Advanced Nuclear Energy Licensing Cost-Share Grant Program
This grant helps cover licensing costs for advanced nuclear energy projects, with updated application dates now set for July 1 to September 30; see the NOFO for details.
Funder: Idaho Field Office
Due Dates: November 30, 2026 (Second review cycle) | September 30, 2027 (2027 cycle) | September 30, 2028 (2028 cycle) | September 30, 2029 (2029 cycle)
Funding Amounts: $5,000–$200,000 for up to 24 months (Topic Area 1) | $100,000–$8,000,000 for up to 48 months (Topic Area 2)
Summary: Supports a portion of NRC licensing fees for advanced nuclear reactors and supporting facilities.
Key Information: Funding covers NRC fees only, not research, design, or preparation of licensing documents.
Description
The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy provides cost-shared assistance for Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) pre-application and application reviews of advanced nuclear reactors and supporting facilities. The program supports both light-water and non-light-water advanced reactor designs, along with infrastructure such as fuel fabrication and spent nuclear fuel recycling facilities.
Awards support NRC interactions that increase regulatory certainty, including reviews of topical reports, white papers, and formal licensing applications. The goal is to reduce regulatory uncertainties and enable demonstration and commercial deployment of advanced reactors and supporting infrastructure. Topic Area 1 supports reviews before a formal license application is submitted; Topic Area 2 supports reviews after submission, with funding provided only after NRC acceptance for docketing.
