The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science (SC), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program is inviting proposals from DOE National Laboratory-led teams for research portfolios focused on advancing robotics and automation testbeds for autonomous scientific discovery. Robotics and automation are poised to reshape scientific discovery by reducing experimental bottlenecks and enabling more reproducible, scalable, and persistent operation of laboratory workflows. Advancements in this area will support the integration of embodied robotic systems with advanced computing, including edge computing, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and scientific instruments. This integration will enable reusable, interoperable platforms for autonomous experimental workflows.   

Each testbed must include specific industry participation, either as funded external collaborators or in advisory roles. Industry participation must be substantive and clearly tied to testbed objectives, such as hardware/software integration, interface standardization, deployment considerations, or technology transition planning.   

Applications are sought to conduct testbed development activities that establish (1) modular, DOE facility-relevant physical and/or simulated environments for integrating, training, evaluating, and deploying robotics and automation capabilities; (2) AI-driven experimental workflows that support autonomous experiment execution, monitoring, and adaptive decision-making; and (3) reusable benchmarking, data, safety, and evaluation infrastructure for representative laboratory environments, including high-value, high-hazard, or high-throughput settings where human access may be limited by safety, scale, or reproducibility constraints. The research funded through this opportunity is expected to advance embodied operational intelligence and provide enabling infrastructure that can be reused across multiple Office of Science program areas and laboratory sites. Additional information about the program’s aim is available at the program website: https://science.osti.gov/ASCR . 

Please see the Lab Call on the ASCR webpage for more details, including eligibility and proposal information. Total funding is $30,000,000 with $2,000,000 in FY 2026 funding and $28,000,000 in outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. 

An informational webinar will be held on May 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET. Register on Zoom.