DOD Funding Opportunities

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DoD - Department Of Defense

• Report - Technology Horizons A Vision for Air Force Science & Technology

  Follow the link for the full report. "Key science and technology focus areas for the U.S. Air Force over the next two decades that will provide technologically achievable capabilities enabling the Air Force to gain the greatest U.S. Joint force effectiveness in 2030 and beyond."

• National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)

• Science Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program

• National Security Education Program (NSEP)

• Pending Solicitation from ONR

  At its Partnership Conference this week, ONR announced a list of Basic Research Challenge topics for the FY2011 BRC new starts. "Novel Electronic Devices based on Coupled Phase Transitions", Daniel Green and Wallace Smith Code 312, Electronics Sensors and Networks Research. "Biologically-inspired Flow Field Computation for Sensing and Control of Ground Vehicles", Thomas McKenna, Jeff Bradel, Marc Steinberg and Behzad Kamgar-Parsi Codes 341, 30, 351, and 311 respectively. "Reduced-order Representations for Design: Development of Optimized Algorithms for Multi-physics Based Models", Reza Malek-Madani, Luise Couchman and Don Wagner Codes 311, 331 and 311 respectively "Multiscale/nonlinear Mechanisms and Effects associated with Coupling Weak Energy into Composite Explosive Compounds", Daniel Prono Code 30 "Integration of Advanced Analysis with Materials Research", William Mullins Code 332 "Towards Active Control of Noise from Hot Supersonic Jets", Joseph Doychak, Kurt Yankaskas and Matthew Swiergosz Codes 351, 342 and 342 respectively The formal solicitation has not yet been posted (as of this 12 Nov). In past years, the white paper due date was in the Apr - Jun time frame. Up to $1.5M/yr for four years.

• Prostate Cancer Research Program CDMRP

• Department of Defense Priorities for 2012

  See the end of the gist for an article from "Inside the Pentagon" about DoD defense priorities for 2012.

• Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)

  The FY12 DOD Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) announcement has been released (see attachment below). While not restricted to DOD grantees, there is a very strong preference to provide those grantees with the equipment that will accelerate progress in their grant research. Note: DOD encourages submission this year of DURIP proposals for instrumentation supporting research in robotics, given the continuing priority of that research area to a wide range of defense technologies and applications, including unmanned ground, air, sea and undersea vehicles and autonomous systems for enhanced situational awareness and execution of military missions. Cost range >$50K and <$1M while matching is not required, for proposals close to the upper limit University contributions are helpful in the competition decision process. Full proposal due 20 Sept 2011. VSoE has been quite successful in the DURIP in past years, with 5 awards between 2007 and 2011. Submissions are strongly encouraged. The DC Office for Research Advancement is happy to assist in the proposal preparation; Jim Murday (murday@usc.edu) is the contact.

• DURIP Proposals due 20 Sep

  Defense University Research Instrumentation Program As noted above, DURIP is now the primary DOD mechanism through which universities can pursue funding for research instrumentation following the elimination of appropriations earmarks. Responding to this reality, the House included an additional $20 million for the URI budget line, with a portion of this proposed increase expected to go to DURIP. This should create additional opportunities for universities to pursue instrumentation despite overall constraints on the defense budget. According to the BAA, DOD expects to award a total of $40 million through this solicitation. Although proposals are accepted in all areas of interest to ARO, ONR, and AFOSR, the BAA states that DOD is particularly interested in proposals supporting instrumentation in robotics for FY 2012 given the field’s application to defense technologies including unmanned vehicles and systems. This interest leverages that of other federal agencies in robotics, and aligns with the goals of the Administration’s National Robotics Initiative announced in the President’s FY 2012 budget request. Award Size – As stated above, DOD expects to award a total of $40 million through this solicitation. Individual awards will range between $50,000 and $1 million. As a point of reference, DOD made 165 DURIP awards averaging $230,000 in FY 2011. Application Deadline and Submission Information – Proposals are due by September 20 and should be submitted via grants.gov. As with the MURI program, applicants must indicate to which of ARO, ONR, and AFOSR they are submitting. Proposals can be submitted to more than one office but will ultimately be funded by a single entity. Funding Restrictions ¬¬– DURIP funds cannot be used for the construction or modification of buildings, building support systems, or fixed equipment (i.e. clean rooms and fume hoods). The complete FY 2012 DURIP BAA is available at: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=107039. A list of FY 2011 DURIP awards is at: http://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Directorates/office-research-discovery-invention/Sponsored-Research/University-Research-Initiatives/~/media/Files/Education/DURIP-2011.ashx.

• CDMRP - Assistive Technologies Research Award

• AFOSR - Perceptual and Social Cues in Human-like Robotic Interactions

  Proposals are reviewed and evaluated as they are received (open).

• Military Infectious Diseases Applied Research Award (MID-ARA)

• Guide to FY2014 DOD research funding

  Linked above is the FY2014 Guide to DOD research funding. It has been expanded somewhat to incorporate selected applied research (6.2) funding. The budgets are largely flat (after inflation). Cyber and information programs have been more generously treated. Human, Social, Behavioral, and Cultural efforts have been significantly reduced. The NSSEFF program, presuming the budget is appropriated, will have a new competition in FY2014.

• Basic Research Challenge on Majorana Fermions

• AFRL Human Performance Wing - Human-Centered Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) Leveraged Science & Technology (S&T) Program

  Deadline: 02/12/2018

• DHS - Border and Maritime Security

  Deadline: 01/01/2019

• Army Educational Outreach Program

  AEOP is committed to providing both students and teachers a collaborative, cohesive, portfolio of Army-sponsored STEM programs that effectively engage, inspire, and attract the next generation of STEM talent through K through college programs and expose them to DoD STEM careers. AEOP’s STEM Competitions are designed to expose students to scientific research methods and engineering principles in an interactive, hands-on way, and enables them to compete for recognition, scholarships and awards: --JSS (4th-8th): https://www.usaeop.com/program/jss/ --eCYBERMISSION (6th-9th): http://www.ecybermission.com/ --JSHS (9th-12th): http://www.jshs.org/

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program

  The Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) Defense Appropriations Act provides research funding for the peer reviewed programs managed by the Department of Defense (DOD) office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

• Additional FY15 DOD CDMRP Program Pre-Announcements

  This is a pre-announcement, a deadline has not yet been set.

• FY15 DOD BMFRP, BCRP, & DMRDP Program Announcements

  No overall program deadlines exist. Individual research areas may initiate deadlines which will be communicated upon review of the pre-proposal.

• Guide to FY2016 Research Funding at the Department of Defense

• DOD NPS funding opportunity

  This BAA’s primary objective is to attract outstanding researchers and scholars who will investigate topics of interest to the security studies community. Investigations and research will focus on expanding knowledge related to countering weapons of mass destruction and weapons of mass effect (WMD/WME). The program solicits innovative proposals for research on WMD/WME counterproliferation, nonproliferation, and strategy to be conducted during the 01 January 2016 through 30 September 2017 timeframe. In this BAA, the phrase “security studies research” refers to investigations in all disciplines, fields, and domains that (1) are involved in expanding knowledge for national defense, and (2) could potentially improve policy and international relations for combating WMD/WME. Disciplines include, but are not limited to: political science, sociology, history, biology, chemistry, economics, homeland defense, and public policy. Topics of interest: 1. Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD, defined as nuclear, chemical, and biological) and weapons of mass effect (WME, defined as other high-casualty or high-disruption weapons that might have “strategic” effects). This area includes: dealing with existing global horizontal and vertical proliferation concerns and their causes; developing strategies for preventing or, if prevention is not possible, minimizing the consequences of WMD/WME use and facilitating resilience and recovery; and anticipating new and emerging threats (whether by state or non-state actors). PASCC is also interested in topics related to the safety and stability of existing WMD arsenals. 2. Future technologies of mass effect. PASCC especially seeks to identify strategic weapons of the future, including such topics as infectious diseases, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, additive manufacturing, and autonomous systems. PASCC is particularly interested in anticipating and preventing threats to strategic stability and understanding non-obvious linkages between civilian technologies and possible warfare. Strategies for improving U.S. resilience and/or recovery in the face of future WMD/WME threats/attacks are a related area of interest. 3. WMD/WME delivery systems (including missiles, aircraft, ships, submarines, and unconventional modes). PASCC is especially interested in research on preventing new modes of delivery (including for biological weapons) and new approaches to managing or combating the spread or transfer of existing modes to countries of concern or non-state actors. 4. Management and prevention mechanisms/regimes. PASCC’s interests include improvements to and enhanced enforcement mechanisms for existing treaties, regimes, and international organizations responsible for controlling WMD/WME, developing proposals for new international mechanisms (including possible WMD/WME elimination and such efforts as the Global Health Security Agenda), and explaining differing perceptions of (and assumptions about) WMD/WME. 5. Multi-domain threats to strategic stability and hybrid warfare. PASCC is interested in the linkages between strategic stability and emerging dynamics in other domains (space, cyber, maritime, etc.). This area includes research on the prevention of attacks against critical national technical means, infrastructure, and other systems linked to strategic stability. Attribution, situational awareness, and verification in these domains are other areas of interest, as are tools for “measuring” the robustness (or fragility) of strategic stability as affected by activities in these domains. Program Manager Info: Michael Malley

• JUST RELEASED! FY15 DOD CDMRP Program Pre-Announcements

  The Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) Defense Appropriations Act provides research funding for the peer reviewed programs managed by the Department of Defense (DOD) office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). This e-mail is to notify the research community of the recently released pre-announcements http://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/press.shtml for the following programs: -Gulf War Illness Research Program -Clinical Rehabilitative Medicine Research Program: Vision Prosthesis Pilot Study Award Descriptions of each of the funding opportunities, eligibility, key mechanism elements, and funding can be found in the respective Program pre-announcement. FY15 pre-announcements can be found in the CDMRP home page features at http://cdmrp.army.mil.

• FY15 DOD PRORP, MBRP, SCIRP and PRCRP Program Announcements

  This announcement is to notify the research community of the recently released Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) funding opportunities for the Department of Defense (DOD) Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program (PRORP), the Military Burn Research Program (MBRP), Spinal Cord Injury Research program (SCIRP) and the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) managed by the office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program -Applied Research Award Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program -Clinical Trial Award Military Burn Research Program -Burn Injuries Research Award Spinal Cord Injury Research Program -Clinical Trial Award -Investigator Initiated Research Award -Qualitative Research Award -Translational Research Award Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program -Horizon Award Detailed descriptions of the funding opportunity, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the Program Announcements. The Program Announcements are available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website http://www.grants.gov, the CDMRP website http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) https://ebrap.org.

• FY15 DOD RTR and FY16 DOD DMRDP Program Announcements

  FY15 Restorative Transplant Research Program Concept Award Idea Discovery Award Translational Research Award Clinical Trial Award FY16 Defense Medical Research and Development Program Medical Simulation and Information Systems - Adaptive Tutor Using Methodologies for Neuroplasticity (ATUMN) – Extramural Broad Agency Announcement Medical Simulation and Information Systems - Adaptive Tutor Using Methodologies for Neuroplasticity (ATUMN) – Intramural Program Announcement Detailed descriptions of each funding opportunity, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the individual funding opportunity documents. The extramural Program Announcements and Broad Agency Announcement are available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website http://www.grants.gov/, the CDMRP website http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml/ and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/index.htm. The intramural Program Announcement is available for downloading from the CDMRP website http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml and CDMRP eReceipt https://cdmrp.org/Program_Announcements_and_Forms/. Submission is a two-step process requiring both (1) pre-application and (2) application submission. Refer to the specific funding opportunity for registration and submission requirements for eBRAP and Grants.gov (extramural) or for eReciept (intramural). Subsequent notifications will be sent when additional funding opportunities are released. A listing of all open extramural CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.govwebsite by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. All extramural CDMRP funding opportunities, both recently and previously released, are also available on the CDMRP website http://cdmrp.army.mil/.

