WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced 12 Phase II Genesis Mission project awards totaling $159 million. Building on the Genesis Mission’s growing portfolio of projects, first announced in July, these Phase II project awards will unleash scientific discoveries with Super Intelligence (SI). President Trump launched the Genesis Mission in November 2025 to accelerate discovery and strengthen U.S. leadership in science, medicine, and technology. “These projects represent a critical step in turning the promise of Super Intelligence for science into transformative scientific capability,” said DOE Under Secretary for Science Dr. Darío Gil. “The Phase II teams have already demonstrated what is possible when SI is integrated with scientific expertise, data, and computing. These awards give them the opportunity to take that work to the next level. By bringing together our National Labs, universities, and industry partners, we are building on extraordinary work already underway and accelerating the pace of discovery.” The Phase II awards are developing new, powerful capabilities to tackle the Nation’s most complex National Science and Technology Challenges. By connecting America’s leading scientists with advanced SI, supercomputing, scientific data, and DOE’s world-class research infrastructure, the Genesis Mission is strengthening U.S. leadership at the frontiers of science and technology. Awarded Projects Through DOE’s Office of Science, the 12 newly awarded projects are: Accelerating the path to commercial fusion energy via an AI-enabled digital twin platform for SPARC: Led by Commonwealth Fusion Systems, this project will build a digital twin to simulate and optimize operations of a fusion demonstration device.  Decoding the RNA Structurome to Secure AI Advantage for the Bioeconomy: Led by the University of California San Diego, the project will expand the RNA structure database five-fold for training SI models to unlock the ability to engineer resilient crops and sustainable microbes.  Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (LQCD) at the

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship Pilot, a new funding opportunity designed to develop the next generation of American scientists and engineers and strengthen U.S. scientific leadership. Through accelerated, four-year doctoral pathways, the program will equip domestic graduate students with critical expertise in both Super Intelligence (SI) and core scientific and engineering disciplines. The inaugural fellowship advances President Trump’s historic Genesis Mission by investing in the education, development, and retention of domestic talent needed to accelerate U.S. scientific discovery and innovation. “To secure America’s position at the forefront of global scientific innovation, we must cultivate a workforce that is fluent in both foundational sciences and advanced Super Intelligence,” said DOE Under Secretary for Science Dr. Darío Gil. “The Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship will bridge this critical gap by combining rigorous academic training with hands-on, high-impact experiences across our National Laboratories and industry partners.” DOE will fund an inaugural group of pilot projects led by domestic doctoral-granting institutions, supporting an initial cohort of approximately 100 Ph.D. fellows. As part of their four-year doctoral pathways, fellows will complete two high-impact, hands-on research experiences—one at a DOE National Laboratory or DOE User Facility and one with an industry partner—preparing them to lead the next generation of scientific discovery and innovation. Total planned funding is up to $100 million, with $20 million in Fiscal Year 2027, and outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. A webinar will be held on November 4, 2026, 4:00 PM ET. Register on Zoom. For more information, please visit the DOE Office of Science Funding Opportunities page.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science today announced the selection of 67 early career scientists to receive a combined $96 million through the 2026 Early Career Research Program (ECRP). Today’s announcement advances President Trump’s Executive Order Restoring Gold Standard Science by supporting exceptional researchers pursuing rigorous, mission-driven research in areas critical to America’s scientific and technological leadership, including Super Intelligence (SI), fusion energy, and quantum science. “Groundbreaking science begins with empowering extraordinary people,” said DOE Under Secretary for Science Dr. Darío Gil. “These 67 early career researchers represent the very best of American ingenuity. DOE is proud to invest in their vision as they push the boundaries of knowledge and cement U.S. leadership in the technologies that will define our century.” The 2026 Early Career Research Program (ECRP) selectees represent 39 universities, 11 DOE National Laboratories and Office of Science User Facilities, and 26 states. By investing in exceptional researchers at a pivotal stage in their careers, ECRP empowers the next generation of STEM leaders to pursue bold, innovative research that drives DOE’s mission and ensures America continues to lead the world in science and innovation. Since its inception in 2010, the program has made 1,238 awards, including 797 to university researchers and 441 to DOE National Laboratory researchers. Awards to scientists at institutions of higher education are approximately $875,000 over five years, while awards to scientists at DOE National Laboratories or Office of Science User Facilities are approximately $2,750,000 over five years. Information about the 67 selectees and their research projects is available on the Office of Science Awards page. Profiles of previous award recipients, including information about how the program helped advance their research and careers, are available on the Early Career Program profiles page. Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE

