BTRP Science BAA_Final.pdf

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 1

DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

HDTRA1-24-S-0002

29 April 2024

Cooperative Threat Reduction Directorate

Biological Threat Reduction Program

Biological Threat Reduction with Global

Partners

Original Posting Date: 29 April 2024

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION NO. PAGE NO.

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

1 FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

2 AWARD INFORMATION

3 ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

4 APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

5 APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

6 AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

7 AGENCY CONTACTS

ATTACHMENT 1: BTRP DOMAINS AND COMPETENCIES TRAINING FRAMEWORK

MATRIX

ATTACHMENT 2: SPECIAL TOPICS

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OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Agency Name:

Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)

Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Directorate

Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP)

8725 John J. Kingman Road, MS 6201

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6201

Funding Opportunity Title: Biological Threat Reduction with Global Partners Broad Agency

Announcement (BAA)

Announcement Type: This is an initial announcement of this funding opportunity.

Submissions for this BAA must align with the BTRP mission, topic areas of interest, and lines of effort (LOEs) as described in Sections 1.1-1.4, and follow the instructions in Section 4.

Funding Opportunity Number: HDTRA1-24-S-0002

Assistance Listing Number: 12.351

Dates: This BAA is open continuously from 29 April 2024 through 28 April 2029. Submissions aligning to the BTRP mission, general topic areas, and LOEs may occur at any time this BAA is in effect. Applicants should take care to note requirements and timelines for submitting

Abstracts, White Papers, and Full Proposals. In some circumstances, specific scientific topics

(e.g., persistent, unaddressed regional concerns) will be published as additional Attachments (via

Amendment to this BAA), and these topics will include instructions on any topic-specific opening and closing dates as well as any topic-specific limitations on award types, dollar values, and eligibility.

Additional Overview Content: This BAA, in addition to any amendments issued in conjunction with this BAA, will be posted to the Grant Opportunities website (www.grants.gov), the General Services Administration System for Award Management website (sam.gov), and the

DTRA website (www.dtra.mil). The DTRA website is not the official site; applicants are responsible for monitoring both sam.gov and www.grants.gov. Posted amendments supersede all previous versions of the BAA.

All administrative coordination and communication between applicants and the Government will be conducted using the email address associated with this BAA, specified in Section 7. BTRP will not release employee personal contact information.

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1 FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Biological

Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) protects the United States, its Armed Forces, and our allies from biological threats by strengthening the capabilities of partner nations and the international community to prevent, detect, and prepare for disease outbreaks. BTRP supports international health security efforts to address diseases caused by U.S. Biological Select Agents

(https://www.cdc.gov/selectagent/SelectAgentsandToxinsList.html), pathogens of pandemic potential, and emerging (and reemerging) infectious diseases. BTRP achieves its mission through collaboration with partner countries and the international community to minimize the threat of deliberate, accidental, and natural infectious disease outbreaks through enhanced detection, diagnosis, and reporting capabilities and biosecurity and biosafety measures. This

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is an extramural endeavor that seeks to bring funding to biosurveillance studies that support biosecurity and biosafety (BS&S) capability building, in-country partnerships, and other needs appropriate to meet BTRP’s mission interests.

BTRP utilizes international engagements to promote science and technical collaborations with partner nations, regional and international organizations, and the global scientific community to foster and maintain ethical, constructive, and sustainable partnerships that address health security threats. In addition to increasing the knowledge and mitigation of risks posed by potential disease causing pathogens and approaches that build effective capacities and capabilities to reduce those risks, these projects are intended to develop strong international relationships through technical assistance that will enhance the ability of partner nations to contribute to global disease awareness and improve their domestic public health posture. Scientific studies evaluated and awarded through the BAA are one part of comprehensive country and regional engagements

BTRP develops and maintains. Projects are designed to be relevant, cooperative, impactful, and contributory to enduring capabilities. There is a strong preference for science projects that are multi-sectoral/multi-institutional, build upon prior BTRP investments, and facilitate cooperation and transparency with local, national, regional, and/or international partners. Additionally, BTRP encourages that projects supported through the BAA be coordinated with activities from other U.S. government, academic, and international organizations programs.

This announcement solicits ideas and topic-based Abstracts, White Papers, and Full Proposals for cooperative scientific studies that offer a significant contribution to support, enhance, and inform partner country systems to detect, diagnose, and report diseases; instill BS&S best practices and principles; foster sustainable bioscience capability development with partner countries; and establish collaborative partnerships with BTRP partner countries.

BTRP specifically seeks proposals aligning to the overall technical areas below. Periodically, detailed needs will be described in Attachments along with any topic-specific submission instructions, deadlines, anticipated award structure, and funding requirements.