• Possum Point Shoreline Restoration

  Possum Point is located at the northeast end of Greenbury Point, bordered by Mill Creek on the west and the Chesapeake Bay on the east and is primarily used for fishing. Possum Point’s shoreline has a failing bulkhead and is experiencing erosion due to wave energy and holes in the bulkhead. There are many shoreline reaches on Greenbury Point experiencing erosion. A study was conducted to identify shoreline erosion conditions and existing conditions of the habitat along Possum Point and to determine which shoreline restoration methods are feasible. In accordance with the Clean Water Act and E.O. 13508, NSA Annapolis must take action to repair and restore the eroding shoreline at Possum Point. This Cooperative Agreement will meet those requirements by executing shoreline restoration measures on the reaches of Possum Point. The Cooperator shall implement the government approved design (Appendix B) on the shoreline reaches at Possum Point. The Cooperator shall comply with all forthcoming permits and authorizations associated with the approved design during the implementation of the design. Link to Additional Information: Contact Information: If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: Chelsea Inman Contract Specialist Phone 202-685-3308 POC

• FY15 DOD PRORP and PH/TBIRP Program Announcements

  Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program Orthopaedic Care and Rehabilitation Consortium Award Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program Comprehensive Universal Prevention/Health Promotion Interventions Award Detailed descriptions of the funding opportunity, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the Program Announcements. The Program Announcements are available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov ), the CDMRP website http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) https://eBRAP.org . All CDMRP funding opportunities, both recently and previously released, are available on the CDMRP website http://cdmrp.army.mil. Subsequent notifications will be sent when additional funding opportunities are released. A listing of all open CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. Submission is a two-step process requiring both (1) pre-application submission through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) (https://eBRAP.org/) and (2) application submission through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/). Refer to the General Application Instructions, Section II.A. for registration and submission requirements for eBRAP and Grants.gov. eBRAP is a multifunctional web-based system that allows PIs to submit their pre-applications electronically through a secure connection, to view and edit the content of their pre-applications and full applications, to receive communications from the CDMRP, and to submit documentation during award negotiations and period of performance. A key feature of eBRAP is the ability of an organization’s representatives and PIs to view and modify the Grants.gov application submissions associated with them. eBRAP will validate Grants.gov application files against the specific Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity requirements and discrepancies will be noted in an email to the PI and in the Full Application Files tab in eBRAP. It is the applicant’s responsibility to review all application components for accuracy as well as ensure proper ordering as specified in this Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity

• Fiscal Year 2015/2016 (FY15/16) funding opportunities for the Department of Defense (DOD) managed by the office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)

  VISION RESEARCH PROGRAM Technology/Therapeutic Development Award (TTDA) Clinical Trial Award (CTA) EXTREMITY REGENERATION PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT AND BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT Extremity Regeneration Technology/Therapeutic Development Award (ERTTDA) PA Extremity Regeneration Intervention (CRM1) BAA Detailed descriptions of the funding opportunity, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the Program Announcements. The Program Announcements are available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov ), the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml) and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) (https://eBRAP.org ). All CDMRP funding opportunities, both recently and previously released, are available on the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml). Subsequent notifications will be sent when additional funding opportunities are released. A listing of all open CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. Submission is a two-step process requiring both (1) pre-application submission through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) (https://eBRAP.org) and (2) application submission through Grants.gov . Refer to the General Application Instructions, Section II.A. for registration and submission requirements for eBRAP and Grants.gov.

• DoD DMRDP JPC-8 Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine

  The FY15 JPC-8/CRMRP ERI is intended to support Phase I, II, or pivotal clinical trial phase development projects focused on extremity regeneration. The focus is on bone and soft tissue reconstruction, limb and tissue salvage technologies, and regenerative medicine technologies for the treatment of trauma-induced damage. All clinical trials must be responsive to the health care needs of military Service members and Veterans, as well as the general public. All proposals/applications must specifically and clearly address the military relevance of the proposed research.Proposals/applications submitted to the FY15 JPC-8/CRMRP ERI must specifically address one or more of the Focus Areas listed below.• The treatment of soft tissue injury, specifically, nerve, muscle, and vascular injury to the extremities. The aim of these technologies is to: (a) maintain the structure and function of end organs distal to a nerve injury, (b) restore functional muscle tissue, and (c) restore vascular perfusion. Both innovative care solutions as well as innovative technologies that may better enable a definitive care solution to be delivered at some future time point, such as vascular shunting or stenting technologies, will be considered.• The treatment for bone healing, specifically technologies that create a wound environment more conducive to bone healing following injury to the extremities.Funding from this award mechanism must support a clinical trial and development-related efforts and may not be used for preclinical research studies. A clinical trial is defined as a prospective accrual of human subjects where an intervention (e.g., device, drug, biologic, surgical procedure, rehabilitative modality, behavioral intervention, or other) is tested on a human subject for a measurable outcome with respect to exploratory information, safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy. This outcome represents a direct effect on the human subject of that intervention or interaction. The term “human subjects” is used in this BAA to refer to individuals who will be recruited for or who will participate in the proposed clinical trial. For more information, a Human Subject Resource Document is provided at https://cdmrp.org/Program_Announcements_and_Forms/Use of Human Anatomical Substances, Human Subjects, or Human Cadavers: All DoD-funded research involving new and ongoing research with human anatomical substances, human subjects, or human cadavers must be reviewed and approved by the USAMRMC Office of Research Protections (ORP), Human Research Protection Office (HRPO), in addition to the local Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee (EC) of record. Local IRB/EC approval at the time of submission is not required. The HRPO is mandated to comply with specific laws and requirements governing all research involving human anatomical substances, human subjects, or human cadavers that is supported by the DoD. These laws and requirements will necessitate information in addition to that supplied to the IRB/EC. Allow a minimum of 2 to 3 months for HRPO regulatory review and approval processes. Refer to the General Submission Instructions, Appendix 5, for additional information.If the proposed study involves the use of a drug biologic or device that is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is not covered by an existing Investigational New Drug (IND) or Investigational Device Exemption (IDE), or uses a drug, biologic or device that is being used outside of its FDA-approved indication and population (e.g., off-label), evidence that an IND or IDE application has been submitted or will be submitted within 60 days of award is required.• If the proposed study will use clinical sites located outside of the United States and uses an investigational or off-label drug, biologic, or device, evidence that submission of the appropriate application to the regional regulatory authority has been or will be submitted within 60 days of award date is required.• The Government reserves the right to withdraw funding if the appropriate regulatory approval application (e.g., IND, IDE) has not been submitted to the FDA or regional regulatory authority within 60 days of the DoD award date or if the documented status of the regulatory approval has not been obtained within 6 months of the award date.- A business plan that describes the product and industry development progression through FDA marketing application, and to the commercial market (if applicable), must be submitted within 60 days of the award.• The Government reserves the right to withdraw funding if the business plan has not been submitted to the DoD within 60 days of the award date.The following are important aspects of a submission for the ERI:Relevance and Feasibility• The proposal/application should describe how the proposed intervention to be tested will offer significant potential impact for military Service members, Veterans or the general public over current standard of care.• The proposal/application should demonstrate availability of, and access to, a suitable patient population that will support a meaningful outcome for the study.• The proposed clinical trial is initiated and can begin enrollment no later than 12 months after the award date.• The proposal/application should demonstrate how accrual goals will be achieved and how standards of care may impact the study population.• The proposal/application should demonstrate documented availability of and access to the drug, biologic, or device, if applicable, and/or other materials needed, as appropriate.Clinical Trial Elements• The proposed clinical trial should include clearly defined, measurable, and appropriate endpoints.• The proposal/application should include a clearly articulated statistical analysis plan, availability of appropriate statistical expertise, and a power analysis reflecting sample size projections that will clearly answer the objectives of the study and support an FDA marketing application, if applicable.- The proposal/application should indicate the availability of a study coordinator(s) who will guide the clinical protocol through the local IRB or EC of record and other regulatory approval processes, coordinate activities from all sites participating in the trial, and coordinate participant accrual.• If an IND or IDE application is required to be submitted to the FDA, the proposal/application should describe the availability of appropriate support to prepare, submit, and maintain the IND or IDE application.• If submission to a non-U.S. regional regulatory authority is required, the proposal/application should describe the availability of appropriate region-specific support to prepare, submit, and maintain the relevant application.• Inclusion of preliminary data relevant to the proposed research project and FDA marketing application is required. Examples of preliminary data include preclinical toxicology, manufacture validation, quality systems audit/gap analysis, a summary of preclinical studies, and any prior clinical experience inside or outside of the United States.- In addition to requisite preliminary data, the proposed research project must be based on sound scientific rationale that is established through logical reasoning and critical review and analysis of the literature.Institutional Elements• The proposal/application should include a post-award transition plan (including potential funding and resources) showing how the product would progress to the next clinical trial phase and/or delivery to the market after the successful completion of the work associated with this proposed award.• The proposal/application should clearly demonstrate strong institutional support.

• Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology

  The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is interested in receiving proposals for Long-Range Science and Technology (S&T) Projects which offer potential for advancement and improvement of Navy and Marine Corps operations. Readers should note that this is an announcement to declare ONR’s broad role in competitive funding of meritorious research across a spectrum of science and engineering disciplines.

• Rapid Attack Detection, Isolation and Characterization Systems (RADICS)

  DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals to develop technologies for detecting and recovering from cyber-attacks on US critical infrastructure. DARPA is interested specifically in early attack detection, network isolation and threat characterization in response to a widespread and persistent cyber-attack on the power grid and its dependent systems. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

• Joint Program Committee-2/Military Infectious Diseases Applied Research Award

  The FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA seeks to fund applied research applications focused on the reduction of combat-related or trauma-induced wound infection morbidity and mortality. These projects are expected to inform and identify which potential health products, approaches, or technologies are best positioned for human testing. The intent of the FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA is to support the following: • Hypothesis-testing and/or proof-of-concept studies in in vitro and/or in vivo models; • Refinement of concepts and ideas into potential solutions with a view toward evaluating technical feasibility of emerging approaches, technologies, and promising new products; • Evaluation, maturation, and/or down-selection of potential product candidates (drugs, biologic/vaccine constructs, or devices/systems) in vitro and/or in vivo; and • Completion of preclinical safety and/or toxicity studies sufficient to support Investigational New Drug/Investigational Device Exemption (IND/IDE) applications. Awards may support studies involving human subjects but not clinical trials. A clinical trial is defined as a prospective accrual of human subjects where an intervention (e.g., device, drug, biologic, surgical procedure, rehabilitative modality, behavioral intervention, or other) is tested on a human subject for a measurable outcome with respect to exploratory information, safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy. This outcome represents a direct effect on the human subject of that intervention or interaction. Principal Investigators (PIs) seeking support for a clinical trial should apply to the FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP Clinical Studies Award (Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-17-DMRDP-MID-CSA). Awards may not be used to support early-stage, fundamental basic research. Basic research is defined as research directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications toward process or products in mind. Applications must include preliminary and/or published data that is relevant to the award and the proposed research project. Investigators must demonstrate logical reasoning and a sound scientific rationale established through a critical review and analysis of the literature for the application to be competitive. Research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. Partnering PI Option: The FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA mechanism supports applications that include meaningful and productive collaborations. The Partnering PI Option under this mechanism is structured to accommodate up to three PIs who will each receive a separate award. One partner is identified as the Initiating PI and the other partner(s) as the Partnering PI(s). All investigators should collaborate in the development and submission of the proposed research project. It should be clear that each investigator has a significant level of intellectual input and brings complementary strengths to the project. Multidisciplinary and multi-organizational projects are allowed. If multi-organizational, all participating organizations must be willing to resolve potential intellectual and material property issues and remove any barriers that might interfere with successful completion of the research.

