Dario Gil serves as DOE’s director for the Genesis Mission.
Sources
- The White House, “Launching the Genesis Mission,” Executive Order 14363, November 24, 2025: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/11/launching-the-genesis-mission/ (checked 2026-10-29).
- U.S. Department of Energy, Genesis Mission hub: https://www.energy.gov/undersecretaryforscience/genesis-mission/genesis-mission (checked 2026-10-29).
- U.S. Department of Energy, announcement of $293 million for the Genesis Mission RFA (NOFO DE-FOA-0003612): https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-293-million-funding-support-genesis-mission-national-science (checked 2026-10-29).
- U.S. Department of Energy, first Genesis Mission project selections, July 22, 2026: https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretary-energy-chris-wright-announces-first-genesis-mission-projects-selected-accelerate (checked 2026-10-29).