1.1 Study focus areas. BTRP counters biological threats by supporting and strengthening capabilities that are foundational to operational biosurveillance systems and thus seeks proposals for studies designed to enhance safe and detection, diagnosis and reporting of

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 5 pathogens. Specific topic areas of study interest include:

(1) Improving understanding of the burden, incidence, prevalence, or distribution of endemic, novel, or emerging/re-emerging diseases

(2) Strengthening understanding of environmental or population risk factors influencing transmission or zoonotic spillover (e.g. cultural practices, infection prevention and control, migratory and grazing pathways) to develop prevention or mitigation strategies

(3) Evaluating detection or diagnostic methodologies (e.g., evaluating commercial off-the-shelf kits in a country’s biosurveillance system, designing effective detection protocols)

(4) Evaluating or designing effective and self-sustaining training programs to enhance partner nation capabilities to detect and diagnose disease.

(5) Testing or evaluating biosecurity or biorisk management protocols to develop an evidence base to inform local biosecurity or biosafety guidelines

1.2 Mission considerations: BTRP engagements are comprised of multiple projects and activities that fall along defined lines of effort (LOEs). These LOEs are part of a framework that BTRP uses to measure program success. When proposing to topic areas outlined above, or to topic areas introduced as amendments to this BAA, submissions should consider these LOEs to the fullest extent possible.

• LOE 1: Consolidating and Securing Pathogens o Studies should be designed so as to reduce the size and scope of reference sample collections and/or not promote development of new or expanded repositories to support study goals.

• LOE 2: Facility-Level Biorisk Management Systems and Culture o Biorisk management is a core mission area of the BTRP and should be included in the technical approach so that proposed studies clearly articulate building and reinforcing biorisk management best practices across the spectrum of project activities.

• LOE 3: National-Level Regulatory Frameworks o Studies should incorporate and reinforce international best practices for biosafety and biosecurity aligned with partner country laws and regulations, and support a culture of responsible and ethical scientific conduct.

Submissions should include thoughtful experimental design and appropriate laboratory approaches that result in meaningful data in accordance with the highest domestic and international ethical standards (e.g., institutional review boards, ethical review committees).

• LOE 4: Disease Detection o Studies should be designed to provide actionable information to support disease detection goals and should reinforce disease detection capabilities

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 6 provided by BTRP, to include provided equipment and training.

• LOE 5: Laboratory Diagnostics o To the fullest extent possible, studies should include BTRP-engaged laboratory facilities, use commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) or locally available consumables and supplies, and leverage BTRP-provided training and equipment for laboratory diagnostics.

• LOE 6: Epidemiological Analysis and Investigation o Studies should be designed to support animal and human public health biosurveillance goals, including increasing awareness of endemic pathogens and identifying trends and patterns that may indicate the presence of higher risks to populations.

• LOE 7: Reporting and Communication o Studies should aim to use national reporting systems, where applicable, and stimulate integration and interoperability of disease surveillance systems by advancing implementation and sustainment of global health security and One

Health initiatives, and emphasizing the nexus of disease surveillance, biorisk management, and health security.

1.3 BTRP will not consider proposals that contain any of the following: (1) risks to the

Program’s threat reduction mission; (2) Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) or related activities; (3) medical countermeasures development; or (4) pathogens/diseases that other U.S. agencies have dedicated missions to address (e.g., HIV/AIDS, malaria, rabies, tuberculosis).

1.4 Geographic scope: BTRP is interested in collaborative engagements with foreign partners in any of the following: countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU), Africa, Southeast Asia, and Middle East/South Asia. BTRP encourages applicants to develop projects in conjunction with foreign institutions in BTRP-engaged countries. Projects may consist of collaborations with a single partner country or regional/trans-regional efforts spanning multiple BTRP-engaged countries. Additional geographic areas may be sought as Amendments to this BAA.

2 AWARD INFORMATION

2.1 Award Types. Awards made as a result of this announcement will be either grants or cooperative agreements. Each of these award instruments offers different advantages, liabilities, and responsibilities for applicants and the Government.

Applicants must specify in their application their recommended approach (e.g., grant or cooperative agreement); however, the Government reserves the right to negotiate and award the types of assistance instruments determined most appropriate under the circumstances. If warranted, portions of resulting awards may be segregated into pre-priced options.

The Government actions under this BAA shall adhere to the requirements of the DoD

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Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARs). The DoDGARs can be accessed online at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-

21/subpart-C. See also 22 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which can be accessed online at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/part-22. Any assistance instrument awarded under this announcement will be governed by the award terms and conditions, which conform to DoD's implementation of OMB circulars applicable to financial assistance.

The number of individual awards BTRP will make each year is subject to the availability of funds. The predominance of awards are anticipated to be grants. Payments on grants will be made in advance, subject to the conditions described in 2 CFR 200.305.