Today is National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, a daylong celebration of all things hydrogen. Those new to the event will naturally ask, “why today?” Because October 8 is 10/08, and 1.008 is hydrogen’s atomic weight. This annual event is recognized and celebrated by interested communities around the world.  As any hydrogen researcher can confirm, hydrogen is the Swiss Army knife of the energy world. It is the oldest and most abundant element in the universe, comprising about 90% of all atoms. It sits atop the periodic table as element number one. Like the Swiss Army knife, its versatility enables a wide range of applications.  Hydrogen can serve as a feedstock for industrial and manufacturing applications, including steelmaking and high-heat processes. It can be combined with carbon monoxide to form electrofuels. It can support grid balancing by storing surplus energy for long periods of time. It can serve as transportation fuel for a wide range of applications. Hydrogen fuel cells are increasingly valuable as both primary and backup power sources for large facilities such as data centers and can deliver reliable power to hard-to-electrify remote regions.  Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day celebrates that versatility. This year, the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (AFFO) is highlighting its updated key areas of research, development, and demonstration, which directly support DOE’s objective to expand American energy abundance. These areas include: Strengthening Domestic Chemicals Production DOE’s Billion-Ton Report establishes the potential for more than one billion tons of domestic biomass production annually. These resources are distributed across the country in agricultural and forestry residues, wastes, and energy crops. That creates an opportunity to turn domestic feedstocks into higher-value chemicals and materials while reducing import dependence, improving supply-chain resilience, creating economic opportunities, and finding productive uses for waste streams. America has both the feedstock resources and

Rompetrol Rafinare SA—jointly owned by Kazakhstan’s state-owned JSC NC KazMunayGas (KMG) subsidiary KMG International NV (54.63%) and Romania’s Ministry of Economy, Energy & Business Environment (44.7%)—is advancing a project involving installation of a 9.4-Mw photovoltaic plant at its 5-million tonne/year (tpy) Petromidia refinery in Năvodari, Constanța County, on Romania’s Black Sea coast. Designed to generate more than 9,800 Mw-hr/year of electricity for direct use by the refinery, the project aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the site by about 6,024 tpy, Rompetrol Rafinare said in a release Oct. 8. Budgeted at an overall investment of about $9.2 million—including about $2.9 million in nonrefundable modernization fund support and a $6.3-million company contribution—the project is targeted for completion by Dec. 31, 2028, under the funding call deadline. Petromidia’s solar project will complement the site’s 80-Mw cogeneration plant—operated by Kazakh-Romanian Energy Investment Fund (KREIF) subsidiary Rompetrol Energy SA—which entered commercial operation at the end of 2025 and supplies the refinery’s electricity and process steam requirements. Rompetrol reported a 98.11% capacity utilization rate at Petromidia in first-half 2026. The refinery also recorded an 86.54% white-product yield and a 92-point Energy Intensity Index during the first 6 months of 2026, according to the Oct. 8 announcement. Vega project adds battery storage Announcement of the proposed project at Petromidia follows Rompetrol Rafinare’s Aug. 21 confirmation of a separate solar-and-storage project at its Vega Ploieşti niche refinery—specialized in the production of solvents, hexane, and the only Romanian-produced bitumen—in Ploiesti, Prahova County, Romania, about 60 km from Bucharest. The planned Vega installation will combine 4.8 Mw of photovoltaic capacity with a 9-Mw-hr energy storage system. It is expected to produce more than 6,200 Mw-hr/year, equivalent to about two-thirds of the refinery’s budgeted 2025 electricity use. The battery-based storage component of the project is intended to help

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