Historically Underrepresented Groups to Receive $40 Million in Research Training Opportunities from DOE

The Department of Energy announced on May 25, 2022, that they would provide $40 million in STEM research opportunities to historically underrepresented groups. This funding will be part of a broader DOE initiative, called “Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW),” that aims to build a diverse STEM workforce of the future. Institutions that will receive funding from this program include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), among other research institutes.

The RENEW initiative plans to leverage the DOE’s national laboratories, user facilities, and other existing research infrastructure to support students and researchers from undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels, in addition to faculty at academic institutions. These training opportunities will focus on research in physical sciences to create hands-on experiences for young engineers, scientists, and technicians. Workforce development in STEM fields has become even more vital to ensuring American leadership in innovation on the world stage.

This funding will also open new career pathways to this emerging workforce, especially as the need for climate solutions grows. The DOE recognizes the growing urgency for a trained workforce ready to pave the way for a net-zero carbon economy, a goal the Biden administration wants to reach by 2050.

Learn more about the RENEW program announcement here.