2.2 Subawards. Subawards are permitted. Subawards may be used to carry out a portion of the proposed project. Awards may have multiple subawards. Awards will be made by a single award (e.g., grant or cooperative agreement) to the prime awardee. All subawards are the responsibility of the prime awardee; exceptions will not be made.

There is no limitation on the number of subawards. BTRP will review and consider the proposed subawards for all White Papers and Full Proposals. The prime awardee will be responsible for transferring funds to all subawardees.

2.3 Award Values. Awards may range in value depending on the nature and the scope of work. All awards are subject to the availability of funds. Selection and award of projects under this BAA is highly competitive and the costs of proposed work should be carefully controlled as detailed herein or as indicated in the invitation instructions.

2.4 Period of Performance and Award Structure. Efforts may be proposed for a total of up to

5 years to include a base period of no longer than 3 years and additional years as possible options. Additional guidance regarding award structure may be provided in specific topic Attachments (via Amendment to this BAA) or in communications with the applicant to include the coordination of the Abstract or in the debrief summary of the White Paper. Any specific guidance provided via Amendment to this BAA or from the official administrator email (Section 7) supersedes the information provided herein.

2.5 The Government may offer funding for any Full Proposals or portions of proposals at any time during the open period of this BAA.

3 ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

3.1 Abstracts, White Papers, and Full Proposals submitted for the BAA will be considered from the following U.S. and foreign institutions as follows:

• Accredited degree-granting colleges, universities, and academic institutions.

• Industrial and commercial entities, including small businesses.

• Not-for-profit entities with a portfolio predominantly in research and foreign government laboratories. Proof of 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service may be required. For foreign-based establishments entirely based outside the U.S.

and/or its territories, proof of not-for-profit status may be required. Foreign based

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 8 government laboratory equivalents include (but are not limited to) those residing in a country’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education and Science and Food Safety AgenciesC.

The following entities are not eligible to receive funds nor furnish Principal Investigators

(PIs) in awards made under this BAA but may participate as collaborators, including as

Co-PIs, on an applicant’s proposal. The following entities must submit their proposed collaboration work under a separate Government Call solicitation:

• Federal Academic organizations (e.g., Naval Postgraduate School).

• Federal laboratories (including DoD and Department of Energy (DOE)).

• U.S. Government agencies.

• DoD-sponsored Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) specified in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)

235.017-1 (www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfars/html/current/235_0.htm).

• DOE-sponsored FFRDCs.

Note: The separate Government Call solicitation will include full eligibility and submission instructions. Federal laboratories (including DoD and DOE) and FFRDCs may be eligible to submit Abstracts, White Papers, and Full Proposals in response to separate Government Call solicitations. However, a FFRDC (other than the DoD

FFRDCs specified in DFARS 235.017-1) must have authorization from its sponsoring agency in accordance with FAR 35.017-1. Awards made under the separate Government

Call solicitation will be Interagency Agreements/Interagency Orders and/or Military

Interdepartmental Purchase Requests (MIPRs), in accordance with all applicable requirements under The Economy Act, 48 CFR 17.502-2 (31 U.S.C. 1535), or a more specific non-Economy Act authority, where applicable.

3.2 Cost Sharing or Matching. In general, cost sharing or matching is not required for applications to the BAA. However, BTRP reserves the right to require cost sharing or matching on a case-by-case basis. Such instances will be specifically detailed in

Amendments to this BAA or from the official administrator email (Section 7).

3.3 Other. DTRA uses the System for Award Management (SAM) to exclude recipients ineligible to receive Federal awards. SAM can be accessed online at sam.gov.

4 APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

4.1 General information

4.1.1 Address to Request Application Package. This announcement contains all information required to submit an Abstract, White Paper, and Full Proposal.

4.1.2 Form of Application Submission. Submission to this BAA is conducted in three phases:

Abstract (Phase 0), White Paper (Phase I), and Full Proposal (Phase II). For Phases I and

II, up to one revised submission may be requested per phase. Specific information on http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfars/html/current/235_0.htm https://sam.gov/

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 9 each phase is detailed below.

4.1.3 Applicants are responsible for ensuring compliant and final submission of their Abstract, White Paper, and Full Proposal package. Note that this also applies to applicants using third party systems to submit application packages and appendices. Any submission that does not conform to the requirements outlined in the BAA and in the invitation for submission may not be reviewed or considered further at the discretion of BTRP.

4.1.4 BTRP will not review Abstracts, White Papers, and Full Proposals that are not submitted in the English language.

4.1.5 Applicants who are not responsive to Government requests for information in a timely manner, defined as meeting Government deadlines established and communicated with the request and not making satisfactory updates as requested, may be removed from consideration. Applicants may also be removed from consideration if the applicant and the Government fail to negotiate final proposal details within a reasonable period of time as determined by the Government’s business judgment.

