Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA): Mine of the Future - Proving Ground Initiative | DE FOA 0003390

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003390

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA): Mine of the Future - Proving Ground Initiative is a federal funding opportunity from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) focused on building and using real-world "proving grounds" for next-generation mining technologies. Listed as Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003390 (NOFO-0003390), this program is designed to move promising mining innovations out of the lab and into operational settings where they can be demonstrated, validated, refined, and scaled more quickly. The central idea is to create shared or dedicated sites and supporting infrastructure where emerging tools, equipment, digital systems, and process improvements can be tested under realistic conditions, helping reduce technical risk and shorten the time it takes for new approaches to reach commercial adoption.

At a practical level, the opportunity targets investments that can modernize mining practices in the United States by supporting both physical and technological infrastructure. That can include facilities, test beds, instrumentation, monitoring systems, data platforms, and other enabling capabilities that make it possible to run pilots and demonstrations safely and repeatedly. By funding proving grounds rather than isolated one-off experiments, the program aims to establish durable capabilities that can support ongoing technology development across multiple projects, partners, and mining contexts. The overarching objective is to accelerate "novel technology development" for the U.S. mining sector, with a strong emphasis on transforming how mining is carried out and improving the speed and reliability of innovation deployment.

A major policy outcome tied to this initiative is strengthening secure and resilient domestic supply networks for critical minerals and materials (often abbreviated as CMM). In this context, the proving ground approach is meant to help the U.S. develop and adopt advanced mining technologies that improve productivity, safety, environmental performance, and operational resilience, thereby supporting a more reliable domestic pipeline for materials that are important to energy, manufacturing, and national security. By enabling faster iteration and proof of performance at scale, the program is positioned as an infrastructure and technology catalyst for the "mine of the future" concept, where mining operations become more efficient, technology-forward, and better aligned with long-term supply chain needs.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity in the Energy activity category, using a Cooperative Agreement funding instrument. That funding instrument typically indicates substantial federal involvement during the project period, such as collaboration, technical engagement, or coordinated oversight in addition to standard reporting and compliance requirements. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a broad range of applicant types may apply, depending on the detailed rules in the full notice (for example, private industry, universities, nonprofits, state or local entities, or consortia), and applicants should confirm any specific eligibility or teaming requirements in the complete NOFO.

Key dates and award information provided include an original closing date of 2025-12-15 and a creation date of 2025-11-14. The award ceiling is listed as $40,000,000, signaling the potential for large, infrastructure-heavy projects consistent with establishing or upgrading proving ground capabilities. The listing also references CFDA number 81.089. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided data, so prospective applicants would need to consult the full announcement for how many awards NETL anticipates making, anticipated total program funding (if stated), cost share expectations (if applicable), and the technical areas of interest and evaluation criteria.

In summary, DE FOA 0003390 is a high-value federal initiative to stand up mining technology proving grounds that can accelerate innovation, de-risk deployment, and modernize U.S. mining operations, while supporting more secure and resilient domestic critical minerals and materials supply networks.

• The National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA): Mine of the Future - Proving Ground Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.089.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-11-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-12-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $40,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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