• Defense Medical Research and Development Program

  The mission of the JPC-1/MSIS is to explore the implications of models and technology for medical education and for the provision, management, and support of health services in the military. Extramural programs reflecting that interest are published in the Defense Medical Research and Development Program (DMRDP) topic of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). Under the current DMRDP topic there are three current solicitations that are appropriate to medical informatics - Metrics: Transitioning Training to Reality (RealMETRX) application due date of 12 Nov 2015. The JPC-1/MSIS Medical Readiness Initiative (MRI): Metrics: Transitioning Training to Reality (RealMETRX) is a line of research that supports the MRI under the JPC-1 medical simulation and training portfolio. The JPC-1/MSIS MRI focuses on the research, and ultimately the development of, medical training methods, technologies, systems, and competency assessment tools for the attainment and sustainment of military medical readiness research and development efforts. MRI also includes research on methodologies, techniques, and tools that will allow for ethical, accurate, and appropriate pre-intervention rehearsal with input of potential authorized personalized medical information into simulation models. Evidence-based efforts with measurable outcomes and reliable assessments also fall under the MRI. Medical Decision Aids – Predictive Markers application due date of 12 Nov 2015 The FY16 JPC-1/MSIS Medical Decision Aids - Predictive Markers (SimMarkers) is seeking research that improves healthcare professionals’ cognitive and performance skill acquisition or minimizes his/her skill decay. This research is seeking objective markers that could be inserted into a predictive model (one that has not been currently developed) to accurately and appropriately assess a healthcare professional’s cognitive and performance status. These cognitive and performance-type markers must be evidence-based and need to align with the respective credentialing or certifying healthcare organization. These cognitive and performance-type markers must also align with regional, local, and organization-specific recommendations, guidelines, and standards, especially if they exceed the credentialing or certifying healthcare organization-specific recommendations, guidelines, and standards. There was/is another project "FY16 Adaptive Tutor Using Methodologies for Neuroplasticity (ATUMN)" whose pre-proposal application date was 10 Sept 2016. This BAA targets many related challenges. These include, but are not limited to, the following, given in no particular order: seeking military medical adaptive tutoring platform research that can accurately classify an individual’s experience and knowledge; a training and educational training platform that is empirically based upon some form of neuroplasticity concept (such as adult learning, perceptual training, psychophysical staircase functionality, etc.) to increase the probability of sustaining knowledge, particularly for patient assessment, clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and clinical diagnosis and treatment; an open source/license/architecture platform that allows for future flexibility and modularity; and a non-integrated proof of concept that will demonstrate the adaptive tutoring portion of the research and development. A pilot (preliminary validation) test of the non-integrated proof of concept is needed prior to the end of the research to demonstrate the preliminary capability and functionality. The domain is the test case to prove the concept.

• FY17 DOD JPC-2/MIDRP Program Announcements

  The FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA seeks to fund applied research applications focused on the reduction of combat-related or trauma-induced wound infection morbidity and mortality. These projects are expected to inform and identify which potential health products, approaches, or technologies are best positioned for human testing. The intent of the FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA is to support the following: • Hypothesis-testing and/or proof-of-concept studies in in vitro and/or in vivo models; • Refinement of concepts and ideas into potential solutions with a view toward evaluating technical feasibility of emerging approaches, technologies, and promising new products; • Evaluation, maturation, and/or down-selection of potential product candidates (drugs, biologic/vaccine constructs, or devices/systems) in vitro and/or in vivo; and • Completion of preclinical safety and/or toxicity studies sufficient to support Investigational New Drug/Investigational Device Exemption (IND/IDE) applications. Awards may support studies involving human subjects but not clinical trials. A clinical trial is defined as a prospective accrual of human subjects where an intervention (e.g., device, drug, biologic, surgical procedure, rehabilitative modality, behavioral intervention, or other) is tested on a human subject for a measurable outcome with respect to exploratory information, safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy. This outcome represents a direct effect on the human subject of that intervention or interaction. Principal Investigators (PIs) seeking support for a clinical trial should apply to the FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP Clinical Studies Award (Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-17-DMRDP-MID-CSA). Awards may not be used to support early-stage, fundamental basic research. Basic research is defined as research directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications toward process or products in mind. Applications must include preliminary and/or published data that is relevant to the award and the proposed research project. Investigators must demonstrate logical reasoning and a sound scientific rationale established through a critical review and analysis of the literature for the application to be competitive. Research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. Partnering PI Option: The FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA mechanism supports applications that include meaningful and productive collaborations. The Partnering PI Option under this mechanism is structured to accommodate up to three PIs who will each receive a separate award. One partner is identified as the Initiating PI and the other partner(s) as the Partnering PI(s). All investigators should collaborate in the development and submission of the proposed research project. It should be clear that each investigator has a significant level of intellectual input and brings complementary strengths to the project. Multidisciplinary and multi-organizational projects are allowed. If multi-organizational, all participating organizations must be willing to resolve potential intellectual and material property issues and remove any barriers that might interfere with successful completion of the research.

• Strategic Technologies

  DARPA is seeking innovative ideas and disruptive technologies that offer the potential for significant capability improvement across the Strategic Technology Office focus areas. This includes technology development related to Battle Management, Command and Control (BMC2), Communications and Networks, Electronic Warfare, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), Maritime, and Foundational Strategic Technologies and Systems. Proposed research should investigate approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. DARPA anticipates funding a limited number of proposals under this BAA. Specifically excluded are existing mature solutions and research that results in evolutionary improvements to existing technologies.

• Air Force Studies Requirement

  Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) is seeking proposals to provide independent, objective analysis of scientific and technical topics of relevance to the Air Force and national defense. The activity would include refining areas of interest provided by the Air Force into organized, rigorous studies concerning, for many scientific and technical fields, determining the state of the art, projecting trends, utilizing science and technologies for national defense purposes, and identifying promising or necessary areas of additional study. This announcement solicits proposals for up to five (5) years of performance and up to $25M of funding, dependent on the needs of the Air Force and the availability of funding. All proposals must be unclassified, but work under any award may be classified.

• Minerva Research Initiative

  Just as the Cold War gave rise to new ideas and fields of study such as game theory and Kremlinology, the challenges facing the world today call for a broader conception and application of national power that goes beyond military capability. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is interested in receiving proposals for the Minerva Research Initiative (http://minerva.dtic.mil), a university-led defense social science program seeking fundamental understanding of the social and cultural forces shaping U.S. strategic interests globally. The Minerva Research Initiative (Minerva) emphasizes questions of strategic importance to U.S. national security policy. It seeks to increase the Department’s intellectual capital in the social sciences and improve its ability to address future challenges and build bridges between the Department and the social science community. Minerva brings together universities and other research institutions around the world and supports multidisciplinary and cross-institutional projects addressing specific topic areas determined by the Department of Defense. The Minerva program aims to promote research in specific areas of social science and to promote a candid and constructive relationship between DoD and the social science academic community. The Minerva Research Initiative competition is for research related to the five (5) topics and associated subtopics listed below. Innovative white papers and proposals related to these research topics are highly encouraged. Detailed descriptions of the topics can be found in Section IX, “Specific Minerva Research Initiative Topics.” I. Identity, Influence, and Mobilization Culture, identity, and security Influence and mobilization for change II. Contributors to Societal Resilience and Change Governance and rule of law Migration and urbanization Populations and demographics Environment and natural resources Economics III. Power and Deterrence Global order Power projection and diffusion Beyond conventional deterrence Area studies IV. Analytical methods and metrics for security research V. Innovations in National Security, Conflict, and Cooperation Proposals will be considered both for single-investigator awards as well as larger teams. A team of university investigators may be warranted because the necessary expertise in addressing the multiple facets of the topics may reside in different universities, or in different departments of the same university. The research questions addressed should extend across a fairly broad range of linked issues where there is clear potential synergy among the contributions of the distinct disciplines represented on the team. Team proposals must name one Principal Investigator as the responsible technical point of contact. Similarly, one institution will be the primary recipient for the purpose of award execution. The relationship among participating institutions and their respective roles, as well as the apportionment of funds including sub-awards, if any, must be described in both the proposal text and the budget. The Minerva Research Initiative is a multi-service effort. Ultimately, however, funding decisions will be made by OSD personnel, with technical inputs from the Services.

• DoD Joint Program Committee-2/Military Infectious Diseases Applied Research Award

  The FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA seeks to fund applied research applications focused on the reduction of combat-related or trauma-induced wound infection morbidity and mortality. These projects are expected to inform and identify which potential health products, approaches, or technologies are best positioned for human testing. The intent of the FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA is to support the following: • Hypothesis-testing and/or proof-of-concept studies in in vitro and/or in vivo models; • Refinement of concepts and ideas into potential solutions with a view toward evaluating technical feasibility of emerging approaches, technologies, and promising new products; • Evaluation, maturation, and/or down-selection of potential product candidates (drugs, biologic/vaccine constructs, or devices/systems) in vitro and/or in vivo; and • Completion of preclinical safety and/or toxicity studies sufficient to support Investigational New Drug/Investigational Device Exemption (IND/IDE) applications. Awards may support studies involving human subjects but not clinical trials. A clinical trial is defined as a prospective accrual of human subjects where an intervention (e.g., device, drug, biologic, surgical procedure, rehabilitative modality, behavioral intervention, or other) is tested on a human subject for a measurable outcome with respect to exploratory information, safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy. This outcome represents a direct effect on the human subject of that intervention or interaction. Principal Investigators (PIs) seeking support for a clinical trial should apply to the FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP Clinical Studies Award (Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-17-DMRDP-MID-CSA). Awards may not be used to support early-stage, fundamental basic research. Basic research is defined as research directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications toward process or products in mind. Applications must include preliminary and/or published data that is relevant to the award and the proposed research project. Investigators must demonstrate logical reasoning and a sound scientific rationale established through a critical review and analysis of the literature for the application to be competitive. Research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. Partnering PI Option: The FY17 JPC-2/MIDRP ARA mechanism supports applications that include meaningful and productive collaborations. The Partnering PI Option under this mechanism is structured to accommodate up to three PIs who will each receive a separate award. One partner is identified as the Initiating PI and the other partner(s) as the Partnering PI(s). All investigators should collaborate in the development and submission of the proposed research project. It should be clear that each investigator has a significant level of intellectual input and brings complementary strengths to the project. Multidisciplinary and multi-organizational projects are allowed. If multi-organizational, all participating organizations must be willing to resolve potential intellectual and material property issues and remove any barriers that might interfere with successful completion of the research

• Plasma Combined Mass-Flux and Gas Species Sensor For Hypersonic Combustion Monitoring

  Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division is interested in receiving proposals for research aimed at the development of a sensor that utilizes a small contained amount of ionized gas to simultaneously measure mass-flux and gas species in high-speed, high-enthalpy flows that are endemic of hypersonic flight and SCRAM-jet propulsion. The sensor is based on the optical emission properties of a stable glow discharge or plasma. The use of the plasma sensor for mass-flux measurements has already been demonstrated. It incorporates a high frequency (1MHz) AC discharge to ionize the gas between two closely spaced electrodes. The voltage drop across the discharge correlates with the time-dependent mass-flux PU.With an alternate design, the plasma sensor can also be used to measure static pressure. Recent experiments have examined the use of the plasma sensor for spectral analysis of the optical emission produced by the glow discharge. Results for combustion in both Ethylene and Propane indicate that the plasma sensor produces useful emission lines that can be used to measure temperature, density and possibly gas species. Utilizing the other attributes of the plasma sensor, these optical emission measurements could be performed simultaneously with mass-flux and/or pressure in a combined sensor suite. The proposed research seeks to further develop this capability.