4.1.6 All submissions must be completely UNCLASSIFIED; submissions must not contain

Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or be marked as such.

4.1.7 Marking Guidance for White Papers and Full Proposals and Disclosure of Proprietary

Information other than to the Government. White Papers and Full Proposals submitted in response to this BAA may contain technical and other data that the applicant does not want disclosed to the public or used by the Government for any purpose other than application evaluation. Public release of information in any White Paper and/or Full

Proposal submitted will be subject to existing statutory and regulatory requirements.

If proprietary information which constitutes a trade secret, proprietary commercial or financial information, confidential personal information, or data affecting national security, is provided by an applicant in a White Paper and/or Full Proposal, it will be treated in confidence, to the extent permitted by law, provided that the following legend is included on the front page of the White Paper and/or Full Proposal:

“For any purpose other than to evaluate the White Paper and/or Full Proposal, this data shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part, provided that if an award is made to the applicant as a result of or in connection with the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use or disclose the data to the extent provided in the agreement. This restriction does not limit the right of the Government to use information contained in the data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction is contained in page(s) _____ of this White Paper and/or Full Proposal.”

Any other legend may be unacceptable to the Government and may constitute grounds for removing the White Paper and/or Full Proposal from further consideration without assuming any liability for inadvertent disclosure.

The Government will limit dissemination of properly marked information to within official channels. In addition, the pages indicated as restricted must be marked with the following legend:

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“Use or disclosure of the White Paper and/or Full Proposal data on lines specifically identified by asterisk (*) are subject to the restriction on the front page of this White Paper and/or Full Proposal.”

The Government assumes no liability for disclosure or use of unmarked data and may use or disclose such data for any purpose.

In the event that properly marked data contained in a White Paper and/or Full Proposal submitted in response to this BAA is requested pursuant to the Freedom of Information

Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, the applicant will be advised of such request and prior to such release of information, will be requested to expeditiously submit to BTRP a detailed listing of all information in the White Paper and/or Full Proposal which the applicant believes to be exempt from disclosure under the Act. Such action and cooperation on the part of the applicant will ensure that any information released by BTRP pursuant to the

Act is properly identified.

By submission of a White Paper and/or Full Proposal, the applicant understands that proprietary information may be disclosed outside the Government for the sole purpose of technical evaluation. BTRP will obtain a non-disclosure agreement from the evaluator that proprietary information in the White Paper and/or Full Proposal will only be used for evaluation purposes and will not be further disclosed or utilized.

4.2 Abstract submission

4.2.1 Applicants must submit Abstracts via email (Section 7). Please note that attachments to emails other than an Abstract may not be reviewed.

4.2.2 Abstracts may be submitted at any time. In general, submission of an Abstract will initiate pre-coordination with a BTRP technical Point of Contact (POC). BTRP reserves the right to waive pre-coordination for topics on a case-by-case basis and will state the waiver applies within individual topic descriptions published as additional Attachments

(via Amendment to this BAA).

4.2.3 Abstracts should be 250 words or less and briefly describe the proposed effort including:

area of interest addressed; intended project outcomes aligned to LOEs; and the country/countries where the project will take place, with relevant participating institution(s).

4.3 White Paper submission

4.3.1 Based on evaluation of the Abstract and result of pre-coordination, selected applicants will be notified by email of invitation to submit a White Paper, with corresponding submission instructions. Applicants have 60 days from the date of this invitation to submit the White Paper. If the submission is not feasible within this 60-day window, the abstract must be re-submitted to ensure the interest in the White Paper remains. Invited

White Papers may be submitted anytime that this BAA is in effect (as long as it occurs within the 60-day window following pre-coordination of the abstract). White Papers may be evaluated at any time after submission. White papers for specific topic areas published

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 11 as Amendments to this BAA should follow the timelines specified in that Amendment.

4.3.2 BTRP will not review White Papers that are not invited, unless specified in specific topic areas published as Amendments.

4.3.3 White Papers may be up to four pages. Any pages submitted for the White Paper that exceed the limit of four pages may not be read or evaluated. A page is defined as 8 ½ x

11 inches, single-spaced, with one-inch margins in type not smaller than 12 point Times

New Roman font. The White Paper must be provided in portrait layout.

4.3.4 At a minimum, the White Paper should include the following:

• A project abstract that concisely (less than 250 words) summarizes the proposed project and demonstrates relevance to the topic being addressed. The abstract should not contain any proprietary data or markings.

• A description of how the proposed project will address specific biological threat reduction topic areas with partner countries, including whether the project leverages any prior BTRP investments

• A brief description of experimental designs and methodologies.

