The US Department of Energy is to provide up to $16m to finance the research and development for isotope production – part of a key federal programme that produces critical isotopes otherwise unavailable or in short supply for US science, medicine, and industry.

The DOE said it will provide up to $16m, half of which will be available in fiscal year 2021 and the other half in 2022. All funding will be contingent on congressional approval.

The effort is aimed at sustaining “longstanding US leadership” in the vital field of isotope production, research, and development, the DOE said.

National laboratories and universities can apply for the two-year awards, which will be chosen based on peer review.

“Isotopes are commodities of strategic importance for the nation,” said under-secretary for science Paul Dabbar. “This research and development is essential to developing production and processing techniques for scarce isotopes.”