• Neural Engineering System Design (NESD)

  DARPA seeks proposals to design, build, demonstrate, and validate a neural interface system capable of recording from more than one million neurons and stimulating more than one hundred thousand neurons in proposer-defined regions of the human sensory cortex (e.g., visual cortex or auditory cortex). The complete system must demonstrate high-precision detection, transduction, and encoding of neural activity.

• Curatorial and Research Services

  To see the synopsis for this grant opportunity please follow this link.

• Bone Marrow Failure Idea Development Award

  The BMFRP Idea Development Award is intended to support innovative ideas and high-impact approaches based on scientifically sound evidence to move toward the BMFRP vision of understanding and curing BMF syndromes. This award mechanism is designed to support new ideas. Proposed research studies should have a high probability of revealing new avenues of investigation. Research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale and a developed and well-articulated research approach. Personnel on the proposed team should have a strong background in BMF research. This funding opportunity is open to established and early career investigators. The FY16 BMFRP has included an opportunity for one or more scientifically meritorious applications from applicants fitting the outlined description of an early career investigator. All early career investigators will be assessed using different criteria for Personnel during the review process (Section III.B.1, Personnel). The definition of an early career investigator for the BMFRP is an investigator within 10 years of completing a terminal degree (doctorate or any medical degree), excluding time spent in medical residency, or during family medical leave. Time spent as a postdoctoral fellow is not excluded and must be within the 10-year span from the time of terminal degree. This should be clearly articulated by the applicant in the biographical sketch. Postdoctoral fellows are not eligible to apply as early career investigators. The following are significant features of this award mechanism: 1. Research Approach: The scientific rationale and experimental methodology should demonstrate critical understanding and in-depth analysis of BMF. Experimental strategies may be novel or may be based on strong rationale derived from previously published data, presented preliminary data, or literature review. The feasibility of the research design and methods should be well defined, and a clear plan should be articulated as to how the proposed goals of the project can be achieved. Additionally, resources should be identified and supported through documentation. Identification of potential problems and pitfalls is strongly encouraged, with alternate approaches addressed. A statistical analysis of the proposed research should be included, if applicable, as well as a power analysis to support the design and sample size. 2. Preliminary Data: Preliminary data, such as unpublished results from the laboratory of the Principal Investigator (PI) or collaborators named on this application and/or data from the published literature relevant to BMF and the proposed research project, may be included but are not required. If preliminary data are not included, the proposed research should be based on a strong rationale with sound logical support from published literature. 3. Innovation: Innovative research may introduce a new paradigm, challenge existing paradigms, look at existing problems from new perspectives, or exhibit other creative qualities. This may include high-risk, potentially high-gain, approaches to BMF research, provided that the application demonstrates the potential for significant impact on the field of research, and/or patient care and/or quality of life. Research that is only an incremental advance is not considered innovative. 4. Impact: Proposed research projects should address a central critical issue or question in BMF research or clinical care. High-impact research will, if successful, significantly advance current methods and concepts for the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and/or treatment of BMF. 5. Personnel: Personnel are considered a crucial element of the BMFRP Idea Development Award. The application should demonstrate the investigator’s expertise in BMF through the PI’s background, research team, or through collaboration. Collaborations should be documented. a. An established investigator (EI) applying for the Idea Development Award should be at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent). The established investigator should have BMF-related expertise and background as demonstrated by funding and publication records. The EI should plan research collaborations and dedicate a level of effort appropriate for the successful conduct of the proposed work. b. An early career investigator (ECI) applying for the Idea Development Award should be an independent investigator at the level of Assistant Professor, Instructor, or Assistant Research Professor (or equivalent) and less than 10 years from their terminal degree (excluding time spent in medical residency, or during family medical leave). This should be clearly articulated by the applicant in the biographical sketch. Postdoctoral fellows are not eligible to apply as ECIs. The early career investigator’s training (postdoctoral or clinical) should demonstrate that the ECI will be able to accomplish the proposed work. Institutional commitment beyond financial backing such as, but not limited to, independent laboratory space, dedicated research time, and potential collaborations should be demonstrated. The level of effort dedicated to the proposed work by the ECI should be appropriate for the successful conduct of the research project.

• Biological Control

  The objective of the DARPA Biological Control program is to build new capabilities for the control of biological systems across scales — from nanometers to centimeters, seconds to weeks, and biomolecules to populations of organisms — using embedded controllers made of biological parts to program system-level behavior. This program will apply and advance existing control theory to design and implement generalizable biological control strategies analogous to conventional control engineering, for example, for mechanical and electrical systems. The resulting advances in fundamental understanding and capabilities will create new opportunities for engineering biology. Specifically, the Biological Control program will demonstrate tools to rationally design and implement multiscale, closed-loop control of biological systems, through the development of biological controllers, testbeds to evaluate control of system-level behavior, and theory and models to predict and design effective control strategies. The resulting capabilities will be inherently generalizable to a variety of biological systems. Successful teams will integrate and apply these capabilities to demonstrate a practical proof-of-principle biological solution to a proposer-defined application relevant to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

• Air Force Studies Requirement

  AFOSR is seeking proposals to provide independent, objective analysis of scientific and technical topics of relevance to the Air Force and national defense. The activity would include refining areas of interest provided by the Air Force into organized, rigorous studies concerning, for many scientific and technical fields, determining the state of the art, projecting trends, utilizing science and technologies for national defense purposes, and identifying promising or necessary areas of additional study. This announcement solicits proposals for up to five (5) years of performance and up to $25M of funding, dependent on the needs of the Air Force and the availability of funding. All proposals must be unclassified, but work under any award may be classified.

• Biological Control

  The objective of the DARPA Biological Control program is to build new capabilities for the control of biological systems across scales — from nanometers to centimeters, seconds to weeks, and biomolecules to populations of organisms — using embedded controllers made of biological parts to program system-level behavior. This program will apply and advance existing control theory to design and implement generalizable biological control strategies analogous to conventional control engineering, for example, for mechanical and electrical systems. The resulting advances in fundamental understanding and capabilities will create new opportunities for engineering biology. Specifically, the Biological Control program will demonstrate tools to rationally design and implement multiscale, closed-loop control of biological systems, through the development of biological controllers, testbeds to evaluate control of system-level behavior, and theory and models to predict and design effective control strategies. The resulting capabilities will be inherently generalizable to a variety of biological systems. Successful teams will integrate and apply these capabilities to demonstrate a practical proof-of-principle biological solution to a proposer-defined application relevant to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

• Signal Processing at RF (SPAR)

  DARPA seeks to transform radio frequency (RF) systems by developing RF analog signal processing and nonreciprocal technologies that perform unprecedented levels of in-band interference suppression. The Signal Processing at RF (SPAR) technology aims to mitigate both self and externally generated interfering signals of known and unknown characteristics. The goal of SPAR isto demonstrate novel in-band signal interference mitigation technologies using analog signal processing techniques as well as novel chip-scale circulator approaches.

• DoD Ovarian Cancer Clinical Development Award

  The OCRP Clinical Development Award is intended to provide support for the translation of promising preclinical findings into products for clinical applications, including prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, or quality of life. The goal of this award mechanism is to accelerate the clinical introduction of medical products and technologies that target ovarian cancer biology. Near-term clinical impact is expected. Proof-of-concept demonstrating the potential utility of the proposed product or a prototype/preliminary version of the proposed product should already be established; thus, preclinical studies in animals are not allowed. Small-scale clinical trials (Phase 0, Phase 1, Pilot), studies enriching a clinical trial, and projects related to or associated with ongoing or completed clinical trials are allowed. Relevant data, either published or unpublished, that support the study rationale are required.

• DARPA Improv DARPA-BAA-16-22

  Proposers Day Webcast: March 29 and March 30, 2016. Abstract Due Date: April 13, 2016, 4:00 p.m FAQ Submission Deadline: May 18, 2016, 4:00 p.m. Full Proposal Due Date: May 25, 2016, 4:00 p.m. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Improv program is soliciting innovative research proposals for prototype products and systems that have the potential to threaten current military operations, equipment, or personnel and are assembled primarily from commercially available technology. The program definition of “commercially available technology” is largely unrestricted and ranges from generic and widely available technology such as cell phones, to highly specialized, domain-specific technology such as construction, salvage, or surveying equipment. The technology scope of Improv is broad, and the program is structured to encourage participation by a wide range of technical specialists, researchers, developers, and skilled hobbyists. Proposers are free to reconfigure, repurpose, program, reprogram, modify, combine, or recombine commercially available technology in any way within the bounds of local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Use of components, products, and systems from non-military technical specialties (e.g., transportation, construction, maritime, and communications) is of particular interest.The specific mechanisms for preserving the central role of commercially available technology in the program are: (1) constrained budgets, and (2) short development periods between award and prototype delivery. The purpose of these mechanisms is to keep the focus of each individual project on the integration of easily procured technology rather than on developing completely new technology. However, new technology development activity – within the bounds of the Improv program structure – is acceptable and encouraged.

• Medical Simulation and Information Sciences

  Predictive Personality & Emotional State Performance Determinants for Training (PREEMPT) seeks the development of a proof-of-concept task performance assessment tool that incorporates personality and emotional state as determinant components to predict an individual’s performance and overall stress level under a wide range of potential combat casualty care scenarios, environments, and other stressful situations relevant to patient care. For this award, it is anticipated that the various components will be integrated for initial testing purposes in a laboratory setting to evaluate how the components work together. The FY16 JPC-1/MSIS PREEMPT is seeking research on two (2) of the several predictors of an individual’s performance: personality and emotional state. This knowledge can be used to: • Assess an individual’s overall performance and stress levels during combat casualty care scenarios; • Deconstruct overall performance into its personality and emotional state determinants and assess each; • Combine the determinants to predict the person’s overall performance on known tasks, especially as it applies to performance under stress. For the purposes of this announcement, personality will be defined as that set of non-physical characteristics which distinguishes one individual from another. For the purposes of this announcement, emotional states are interpretations of complex states that best describe a person’s subjective response to a person, thing, or situation. Emotional states indirectly affect behavior. The focus of the research should concentrate on those wishing to become military combat medics, corpsmen, pararescuemen, or special operations combat medics, but could consider other populations that are nearly equivalent. The pilot study should consider an individual’s performance compared against currently used standards for military entry within the respective area. If unable to use a standard for military entry, then the applicant should justify the proposed standard that the organization perceives as nearly equivalent, especially if there are data-driven outcomes for individuals who have trained using standards vs. those who have not. The assessment tool(s) could also potentially be used for sustainment of task performance and overall stress level assessment in refresher / sustainment courses. For completeness, task difficulty needs to be described and defined and, if applicable, evaluation criteria provided with a description of the measurement tool. Task difficulty and conditions should be held constant in the proposed project. In summary, an individual’s performance on a task in a specific environment at a moment in time can be specified in terms of the individual’s personality, emotional state, and task difficulty. This means that the observed task performance is the final common pathway of the complex interplay of the task determinants. The goal of this program is to identify the personality and emotional state determinants of individual performance in order to determine how to better select the right people for specific tasks in certain scenarios, environments, and stressful situations and how to improve individual performance across tasks and environments.