• A description of how the proposed project will produce demonstrable and enduring outcomes, including how the project will contribute to sustainable detection, diagnostic, and reporting capabilities.

• A list of the BTRP LOEs to which the project will align. A list of LOE numbers is sufficient. No supporting narrative is required.

• Cost estimate by year and total dollars required to accomplish the project as presented in the White Paper (no details or breakout of costs is required).

• A brief description of the role and contribution of each participating institution/department, including the level of effort and roles of partner nation scientists.

• Do not include corporate or personnel qualifications, past experience, or any supplemental information with the White Paper. References may be included within the 4-page limit at the discretion of the applicant; however, extensive references are not required.

4.3.5 Revised White Paper Submission and Content. On a limited basis a revised White Paper may be requested by the Government based on the review of the original White Paper.

Revised white papers will be requested when additional information on the technical approach, sustainability of methodologies, and/or capabilities addressed is needed before consideration for inviting a Full Proposal. Revised White Papers must conform to the standards for White Papers detailed in this section. At a minimum, the revised White

Paper should address the issues and questions detailed in the debrief summary. In addition to making revisions directly within the White Paper, applicants are encouraged to provide an Issue Resolution document based on the additional information requested in the debrief summary to expedite review of the revised White Paper. This Issue

Resolution document, similar to a ‘response to the reviewers’ submitted with revised

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 12 manuscripts, should: a) reference the location, throughout the revised White Paper, where the applicants specifically addressed each individual request, and b) briefly describe how each request was specifically addressed.

4.4 Full Proposal submission

4.4.1 Invitations for Full Proposal submission may occur any time after White Paper evaluation. Note that Full Proposal invitations may be limited to available program funds.

4.4.2 BTRP will not review application packages and Full Proposal submissions that were not invited.

4.4.3 The due date for invited Full Proposal submissions will be provided in the letter of invitation. The applicant will be allowed at least 45 days to prepare a Full Proposal submission; there is no penalty for early submissions. An extension for submission of the

Full Proposal submission may be requested by emailing the administrative email address in Section 7 prior to the deadline for the proposal submission. Approval or declination of the extension request will be in the discretion of the Government. Full Proposals may be evaluated at any time after submission.

4.4.4 Invited Full Proposals must be submitted electronically using www.grants.gov and the corresponding application packages linked with this BAA on www.grants.gov (under the

“Packages” tab).

4.4.5 Registration with www.grants.gov. Applicants should note that each organization must complete a one-time registration in order to submit Full Proposal(s) through www.grants.gov. Please see the following web link on information about registering with www.grants.gov: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html. If your organization is already registered in www.grants.gov, no further action should be required.

The registration process requires multiple steps and may take up to 4 weeks to complete depending on your organization.

4.4.6 The Full Proposal application package posted to www.grants.gov includes the forms and appendices as detailed in Table 1. BTRP reserves the right to consider incomplete application packages and required appendices and to request any missing information via email. Should the applicant fail to provide all the requested information either as part of the www.grants.gov submission or in response to email requests, BTRP may elect to not consider the proposal further.

Form Attachment Action

SF-424 (R&R)

Application for Federal

Assistance Form

N/A Enter the appropriate information in data fields

RR Budget Form

Budget Justification for entire performance period and Microsoft

Excel spreadsheet

Attach to Section K in budget period one http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

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RR Sub-award Budget

Attachment(s) Form (if applicable)

Individual sub-award budgets and corresponding Microsoft Excel spreadsheets

Attach a separate budget with justification and Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for each sub-award

Research & Related

Senior/Key Person Profile

Form

PI Biographical Sketch Attach to Biographical Sketch field

PI Current/Pending Support Attach to Current & Pending Support field

Key Personnel Biographical

Sketches

Attach to Biographical Sketch field for each senior/key person

Key Personnel Current/Pending

Support

Attach to Current & Pending Support field for each senior/key person

RR Personal Data Form N/A Enter the appropriate information in data fields

Research & Related Other

Project Information Form

Publicly Releasable Proposal

Summary/ Abstract

Attach to Block 7

Project Summary/ Abstract

Project Narrative/Technical

Proposal

Attach to Block 8

Project Narrative

Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities (SF-LLL) (if applicable)

N/A Enter the appropriate information

Appendices

Appendix 1 – SOW Upload as Appendix 1

Appendix 2 – Quad Chart Upload as Appendix 2

Appendix 3 – Supporting

Documentation Upload as Appendix 3

Table 1: Full Proposal Package Forms and Appendices.