• FISCAL YEAR 2017 DEFENSE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM

  The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the Fiscal Year 2017 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of accredited United States (U.S.) institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation. For-profit organizations are not eligible for DURIP funding. This announcement seeks proposals from universities to purchase equipment and instrumentation in support of research in areas of interest to the DoD. DoD interests include the areas of research supported by the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), hereafter generally referred to collectively as “we, our, us, or administering agency.” Each administering agency will make grant awards to fund the purchase of research equipment or instrumentation costing $50,000 or more that cannot typically be purchased within the budgets of single-investigator awards. We generally cannot make any individual award that exceeds more than $1,500,000 in DoD funding unless your proposal qualifies for an exception. We intend to award approximately $47 million this competition, subject to availability of funds. DURIP awards are typically one year in length.DURIP is part of the University Research Initiative (URI).All the application forms you need are available electronically on Grants.gov. We will not provide paper copies of this announcement, or accept paper applications. All applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov.

• DoD Combat Casualty Care Prolonged Field Care Research Award

  The intent of the PFCRA is to target the emerging need to provide extended trauma care prior to reaching a location that can provide definitive hemorrhage and contamination control. Trauma care during this period is often called “Prolonged Field Care” (PFC). Traditionally, improvements to the trauma care system have focused on shortening evacuation times from the point of injury to the first surgical site. However, in future conflicts or mass trauma events, it is anticipated that the initial evacuation time, and thus initial surgical hemorrhage and contamination control, may be delayed for hours or days. This challenge also requires research to develop new solutions to provide for prolonged Damage Control Resuscitation (pDCR) including: support for medical providers in the out-of-hospital setting (point of injury, austere environment, or en route care) with limited resources; understanding the physiologic impact of pDCR; and techniques to mitigate the negative effects of delayed surgical intervention. The research and solutions must be focused on patient-level interventions and outcomes, rather than the broader trauma system. However, proposed research and solutions should consider the entire continuum of trauma care. The JPC-6/CCCRP has identified three overarching Focus Areas for funding under this Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity. To meet the intent of the award mechanism, applications MUST specifically address at least one of the three PFCRA Focus Areas. Research not aligned to at least one of these Focus Areas will not be considered for funding. The FY16 JPC-6/ CCCRP PFCRA Focus Areas are: Focus Area 1: Understand the clinical implications of PFC and pDCR, including: • Improving the understanding of physiological parameters requiring monitoring and intervention in order to reduce morbidity and mortality during the acute treatment phase (up to 72 hours) of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). • Characterization and mitigation of the pathophysiology of prolonged hypotension or hypotensive resuscitation (up to 72 hours). • Characterization of the consequences of prolonged (over 2-4 hours) use of current prehospital hemostatic devices and methods, and/or identifying the limits of use and areas where alternative methods will be required. • Identify and characterize prolonged field care challenges to providing organ support and critical care interventions. • Evaluation of the physiologic impact of transportation following PFC and the effect on clinically relevant outcomes. .Focus Area 2: Develop next-generation resuscitation and stabilization methods for PFC and pDCR, including: • Novel or improved methods for resuscitation and stabilization of casualties with combined hemorrhagic shock and acute TBI, with or without other concomitant injuries. • Point-of-injury/point-of-need/prehospital capabilities to monitor and/or stabilize acute TBI casualties. The goal is to enable earlier detection of life-threatening conditions, improve decision-making timelines, and/or mitigate progression of brain injury in pDCR and/or remote operating environment scenarios. • Approaches to metabolic and tissue stabilization to enable prolonged out of hospital (prehospital and en route) survivability, and provide organ support and critical care in the prolonged field care environment. • Novel approaches for improving oxygen delivery to tissues (not via ventilator) under conditions of prolonged hypotension and polytrauma. Focus Area 3: Develop enhanced treatment of injuries during PFC and pDCR, including: • TBI treatments (including cellular therapies, drugs, or devices) to decrease morbidity and mortality and improve immediate and long-term outcomes. • Forward surgical techniques, knowledge products, and augmentative technology for surgical stabilization of life- and limb-threatening injuries. The goal is to decrease morbidity and mortality in the out-of-hospital (prehospital and en route) environment scenarios, to include intravascular techniques (such as resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta [REBOA]) and other advanced hemostatic approaches. • Critical care knowledge, interventions, and simplified portable organ support technology to reduce, reverse, or treat organ failure and perfusion/reperfusion injury due to treatment effects of pDCR and/or remote operating environment scenarios. • Knowledge and techniques to acutely stabilize and treat tissue injury, to include, but not limited to, burn injury, facial injury, chest wall crush/fractures, pelvic fractures, bony spine injury, extremity fractures, and large soft tissue defects. The goal is to prevent infection, minimize further tissue loss, protect underlying tissues/organs, reduce ischemia and secondary injury, reduce pain and suffering, and provide safe transport in support of pDCR and/or remote operating environment scenarios. For this Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity, a knowledge product is defined as a non-materiel product that addresses an identified need, research area, or capability gap in the continuum of trauma care. Knowledge products provide information, awareness, and procedures to support clinical practice, training recommendations, and the application of existing materiel products (e.g., drugs, medical devices, and equipment). This Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity may support preclinical research, clinical research, and early clinical trials/testing. A clinical trial is defined as a prospective accrual of human subjects where an intervention (e.g., device, drug, biologic, surgical procedure, rehabilitative modality, behavioral intervention, or other) is tested on a human subject for a measurable outcome with respect to safety, effectiveness, efficacy, and/or exploratory information. This outcome represents a direct effect on the human subject of that intervention or interaction.

• Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (FY17 ARMY SUBMISSION)

  The MURI program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education (hereafter referred to as "universities") that is of potential interest to DoD. The program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD. As defined in the DoD Financial Management Regulation: Basic research is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. It is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological progress (DoD 7000.14-R, vol. 2B, chap. 5, para. 050201.B).DoD’s basic research program invests broadly in many specific fields to ensure that it has early cognizance of new scientific knowledge. The FY 2017 MURI competition is for the topics listed below. Detailed descriptions of the topics and the Topic Chief for each can be found in Section VIII, entitled, “Specific MURI Topics,” of this FOA. The detailed descriptions are intended to provide the offeror a frame of reference and are not meant to be restrictive to the possible approaches to achieving the goals of the topic and the program. Innovative ideas addressing these research topics are highly encouraged. White papers and full proposals addressing the following topics should be submitted to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR):Topic 1 (AFOSR): Foundations of Interactive Protocols for Quantum Computation and Communications Topic 2 (AFOSR): Bioinspired Low-Energy Information Processing Topic 3 (AFOSR): Autonomous Research Systems for Materials Development Topic 4 (AFOSR): Beam/Wave Dynamics in Geometrically Complex Systems with Emitting Boundaries Topic 5 (AFOSR): Atmospheric disturbances at high altitudes Topic 6 (AFOSR): Revolutionary Advances in Computational Quantum Many Body Physics Topic 7 (AFOSR): Melanin: Unique Biopolymers for Functional Precision Nanoscale Materials Topic 8 (AFOSR): Adaptive Oxides for Biomimetic Synapse Design via Modulation of Internal States White papers and full proposals addressing the following topics should be submitted to the Office of Naval Research (ONR):Topic 9 (ONR): Physics, Chemistry and Mechanics of Polymer Dielectric Breakdown Topic 10 (ONR): Percept formation and scene analysis in echolocating systems Topic 11 (ONR): Phase Change Materials for Photonics Topic 12 (ONR): Event Representation and Episodic Memory Topic 13 (ONR): Nonlinear Phenomena and Interactions Induced by Short and Ultra-Short Pulsed Lasers in the Long-Wave Infrared Regime Topic 14 (ONR): High-Fidelity Simulation Methodologies for Multi-Phase Flows Topic 15 (ONR): Novel Approaches to Modeling Factions and Conflict Topic 16 (ONR): Assuring Composability and Correctness for Intelligent and Learning Systems that Interact with Unstructured Physical Environments White papers and full proposals addressing the following topics should be submitted to the Army Research Office (ARO):Topic 17 (ARO): Additive 3D Self-Assembly of Responsive Materials Topic 18 (ARO): Anyons in 2D materials and cold Atomic gases Topic 19 (ARO): Characterization of Information Content in Data for Multimodal Data Analysis Topic 20 (ARO): Nutritional and Environmental Effects on the Gut Microbiome and Cognition Topic 21 (ARO): Spectral Decomposition and Control of Strongly Coupled Nonlinear Interacting Systems Topic 22 (ARO): Toward Room Temperature Exciton-Polaritonics Topic 23 (ARO): Cyber Deception through Active Leverage of Adversaries’ Cognition Process Proposals from a team of university investigators are warranted when the necessary expertise in addressing the multiple facets of the topics may reside in different universities, or in different departments in the same university. By supporting multidisciplinary teams, the program is complementary to other DoD basic research programs that support university research through single-investigator awards. Proposals shall name one Principal Investigator (PI) as the responsible technical point of contact. Similarly, one institution shall be the primary awardee for the purpose of award execution. The PI shall come from the primary institution. The relationship among participating institutions and their respective roles, as well as the apportionment of funds including sub-awards, if any, shall be described in both the proposal text and the budget. For topic 19, proposals are invited that include participation from UK academic institutions (see Section III.2); however, UK participation is not a requirement. In the case of proposals with UK participation, there still should be a single US primary institution and one PI submitting the overall proposal. However, funding for the UK participation will be allocated separately by the UK government.

• Lung Cancer Research Program Idea Development Award

  The Idea Development Award promotes new ideas that are still in the early stages of development and have the potential to yield impactful data and new avenues of investigation. This award supports conceptually innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate progress toward eradicating deaths from lung cancer. Applications should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. Submissions from and partnerships with investigators at military treatment facilities, military labs, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and research laboratories are strongly encouraged. New Investigators: The FY16 Idea Development Award mechanism encourages applications from independent investigators in the early stages of their careers (i.e., within 10 years of their first faculty appointment, or equivalent). The New Investigator category is designed to allow applicants early in their faculty appointments to compete for funding separately from established investigators. Applications from New Investigators and Established Investigators will be peer and programmatically reviewed separately. Principal Investigators (PIs) using the New Investigator category are strongly encouraged to strengthen their applications by collaborating with investigators experienced in lung cancer research and/or possessing other relevant expertise. It is the responsibility of the applicant to describe how the included collaboration will augment the PI’s expertise to best address the research question. All applicants for the New Investigator category must meet specific eligibility criteria as described in Section I.D., Eligibility Information. Preliminary data to support the feasibility of the research hypotheses and research approaches are required; however, these data do not necessarily need to be derived from studies of lung cancer. Key elements of this award are as follows: • Innovation: Research deemed innovative may introduce a new paradigm, challenge current paradigms, look at existing problems from new perspectives, or exhibit other uniquely creative qualities. • Impact: Research that has high potential impact may lead to major advancements and significantly accelerate progress toward eradicating deaths from lung cancer. It is the responsibility of the PI to clearly and explicitly articulate the project’s innovation and its potential impact on lung cancer and its relevance to military beneficiaries. The project’s impact to both lung cancer research and to lung cancer patients should be articulated, even if clinical impact is not an immediate outcome. Applications that demonstrate exceptional scientific merit but lack innovation and high potential impact do not meet the intent of the Idea Development Award.