4.4.7 File Format. Documents should be uploaded as a Portable Document File (PDF) format.

Applicants should confirm that conversion to PDF maintains formatted, legible submission materials, particularly spreadsheet data. Perform a virus check before uploading any files to www.grants.gov as part of your application package. If a virus is detected, it may cause rejection of the file. Do not lock or encrypt any files you upload to www.grants.gov as part of your application package. Movie and sound file attachments will not be accepted.

4.4.8 BTRP-specific instructions for forms and appendices are as follows:

4.4.8.1 SF 424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance:

• Block 1 – Type of Submission. Applicants should indicate the Full Proposal submission is an “Application.”

• Block 2.1 – Applicant Identifier. Not applicable.

• Block 3 – Date Received by State. Not applicable.

• Block 3.1 – State Application Identifier. Not applicable.

• Block 4b – Agency Routing Identifier. Enter the identification number assigned by

DTRA to the corresponding White Paper submission. If the last submission was a revised White Paper, enter the White Paper identification number for the revised submission.

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• Block 5 – Applicant Information. You must provide a Business Office Point of

Contact (BPOC) with an email address.

• Block 17 – Regarding Disclosure of Funding Sources. By checking "I Agree" you agree to abide by the following statement: "By signing this application, I certify the proposing entity is in compliance with Section 223(a) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National

Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 which requires that: (a) the PI and other key personnel certify that the current and pending support provided on the proposal is current, accurate and complete; (B) agree to update such disclosure at the request of the agency prior to the award of support and at any subsequent time the agency determines appropriate during the term of the award; and (c) the PI and other key personnel have been made aware of the requirements under Section 223(a)(1) of this Act. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject me to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties. (U.S. code, Title 18, Section 1001).”

• Block 19 – Authorized Representative. The “signature of AOR” is not an actual signature and is automatically completed upon submission of the electronic application package.

4.4.8.2 RR Budget Form: The Research and Related Budget Form provided as part of the application package for the Full Proposal submission should be filled out in its entirety for each project year proposed. Applicants are responsible for ensuring appropriate, approved rates are used in their budget forms. As part of the budget justification, applicants will be requested to provide their current rate agreement and the rate agreement of their subaward(s), if applicable. Applicants should note that in accordance with 32 CFR 22.205(b), grants shall not provide for the payment of fee or profit to the awardee or any subawardees. All costs proposed shall be in United States

Dollars.

The following costs are considered to be unallowable and should not be included in any proposals:

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• Catering (such as food and beverage, coffee breaks, alcohol, etc.)

• Parties or celebrations

• Entertainment

• Other than economy airfare

• Foreign taxes in excess of $500 per transaction

• Fee/Profit, Facilities Capital Cost of Money (FCCM), Honoraria or other payments given for the purpose of conferring distinction or to symbolize respect, esteem, or admiration.

• Additional information regarding allowable and unallowable costs can be found at the following location: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-

II/part-200/subpart-E.

• Other costs as determined by the Government.

• Applicants should plan and budget for travel to accommodate the meetings outlined below:

• Project Launch Meeting: Applicants should plan a project launch meeting to be held within the first three months after a project is awarded with in-country stakeholders.

Attendees to this meeting should include but are not limited to the PI and Co-PIs, and all relevant in-country stakeholders. This meeting is distinct from administrative or technical kick-off meetings that would be held with the Grant/Agreement

Officer’s Representative and the Grant/Agreement Officer, which may be held virtually. Under circumstances when travel is not feasible, the project launch meeting may be held in an approved virtual environment.

• Conferences/Workshops/Symposia: Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an internationally recognized conference, workshop, or symposium in the field of study each calendar year (one at minimum). Study results should be presented as soon as adequate data are available to support posters and presentations.

Conferences/workshops/symposia should be attended by the PI and collaborating partner country scientists supporting the study, as appropriate.

• Annual Technical Review: Applicants should plan to attend annual technical program review meetings to be held in partner countries or in a mutually agreed upon host country when travel to particular a partner country is restricted. Under circumstances when travel is not feasible, annual technical review meetings may be held in an approved virtual environment.

• Project Closeout Meeting: Applicants should plan a project closeout meeting to be conducted within the last 90 days of the project. Attendees to this meeting should include but are not limited to the PI and Co-PIs and the Contracting/Grant Officer’s

Representative. Under circumstances when travel is not feasible, the project closeout meeting may be held in an approved virtual environment.

• Applicants should also plan and budget for resources needed to address reporting requirements and regular progress reviews as outlined in Section 6.3.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E

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4.4.8.3 Budget Justification: Applicants are required to submit a budget justification. The budget justification should be prepared as outlined in the instructions for the Research and Related Budget and uploaded as an attachment to Section L “Budget Justification” of the Research and Related Budget Form. The budget justification does not have a page limit but should include sufficiently detailed information for meaningful evaluation. In addition, the budget justification must specifically address subaward costs and type to include the portion of work to be subawarded with a supporting rationale. The budget justification should include a discussion of how the subawardee(s) costs were determined to be fair and reasonable. The budget justification should identify all basis of estimates relating to estimated costs and delineate separately the basis for both the applicant and subaward(s). These budget justifications should be in a narrative that supports the proposed estimates for the following:

• Labor costs, to include level of effort and salary requested

• Labor categories

• Other direct costs (excluding travel)

• Equipment (to include quantities, part/make/model numbers and any other specifications to permit ease of evaluation)

• Materials (to include quantities, part/make/model numbers and any other specifications to permit ease of evaluation)

• Travel (to include a breakout of each proposed trip, number of travelers, departure and destination location, number of days, ground transportation methods, airfare, basis for per diem (meals and lodging), and any other proposed travel related costs).

Please note that on the first and last days of each proposed trip, the meals and incidentals (M&IE) cannot exceed 75% of the allowable M&IE rate.

• Indirect Costs: The budget justification should identify all indirect cost rates (such as fringe benefits, F&A, etc.) and applicable allocation bases. If composite rates are used, provide the calculations used in deriving the composite rates. Provide copies of current rate agreements, as applicable. Indirect costs for grant and cooperative agreements should be proposed in accordance with the DoDGARs. Entities without negotiated indirect cost rate agreements should propose the 10% de minimis.

The Government does not anticipate the need to provide any hardware or software to execute the proposed work. However, BTRP will review and consider any hardware/software requests for all White Papers and Full Proposals on a case-by-case basis. The budget justification should address sustainability costs a partner country will incur once the project is over, if any, for any such hardware/software requests.

Documentation to support all proposed costs should be included in the budget justification file. All supporting documentation must be in English with costs presented in United States Dollars.

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4.4.8.4 Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet: Applicants are required to submit a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that should correspond with and be easily traceable to the RR Budget Form and budget justification. The spreadsheet should include all proposed costs for the applicant and any subawards, and it should be in Microsoft Excel with working formulas unlocked and intact with no hidden rows or columns or macros. Lump sums without any supporting information will not be accepted. The spreadsheet should delineate the applicant and any subaward(s) with working formulas for proposed estimates for labor costs, indirect costs (to include base and all individual percentage(s) used in calculation), other direct costs (excluding travel), travel, equipment, and materials.

4.4.8.5 RR Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form (if applicable): Detailed cost estimates are required for each proposed subaward. The cost estimate for the subawards should include sufficiently detailed information for meaningful evaluation, including labor rates and indirect cost rates. Microsoft Excel spreadsheets that correspond and are easily traceable to the subaward RR Budget Form and budget justifications are required.

The spreadsheet should include all proposed costs for any proposed subawards, and it should be in Microsoft Excel with working formulas unlocked and intact with no hidden rows or columns or macros. Lump sums without any supporting information will not be accepted. The spreadsheet(s) should contain working formulas for proposed estimates for labor costs, indirect costs (to include base and all individual percentage(s) used in calculation), other direct costs (excluding travel), travel, equipment, and materials.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring their subaward proposals are complete and compliant.

4.4.8.6 Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form (Expanded): The Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form (Expanded) should be completed in its entirety for each of the PIs and Co-PIs on the project. The inclusion of additional personnel is at the discretion of the PI. The Degree Type and Degree Year fields will be used by DoD as the source for career information to assess the success rates of women.

In addition to the required fields on the form, applicants should complete these two fields for all individuals that are identified as senior or key persons. The PI (and Co-

PIs) in the region of interest should be included as key personnel.

A biographical sketch is required for each PI and Co-PI on the project. BTRP does not have a preference for the format of the biographical sketch; however, it should be limited to one page per person. The biographical sketch should be uploaded as an attachment to the corresponding field on the Research and Related Senior/Key Person

Profile Form.

Additionally, a statement of current and pending support must be provided for each of the key personnel (e.g., PI and Co-PI) on the project. This statement must include the following items and requires disclosure of all grants and contracts through which each of the key personnel is currently receiving or may potentially receive financial support:

• A list of all current projects the individual is working on, in addition to any future support the individual has applied to receive, regardless of the source.

• Title and objectives of the other projects.

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• The percentage per year to be devoted to the other projects.

• The total amount of support the individual is receiving in connection to each of the other projects or will receive if other proposals are awarded.

• Name and address of the agencies and/or other parties supporting the other projects.

• Period of performance for the other projects.