• FY16 Acquisition Research Program

  The Acquisition Research Program (ARP) at the Naval Postgraduate School is interested in stimulating and supporting scholarly research in academic disciplines that bear on public procurement policy and management. These include economics, finance, financial management, information systems, organization theory, operations management, human resources management, risk management, and marketing, as well as the traditional public procurement areas such as contracting, program/project management, logistics, test and evaluation and systems engineering management. The ARP primarily supports scholarly research through assistance vehicles that will benefit the general public and/or private sector to a larger extent than any direct benefits that may be gained by the Government. Studies of government processes, systems, or policies should also expand the body of knowledge and theory of processes, systems, or policies outside the government. The ARP in this FOA is interested only in proposals that will provide unclassified and non- proprietary findings suitable for publication in open scholarly literature. Offerors bear prime responsibility for the design, management, direction and conduct of research. Researchers should exercise judgment and original thought toward attaining the goals within broad parameters of the research areas proposed and the resources provided. Offerors are encouraged to be creative in the selection of the technical and management processes and approaches and consider the greatest and broadest impact possible.

• Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative

  The MURI program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education (hereafter referred to as "universities") that is of potential interest to DoD. The program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD. As defined in the DoD Financial Management Regulation:Basic research is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. It is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological progress (DoD 7000.14-R, vol. 2B, chap. 5, para. 050201.B).DoD’s basic research program invests broadly in many specific fields to ensure that it has early cognizance of new scientific knowledge.The FY 2017 MURI competition is for the topics listed below. Detailed descriptions of the topics and the Topic Chief for each can be found in Section VIII, entitled, “Specific MURI Topics,” of this FOA. The detailed descriptions are intended to provide the offeror a frame of reference and are not meant to be restrictive to the possible approaches to achieving the goals of the topic and the program. Innovative ideas addressing these research topics are highly encouraged.White papers and full proposals addressing the following topics should be submitted to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR):Topic 1 (AFOSR): Foundations of Interactive Protocols for Quantum Computation and CommunicationsTopic 2 (AFOSR): Bioinspired Low-Energy Information ProcessingTopic 3 (AFOSR): Autonomous Research Systems for Materials DevelopmentTopic 4 (AFOSR): Beam/Wave Dynamics in Geometrically Complex Systems with Emitting BoundariesTopic 5 (AFOSR): Atmospheric disturbances at high altitudesTopic 6 (AFOSR): Revolutionary Advances in Computational Quantum Many Body PhysicsTopic 7 (AFOSR): Melanin: Unique Biopolymers for Functional Precision Nanoscale MaterialsTopic 8 (AFOSR): Adaptive Oxides for Biomimetic Synapse Design via Modulation of Internal StatesWhite papers and full proposals addressing the following topics should be submitted to the Office of Naval Research (ONR):Topic 9 (ONR): Physics, Chemistry and Mechanics of Polymer Dielectric BreakdownTopic 10 (ONR): Percept formation and scene analysis in echolocating systemsTopic 11 (ONR): Phase Change Materials for PhotonicsTopic 12 (ONR): Event Representation and Episodic MemoryTopic 13 (ONR): Nonlinear Phenomena and Interactions Induced by Short and Ultra-Short Pulsed Lasers in the Long-Wave Infrared RegimeTopic 14 (ONR): High-Fidelity Simulation Methodologies for Multi-Phase FlowsTopic 15 (ONR): Novel Approaches to Modeling Factions and ConflictTopic 16 (ONR): Assuring Composability and Correctness for Intelligent and Learning Systems that Interact with Unstructured Physical EnvironmentsWhite papers and full proposals addressing the following topics should be submitted to the Army Research Office (ARO):Topic 17 (ARO): Additive 3D Self-Assembly of Responsive MaterialsTopic 18 (ARO): Anyons in 2D materials and cold Atomic gasesTopic 19 (ARO): Characterization of Information Content in Data for Multimodal Data AnalysisTopic 20 (ARO): Nutritional and Environmental Effects on the Gut Microbiome and CognitionTopic 21 (ARO): Spectral Decomposition and Control of Strongly Coupled Nonlinear Interacting SystemsTopic 22 (ARO): Toward Room Temperature Exciton-PolaritonicsTopic 23 (ARO): Cyber Deception through Active Leverage of Adversaries’ Cognition ProcessProposals from a team of university investigators are warranted when the necessary expertise in addressing the multiple facets of the topics may reside in different universities, or in different departments in the same university. By supporting multidisciplinary teams, the program is complementary to other DoD basic research programs that support university research through single-investigator awards. Proposals shall name one Principal Investigator (PI) as the responsible technical point of contact. Similarly, one institution shall be the primary awardee for the purpose of award execution. The PI shall come from the primary institution. The relationship among participating institutions and their respective roles, as well as the apportionment of funds including sub-awards, if any, shall be described in both the proposal text and the budget.For topic 19, proposals are invited that include participation from UK academic institutions (see Section III.2); however, UK participation is not a requirement. In the case of proposals with UK participation, there still should be a single US primary institution and one PI submitting the overall proposal. However, funding for the UK participation will be allocated separately by the UK government.

• DoD Multiple Sclerosis Research Program

  The MSRP IIRA mechanism was first offered in FY15 for research topics addressing MS Symptoms. In FY15, 15 MSRP IIRA applications were received, and 2 were recommended for funding. This year, the IIRA mechanism is offered for research specifically addressing Obstacles to Remyelination in MS. The IIRA supports highly rigorous, high-impact research projects that have the potential to make an important contribution to MS research and/or patient care. Research projects may focus on any phase of research, excluding clinical trials. The rationale for a research idea may be derived from laboratory discovery, clinical trial results, population-based studies, a clinician’s firsthand knowledge of patients, or anecdotal data. Applications must include preliminary and/or published data that are relevant to MS and the proposed research project. Note for projects involving animal models of MS: Applicants should be prudent in the choice of animal model(s) for their proposed research. While studies of remyelination failure have relied on various animal models involving induced demyelination or specific genetic alterations, it is not always clear that the underlying mechanisms in these models are relevant to the obstacles to remyelination present in MS in humans. Applicants must justify the relevance of their proposed animal model(s) to remyelination in human MS.

• DOD Multiple Sclerosis Pilot Clinical Trial Award

  The MSRP PCTA mechanism was first offered in FY15. In FY15, 25 PCTA applications were received, and 3 were recommended for funding. The PCTA supports early-phase, proof-of-principle clinical trials to investigate hypothesis-based, innovative interventions that have the potential to result in a profound impact on the management of MS symptoms. While therapeutic approaches proposed for testing through the PCTA must represent novel, hypothesis-based approaches for treating MS symptoms, they may include therapies already in clinical use, or undergoing clinical testing for other diseases, provided that their proposed use for MS would lead to a major advancement for treating one of the disease symptoms. It is anticipated that outcomes from studies funded by this award will provide scientific rationale for subsequent development of larger, efficacy-based clinical trials of interventions that will transform MS patient care. Funding from the PCTA must support a clinical trial and cannot be used for preclinical research or correlative studies. This mechanism supports pilot clinical trials encompassing Phase 0, Phase I, or Phase II for drugs or drug combinations, Class II or III for devices, or other types of trials that conduct early clinical testing of innovative approaches for MS symptoms. A clinical trial is defined as a prospective accrual of patients where an intervention (e.g., device, drug, biologic, surgical procedure, rehabilitative modality, behavioral intervention, or other) is tested on a human subject for a measurable outcome with respect to exploratory information, safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy. This outcome represents a direct effect on the subject of that intervention or interaction. Principal Investigators (PIs) seeking funding for a preclinical research project addressing MS Symptoms should consider the Exploration - Hypothesis Development Award (Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-16-MSRP-EHDA). The term “human subjects” is used in this Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity to refer to individuals who will be recruited for or who will participate in the proposed pilot clinical trial. For more information, a Human Subject Resource Document is provided at https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/Program.htm.

• DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Idea Award with Special Focus

  The Idea Award with Special Focus supports innovative, untested, high-risk/potentially high-reward concepts, theories, paradigms, and/or methods in cancer research that are relevant to Service members, their families, Veterans, and other military beneficiaries. The “Special Focus” of this award mechanism is on exposures, conditions, or circumstances that are unique to the military, disproportionately represented in a military beneficiary population, or may affect mission readiness. Cancers or circumstances with cancer risk that may affect military families are of special importance to the care and well-being of the military for total mission readiness. The advancement of knowledge in cancer research, patient care, and/or treatment options in the military health system is critical to active duty Service members, their families, Veterans, other military beneficiaries, and the American public. Military relevance should be articulated with respect to the overall military healthcare system, the FY16 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Areas, and the mission of the DHP and the FY16 PRCRP. For more information, review the following websites: Military Health System (http://www.health.mil), Department of Veterans Affairs (http://www.va.gov/), the PRCRP (http://cdmrp.army.mil/prcrp/default.shtml), and PRCRP Report to Congress (http://cdmrp.army.mil/prcrp/reports/reports.shtml). The Idea Award with Special Focus is not intended to support a logical progression of an already established research project. The proposed research approach should be innovative. Innovative research may introduce a new paradigm, challenge existing paradigms, look at existing problems from new perspectives, or exhibit other highly creative qualities. The proposed research project should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale and study design. Inclusion of preliminary data is not required. The outcome of research supported by this award should be the generation of robust preliminary data that can be used as a foundation for future research projects to understand the mechanisms of initiation or progression of cancer, the quality of life during and following cancer treatment, etc. This award is not intended to support ongoing research in the applicant’s laboratory; therefore, inclusion of preliminary data other than serendipitous findings or in very small amounts is not consistent with the exploratory nature of this award.

• Army Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research

  This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), which sets forth research areas of interest to the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Directorates and Army Research Office (ARO), is issued under the paragraph 6.102(d)(2) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which provides for the competitive selection of basic research proposals. Proposals submitted in response to this BAA and selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provision of Public Law 98-369, "The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984" and subsequent amendments.

• INTERfering and Co-Evolving Prevention and Therapy

  Closing Date for Applications: Jul 07, 2016 4:00 PM ET Under the INTERCEPT BAA-16-35, DARPA is soliciting innovative proposals for research to explore and develop therapeutic interfering particles as a novel approach to address infections from fast evolving viral pathogens.

• Biological Technologies

  Deadline: 04/28/2017
  Closing Date for Applications: Apr 28, 2017 4:00 PM ET The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals of interest to the Biological Technologies Office (BTO). Proposed research should investigate leading edge approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, technologies, or systems at the intersection of biology with engineering and the physical and computer sciences. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of the art. BTO seeks unconventional approaches that are outside the mainstream, challenge assumptions, and have the potential to radically change established practice, lead to extraordinary outcomes, and create entirely new fields.

• Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program

  Under Title 10, section 2508 of the U.S. Code, the Secretary of Defense established an industrial base fund, controlled by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (AT&L), and acted through the DASD (MIBP) using the IBAS assistance program.The intent of the IBAS Program is to: Fund projects that support multiple Services and/or DoD Agencies;Support the National Defense Strategy by maintaining or improving the health of Critical and Fragile IB capabilities that are at risk of being lost, but are needed presently or have verified future requirements;Avoid reconstitution costs when affordable;Preserve design teams with critical workforce skills necessary for technological superiority;Support expansion and competition of reliable sources;Address critical issues relating to urgent operational needs;Focus Areas: This FOA is being used to collect White Papers/Proposals in the following two Focus Areas identified by the DASD: Thermal Batteries, and Other

• Health Information Technologies and Informatics Hands-Free

  This Funding Opportunity Announcement is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Fiscal Years 2016-2017 (FY16-FY17) Joint Program Committee 1 (JPC-1)/Medical Simulation and Information Sciences (MSIS) Research Program, Health Information Technologies and Informatics (HITI) Hands-Free Electronic Health Record Data Entry Initiative (HFEHRI). This BAA must be read in conjunction with the submission guidelines in Grants.gov/Apply for Grants (hereinafter called Grants.gov/Apply). It must also be read in conjunction with the document titled “General Submission Instructions” available with this BAA in Grants.gov. Proposals/applications to the FY16-17 JPC-1/MSIS HFEHRI are being solicited for the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs [OASD(HA)], the DHA RDA Directorate manages and executes the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) provides Defense Medical Research and Development Program (DMRDP) execution management support for DHP core research program areas, including JPC-1/MSIS. CDMRP is the execution management agent for this BAA and will provide management support for subsequent awards with strategic oversight from JPC-1/MSIS. The mission of the JPC-1 HITI is to facilitate scientific studies and promote advances in software, information technology, medical informatics, and analytics in both garrison (fixed facilities) and theater (military combat and operational environments). Advances generated will intersect with the Military Health System (MHS) Information Technology strategy at multiple points. The HITI portfolio is developed, shaped, customized, and administered to address evolving needs across the MHS enterprise. There are four research domains within the HITI: (1) Theater/Operational Medicine – Research to enhance the efficiency of healthcare operations in combat and operational environments to ensure the delivery of high-quality healthcare services by improving information accessibility and by providing better decision support for clinicians (2) Military Health Care Services – Research to promote, improve, conserve, or restore the mental or physical well-being of personnel through improved information management and technologies (3) Medical Resourcing – Research initiatives to improve the management of human and financial healthcare resources (4) Information Technology Infrastructure and Data Management – Research to improve the management of IT and communications infrastructure, healthcare data management, and architecture

• Multi-Intelligence (Multi-INT) Research Initiatives at The Naval Postgraduate School

  The Naval Postgraduate School Center for Multi-INT Studies (CMIS) has a bold vision to transform the field of intelligence and seeks to vastly improve the current state of the art in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). To this end, CMIS supports innovative, independent research that has the potential to expand knowledge in related areas. As real-time, accurate and actionable intelligence products are demanded by analysts, warfighters, and decision makers, linear, human-intensive processes are no longer sufficient. The capabilities of current and future adversaries, and the dynamism and complexity of the environments in which they operate, necessitate vast improvements in the timeliness and execution of intelligence-cycle processes. Humans do not have the cognitive ability or the time to analyze the vast quantities of multi-source, multi-dimensional data that are now available. Revolutionary decision support, situational awareness, sensemaking, inferencing, reasoning, and visualization capabilities must be employed to expediently unlock the information contained in these myriad streams of data. CMIS envisions a future where cognitive technologies can anticipate strategic and tactical information needs, perceptively orchestrate distributed sensors across every domain (cyber, human, terrestrial, air, sea, space, etc.), and deliver timely and accurate recommendations to kinetic and/or non-kinetic agents (human and/or machine) to employ required actions. This future of intelligence collection and analysis is realized as a highly automated loop with five functions: 1) information about a target is automatically synthesized from large stores of Multi-INT data, 2) a model of target behaviors uses this information as evidentiary support of hypothesized activities, 3) information value calculations determine what next information to obtain, and 4) efficient algorithms orchestrate the employment of a diverse set of sensors to collect information that produces increased information and intelligence value, 5) analysts and decision-makers are informed by the automated loop and the automated loop receives information and guidance from the analysts and decision-makers.

• Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Career Development Award

  Closing Date for Applications: Oct 19, 2016 The DMDRP Career Development Award (CDA) mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY16. The CDA supports early-career investigators in conducting impactful Duchenne research under the mentorship of an experienced muscular dystrophy researcher as an opportunity to obtain the funding, mentoring, and experience necessary for productive, independent careers at the forefront of Duchenne research. Applicants should also demonstrate that the proposed research has high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in Duchenne. Preliminary data are required. Key elements of this award are as follows: • Principal Investigator (PI): PIs must be research- or physician-scientists at an early stage of their independent research careers. PIs must be within 5 years after completion of his/her terminal degree (excluding time spent in residency or on family medical leave), and exhibit a strong desire to pursue a career in Duchenne research. • Mentorship: The Mentor must be an experienced muscular dystrophy researcher as demonstrated by a strong record of funding and publications in muscular dystrophy research. In addition, the Mentor must demonstrate a commitment to developing the PI’s career in Duchenne research. • Career Development: A Career Development Plan is required and should be prepared with appropriate guidance from the Mentor. A clearly articulated strategy for acquiring the necessary skills, competence, and expertise to establish a career at the forefront of Duchenne research should be included. The plan should outline how the PI will gain experience in Duchenne research. Because career development is the focus of this award, the PI’s institution must demonstrate a commitment to the PI through a minimum of 30% protected time for Duchenne research, though more protected time is highly desirable. • Impact: Research that has high potential impact to improve the function and quality of life, and to extend the life span of all individuals with Duchenne.

• TRAnsformative DESign (TRADES)

  The Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative ideas to transform design, enabling designs that are unimaginable today. DSO is specifically interested in fundamental research to develop new mathematics and algorithms that enable full incorporation of new materials and fabrication methods in design. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in design. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

• BAA-C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology

  Deadline: 05/12/2017
  The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific (SSC Pacific) is soliciting white papers and proposals in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2), FAR 35.016 and Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARS) 22.315(a) which provides for competitive selection of basic research, applied research and advanced research (hereinafter referred to as research). Submissions in response to this announcement shall be for areas relating to the advancement of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities, enabling technologies for Information Operations and Cyber Operations, and Information Technology systems. Accordingly, proposals selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and fully compliant with PL 98-369, "The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984.” This BAA is for procurement contracts (hereinafter referred to as contracts), grants or cooperative agreements. Assistance vehicles and other transactions are not authorized under this announcement. Proposed research should investigate unique and innovative approaches for defining and developing next generation integratable C4ISR capabilities and command suites.

• DoD Autism Idea Development Award

  The ARP Idea Development Award supports the development of innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate progress in improving outcomes for individuals with ASD. This award mechanism is designed to support innovative ideas with the potential to yield impactful data and new avenues of investigation.

• FISCAL YEAR 2017 DEFENSE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM

  The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the Fiscal Year 2017 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of accredited United States (U.S.) institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation. For-profit organizations are not eligible for DURIP funding. This announcement seeks proposals from universities to purchase equipment and instrumentation in support of research in areas of interest to the DoD. DoD interests include the areas of research supported by the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), hereafter generally referred to collectively as “we, our, us, or administering agency.” Each administering agency will make grant awards to fund the purchase of research equipment or instrumentation costing $50,000 or more that cannot typically be purchased within the budgets of single-investigator awards. We generally cannot make any individual award that exceeds more than $1,500,000 in DoD funding unless your proposal qualifies for an exception. We intend to award approximately $47 million this competition, subject to availability of funds. DURIP awards are typically one year in length.DURIP is part of the University Research Initiative (URI).All the application forms you need are available electronically on Grants.gov. We will not provide paper copies of this announcement, or accept paper applications. All applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov.

• NATIONAL SECURITY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FACULTY FELLOWSHIP

  Deadline: 01/09/2017
  Please note the due dates: 1) Acqutrak registration due on August 15th, 2016; 2) White Papers are due on August 17th, 2016; 3) Full Proposals are due January 9, 2017. See full announcement for details. The National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship (NSSEFF) program The National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship (NSSEFF) program’s name is hereby changed to the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program. Dr. Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) was a forward-thinking policymaker who served as the director of the U.S. Defense Department’s Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II, coordinating the work of thousands of scientists in the service of ending the war. In his 1945 report to the President of the United States, Science, The Endless Frontier, Bush called for an expansion of government support for science, and he pressed for the creation of the National Science Foundation. Dr. Bush was concerned about how the scientific research supported by DoD during WWII could be sustained with a focus on peacetime goals. He believed that basic research was "the pacemaker of technological progress". "New products and new processes do not appear full-grown," Bush wrote. "They are founded on new principles and new conceptions, which in turn are painstakingly developed by research in the purest realms of science.” https://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nsf50/vbush1945.htm Prior to his DoD work, Dr. Bush was a professor and Dean of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and founded a large defense and electronics company. Because Dr. Bush’s life work embodies the spirit of the NSSEFF program, the program name is being changed to the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program in his honor.

• DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Orthotics Outcomes Research Award

  Deadline: 11/16/2017
  The FY16 OPORP OORA challenges the scientific community to address which orthotic devices, treatments, and technologies will generate the best patient outcomes. Outcomes research will further support evidence-based practice, allowing providers to optimize the care to Service members and Veterans with limb loss and/or limb impairment. It is expected that any research findings will also provide benefit to the general population. Applications involving multidisciplinary collaborations among academia, industry, the U.S. military Services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other Federal Government agencies are highly encouraged. The OORA is intended to support research that evaluates the comparative effectiveness of orthotic clinical interventions and/or their associated rehabilitation interventions, using patient-centric outcomes for Service members and Veterans who have undergone limb impairment.

• Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP) - Continuing Training Grants (CTG)

  The Department of Homeland Security Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP), Continuing Training Grants (CTG) program plays an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System by supporting the building, sustainment, and delivery of core capabilities essential to achieving the National Preparedness Goal (the Goal) of a secure and resilient Nation. Delivering core capabilities requires the combined effort of the whole community, rather than the exclusive effort of any single organization or level of government. The FY 2016 HSNTP/CTG supports efforts to build and sustain core capabilities across Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery mission areas, with specific focus on addressing the training needs of our Nation. Objectives: FY 2016 HSNTP/CTG training programs will provide training solutions to address specific national preparedness gaps, correlate training needs with exercise activities and outcomes, incorporate the core capabilities identified in the National Preparedness Goal, and ensure training is available and accessible to a nationwide audience

• RFI - Advanced Circuit Topology

  Closing Date for Applications: Aug 29, 2016 This is a Request for Information (RFI). ARPA-E is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives under this RFI. Request for Information Regarding Novel Power Electronic Systems Enabled by Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors

• Hierarchical Identify Verify Exploit (HIVE)

  The DARPA Microsystems Technology Office HIVE program is soliciting research proposals for the development of a generic and scalable graph processor specializing in processing sparse graph primitives. The program includes the development of chip prototypes, development of software tools to support programming of the new hardware, and design of a system architecture to support efficient multi-node scaling.https://viterbi.usc.edu/links/?2456

• Mobile Force Protection Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office (TTO)

  Responses due Friday, August 26, 2016, by 4:00 PM ET This Request for Information from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Tactical Technology Office seeks ideas, methodologies, and approaches solely for information and planning purposes. Responses to this RFI will be used to determine attendees for a workshop in Arlington, Va. In addition, the information may potentially support the development of new DARPA programs that could enable a revolutionary layered defense approach to achieving mobile force protection, including counter-unmanned air systems (CUAS) capabilities. Intellectual, confidential, or other privileged or proprietary information contained in responses to this RFI will not be distributed outside of the U.S. Government. In the event that a new DARPA program is developed in response to this RFI and a solicitation is issued, no intellectual, confidential, or other proprietary information received in response to this RFI will be divulged to the research community.