4.4.8.7 RR Personal Data Form: The Government Accountability Office, in its report GAO-

16-14, WOMEN IN STEM RESEARCH: Better Data and Information Sharing Could

Improve Oversight of Federal Grant-making and Title IX Compliance, December 3, 2015, recommended that the DoD collect certain demographic and career information to be able to assess the success rates of women who are proposed for key roles in applications in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics disciplines. To enable this assessment, BTRP will include with each Full Proposal application package the

Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form and the Research and

Related Personal Data form.

This form will be used by DoD as the source of demographic information, such as gender, race, ethnicity, and disability information for the PI and Co-PI(s). Each application must include this form with the name fields of the PI and any Co-PI(s) completed; however, provision of the demographic information in the form is voluntary. The demographic information, if provided, will be used for statistical purposes only and will not be made available to merit reviewers. Applicants who do not wish to provide some or all of the information should check or select the “Do not wish to provide” option.

4.4.8.8 Research and Related Other Project Information Form:

Block 7 – Project Summary/Abstract. To fulfill the requirements of Section 8123 of the

Defense Appropriations Act, which states: “The Secretary of Defense shall post grant awards on a public Web site in a searchable format.” BTRP will collect and post via the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) basic information about all awards made under the BAA. The information posted will include the abstract submitted to

Block 7 of this form.

The uploaded project abstract should be less than one page and provide a summary of the proposed work and expected contributions to biological threat reduction. Most importantly, the abstract must be written such that the general public may easily understand the potential scientific contribution and the impact of the research. The header of this uploaded document must contain the following statement:

“This publicly releasable abstract is provided to BTRP for use in fulfillment of Section 8123 of the FY15 Defense Appropriations Act and future versions of the same.”

The abstract absolutely must not contain any proprietary data or markings.

Block 8 – Project Narrative (Technical Proposal). The uploaded technical proposal must not exceed 20 pages (including references). If the proposal exceeds 20 pages, only the first 20 pages will be reviewed. A page is defined as 8 ½ x 11 inches, single-

HDTRA1-24-S-0002 Page 19 spaced, with one-inch margins in type not smaller than 12 point Times New Roman font. The technical proposal must be provided in portrait layout. Note that Co-PIs from federal laboratories must submit a separate proposal package via the corresponding Government Call solicitation (see Section 3.1). Narratives for BAA and

Government Call submissions aligned to the same project must reference the identifier numbers and projects for related submissions, and should describe the applicant’s specific contribution to the overall effort.

The project narrative (technical proposal) must include the following components:

• Abstract. Should be a technical project abstract that is distinct from the Project

Summary/Abstract that is attached to Block 7.

• Scope. A clear description of the topic area to be investigated (including which

BTRP LOEs the project will primarily address), the objectives/goals of the study, and major milestones/expected outcomes.

• Objective. A clear and concise objective of the proposed project.

• Background. Provide the necessary technical and scientific background to support the scientific and/or technical merit of the proposed project.

• Programmatics. Describe the prime awardee organization’s management plan for the proposed project; list supporting and collaborating centers, and the roles/responsibilities of each identified subawardee supporting the project. All participating facilities in each partner country should be fully described with a discussion of how any unique capabilities, capital equipment, and/or computer platforms will be transitioned to the participating country partners.

Narratives must also describe the extent and duration of the relationship/collaboration between the universities/institutes/entities and/or scientists, clearly differentiating the role of partner nation personnel and international staff. Teams with pre-existing collaborative relationships and those which propose to establish new collaborations will be considered, provided teams can supply documentation to demonstrate that an operational framework exists to support the proposed work. Please see the description of Appendix 3 below for information on submission of this documentation.

• Relevance. Provide an explanation of how the proposed project is relevant to the topic area and advancing safe and secure detection, diagnosis, and reporting capabilities. When addressing how the proposed project advances capabilities, applicants must clearly outline the anticipated outcomes gained from the investment and justify the scientific contribution of each participating institution. This should include descriptions of the BTRP LOEs that the project aligns to, and an impact statement outlining how and by what magnitude the project improves the partner nation’s capacity, capability, or sustainability in biosecurity, biosafety, and biosurveillance.

• Credentials. Describe the PI’s qualifications and the organization’s qualifications to perform the proposed work. Summarize the credentials of the primary performing center, and supporting academic and industrial partners to perform the work.

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Describe specific examples of equipment and/or facilities available to perform the proposed work. Focus on information directly relevant to the proposed work.

• Work to be Performed. Provide details of the work to be performed by task and subtask, as well as clearly define which project partners will be performing the tasks.

If project partners are submitting related proposals for the same overall project effort

(e.g., under a separate Government Call, see section 3.1), clearly identify related proposals but be specific in each proposal about the work that will be done only in that proposal. Tasks must be grouped by project year; base and option years should be clearly labeled. All proposed training should be described, including how the success of each training event will be assessed and how relevant training activities will be sustained after conclusion of the project.