• NATIONAL SECURITY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FACULTY FELLOWSHIP

  Deadline: 01/09/2017
  The National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship (NSSEFF) program The National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship (NSSEFF) program’s name is hereby changed to the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program. Dr. Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) was a forward-thinking policymaker who served as the director of the U.S. Defense Department’s Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II, coordinating the work of thousands of scientists in the service of ending the war. In his 1945 report to the President of the United States, Science, The Endless Frontier, Bush called for an expansion of government support for science, and he pressed for the creation of the National Science Foundation. Dr. Bush was concerned about how the scientific research supported by DoD during WWII could be sustained with a focus on peacetime goals. He believed that basic research was "the pacemaker of technological progress". "New products and new processes do not appear full-grown," Bush wrote. "They are founded on new principles and new conceptions, which in turn are painstakingly developed by research in the purest realms of science.” https://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nsf50/vbush1945.htm Prior to his DoD work, Dr. Bush was a professor and Dean of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and founded a large defense and electronics company. Because Dr. Bush’s life work embodies the spirit of the NSSEFF program, the program name is being changed to the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program in his honor.

• Discretionary

  Deadline: 08/25/2017
  Modern society depends on information and information depends on information systems. Timely, insightful, reliable, and relevant information drives success. This is not lost on military leaders who well appreciate the critical importance of information for national security. The Information Innovation Office (I2O) develops game-changing information science and technology to ensure information advantage for the U.S. and its allies.

• SSBN Security Technology

  Deadline: 12/31/2016
  The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Undersea Influence, Counter-USW Branch (N974B) of the Chief of Naval Operations' (CNO) Undersea Warfare Division (N97) are interested in receiving proposals focused on the identification of science and physics based signal detection technologies that, individually or as a system, can impact the security of the SSBN and submarines in general. Passive and active detection technologies with near term (0-5 years), mid-term (5-10 years) and far term (10-20 years) implications will be considered.As part of its effort to understand the impact of technology on submarine security and survivability, the SSBN Security Technology Program (SSTP) may entertain proposals focused on improving the understanding of the generation, radiation, propagation, scatter, and detection of a variety of signal types (acoustic, chemical, optical, electromagnetic, hydrodynamic and radiological) associated with a submarine's operation. The ONR is seeking participants for this program that are capable of performing advanced S&T research that support demonstrating capabilities to achieve the goals described in this announcement.

• DARPA Young Faculty Award solicitation

  Dates (All times listed herein are Eastern Time.) Proposers Day: October 3, 2016. See Section VIII.C. Executive Summary Due Date: November 1, 2016, 4:00 p.m. FAQ Submission Deadline: January 11, 2017, 4:00 p.m. See Section VIII.A. Full Proposal Due Date: January 18, 2017, 4:00 p.m. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award (YFA) program aims to identify and engage rising stars in junior faculty positions in academia and equivalent positions at non-profit research institutions and expose them to Department of Defense (DoD) and National Security challenges and needs. In particular, this YFA will provide high-impact funding to elite researchers early in their careers to develop innovative new research directions in the context of enabling transformative DoD capabilities. The long-term goal of the program is to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers in the research community who will focus a significant portion of their future careers on DoD and National Security issues. DARPA is particularly interested in identifying outstanding researchers who have previously not been performers on DARPA programs, but the program is open to all qualified applicants with innovative research ideas.

• Common Heterogeneous Integration and IP Reuse Strategies (CHIPS)

  The Common Heterogeneous Integration and Intellectual Property (IP) Reuse Strategies (CHIPS) program will develop the design tools and integration standards required to demonstrate modular integrated circuit (IC) designs that leverage the best of DoD and commercial designs and technology. Abstract Due Date: 1:00 PM on October 28, 2016 Eastern Time

• Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ATB-MII)

  Eligibility to respond to this FOA is limited to U.S. non-profit organizations who will serve as the lead organization and recipient of the ATB-MII award. The lead organization will propose a partnership that may include a cluster of businesses, manufacturing firms, institutions of higher education, associated institutes, or non-profit industry consortia. Businesses of all sizes and structures are encouraged to participate as part of a teaming arrangement to capitalize on potential niche expertise. The lead organization is expected to lead a program that will be of both regional importance and national prominence. The lead organization must be able to command and engage key stakeholders across disciplines and organizations. Effective management of this effort will require a unique blend of organizational, technical, leadership, cultural, and personal skills that are unparalleled. The lead organization will be responsible for quickly pulling together the necessary agreements and funding commitments to establish a vibrant advanced manufacturing innovation ecosystem that will support domestic competitiveness. This ecosystem must also develop sustainable programs and practices that continue to attract industry and other membership beyond the 7 year period of this agreement.

• Modeling Adversarial Activity (MAA) DARPA-BAA-16-61

  DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of modeling adversarial activity for the purpose of producing high-confidence indications and warnings of efforts to acquire, fabricate, proliferate, and/or deploy weapons of mass terrorism (WMT). This solicitation is focused upon the development of mathematical and computational methods that integrate multiple data sources to detect relevant activities and events with high probability of detection and low rates of false alarms. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science and technology. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of the art. Abstract Due Date: October 28, 2016, 12:00 noon (ET) Proposal Due Date: December 15, 2016, 12:00 noon (ET)

• Military Medical Photonics Program

  Deadline: 12/31/2016
  The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) seeks unclassified proposals for broad- based research and development aimed at using lasers and other light source technology to develop applications in medicine, photobiology, surgery, and closely related materials sciences, with applications to combat casualty care and other military medical problems. This announcement is primarily directed toward university-based medical institutions; however, all qualified and responsible prime applicants located in the United States are eligible to submit proposals. The highest priority will be extended to proposals up to three (3) years duration to be conducted by teams of physicians, biomedical scientists, physical scientists, and engineers.The efforts proposed may be basic or applied research, and must have direct relevance to combat casualty care or other military medical priorities. Applicants must demonstrate substantial experience working to further military medical priorities, including transitioning research into clinical practice and working products. Substantial experience collaborating with military medical centers is also a requirement to establish relevance to combat casualty care or other military medical priorities, and facilitate the transition of research results to meet military needs.Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as practicable. Proposals may be reviewed and selected as received. Awards may take the form of grants or contracts.

• DARPA BTO proposer day Insect Allies

  The Insect Allies program will develop a platform technology for delivering enhanced crop traits within a single growing season by delivering a modified virus to target plants by a mobile insect vector. Proposers to Insect Allies are expected to develop a system that utilizes naturally occurring plant viruses to deliver genes which confer new traits to mature crop plants. DARPA strongly encourages teaming to ensure the expertise and capabilities necessary to meet program goals. The Insect Allies program will create vector-mediated mature plant modification technologies to rapidly counter environmental and biological threats to crop plants. Threats of interest might include pathogens, pest, drought, and salinity. The high specificity of genetic modification coupled with quick plant gene uptake will allow crops to be protected within the same growing season. Proposer Day information: DATE: November 18, 2016 LOCATION: Executive Conference Center (ECC), 4075 Wilson Boulevard. Suite 350, Arlington, VA 22203 REGISTRATION DEADLINE: November 14, 2016 at 12:00 PM EDT or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first

• FY17 Funding Opportunity Announcement for Navy and Marine Corps Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education, Outreach and Workforce Program

  Deadline: 12/31/2017
  The ONR seeks a broad range of proposals for augmenting existing or developing innovative solutions that directly maintain, or cultivate a diverse, world-class STEM workforce in order to maintain the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ technological superiority. The goal of any proposed effort must provide solutions that will establish and maintain pathways of diverse U.S. citizens who are interested in uniformed or civilian DoN (or Navy and Marine Corps) STEM workforce opportunities. As the capacity of the DoN Science and Technology (S&T) workforce is interconnected with the basic research enterprise and STEM education system, ONR recognizes the necessity to support efforts that can jointly improve STEM student outcomes and align with Naval S&T current and future workforce needs. This announcement explicitly encourages projects that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students including active learning approaches and incorporating 21st century skills. Projects must aim to increase student engagement in STEM and persistence of students in STEM degrees, while improving student technical capacity. ONR encourages proposals to utilize current STEM educational research for informing project design and advancing our understanding of how and why students choose STEM careers and opportunities of naval relevance.While this announcement is relevant for any stage of the STEM educational system, funding efforts will be targeted primarily toward the future and current DoN (naval) STEM workforce in High School, all categories of Post-Secondary institutions, the STEM research enterprise, and efforts that enhance the current naval STEM workforce and its mission readiness.

• DPA TITLE III SECURE HYBRID COMPOSITE SHIPPING CONTAINERS (SHCIC)

  Deadline: 01/31/2017
  This Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III project shall establish domestic capability for producing secure hybrid composite intermodal containers (SHCIC). Emphasis will be placed on expansion and/or modernization of affordable production processes and effective utilization of industrial manufacturing capabilities to produce secure hybrid composite intermodal containers

• Synergistic Discovery and Design

  The SD2 program aims to develop data-driven methods to accelerate scientific discovery and robust design in domains that lack complete models. Engineers regularly use high-fidelity simulations to create robust designs in complex domains such as aeronautics, automobiles, and integrated circuits. In contrast, robust design remains elusive in domains such as synthetic biology, neuro-computation, cyber, and polymer chemistry due to the lack of high-fidelity models. SD2 will develop tools to enable robust design despite the lack of complete scientific models. Abstract due date 13 Dec 2016 Proposal due date 14 Feb 2017

• DARPA-SN-17-10 Gamifying the Search for Strategic Surprise (GS3) Call for Submissions

  Deadline: 01/06/2017
  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Sciences Office (DSO), invites executive summaries and full proposals for a research and development project to deliver an online environment that will enable productive collaboration among large numbers of experts and thinkers. The shared task of this group is to rigorously explore the trends and possible applications of emerging science and technology. All executive summaries and full proposals should be submitted in response to DSO’s Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), DARPA-BAA-16-46, under the Human-Machine Systems Technical Area of Interest.

• Request for Information (RFI) DARPA-SN-17-13 Molecular Code and Compute

  Responses Accepted: Until 4:00 PM (Eastern) on January 4, 2017 Point of Contact: DSO Solicitations, DARPA-SN-17-13@darpa.mil The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is requesting information on research related to molecular-scale information storage and computation. Accordingly, DARPA is interested in exploring ideas and research that directly couples information storage and computation using non-natural, sequence-controlled polymers in a generalizable, adaptable format that may lead to fundamentally new computational architectures in the future. To realize this longer-term goal, we must first carefully lay the groundwork and develop strategies for flexible, adaptable molecular-scale information storage (code) framed in the context of our anticipated/desired computing needs (compute). DARPA is interested in responses in two areas: (1) strategies for the rapid synthesis and sequencing (read/write) of polymers for ultradense information storage that can carry out computational operations, and (2) theoretical foundations and/or computing applications that may benefit from the flexibility and highly parallel nature of such chemical systems (e.g., data-intensive functions, digital and analog capability, probabilistic computation, etc.). Responses due 4 Jan 2017

• The Defense Sciences Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of predictive frameworks and experimental testbeds for the design of agile, hybrid teams of multiple humans teamed

  The Defense Sciences Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of predictive frameworks and experimental testbeds for the design of agile, hybrid teams of multiple humans teamed with intelligent machines. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice. The A-Teams program will have three technical areas: • Technical Area 1 (TA1): Dynamic Team Structure Design • Technical Area 2 (TA2): Team Problem Solving • Technical Area 3 (TA3): Experimental Testbeds It is expected that proposers will focus on a single TA, however, exceptional concepts integrating TA1 and TA2 (only) will be considered. Proposals for any other combination of TAs will not be accepted. Abstract due date: 14 Dec 2016 Full Proposal due date: 7 Feb 2017