FA955027S0001_Amendment_1.pdf

FY 2027 University Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Fiscal Year 2027

I. OVERVIEW INFORMATION

This is a special Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), which will hereafter generally be referred to as “we, us, our, or AFOSR.” The AFRL/AFOSR University Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity intends to support a team of up to ten (10) investigators. The program’s objective is to foster multidisciplinary, collaborative, high-impact basic research in science and engineering that addresses the future Air Force mission, particularly in the area of high-speed aerothermoelasticity.

Awards are made to U.S. institutions of higher education, where the principal investigator (PI) is employed on a full-time basis and holds a regular, non-contractor position. Researchers working at a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, or a Department of War (DoW) Laboratory are not eligible for this competition. For teaming purposes, at least one HBCU investigator is strongly encouraged.

Proposers are encouraged to confer with the designated AFOSR Program Officer(s) prior to submitting a full proposal. We will evaluate proposals using an internal review panel. AFOSR reserves the right to select and fund one or none of the proposals. AFOSR provides no funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and budget proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this NOFO will not be returned. It is the policy of AFOSR to treat all white papers and proposals submitted under this NOFO as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation.

White papers briefly summarizing the proposed institution’s ideas are required. Submit white papers to our whitepaper portal, which is linked below. The points of contact (POCs) will coordinate to provide feedback on the white papers.

The proposals will need to include a data management plan, outlining how samples and data collected in the program will be stored and managed. This includes but is not restricted to issues such as standards for data and metadata collection, content and format, data archiving, database management, and data sharing within, outside the awardee and beyond the lifetime of the grant.

This precondition is modeled on the National Science Foundation Data Management Plan requirement (e.g., https://www.nsf.gov/eng/data-management-plans).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants should be alert for any amendments that may modify the announcement. Amendments to the original Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be posted to the Grants.gov Webpage: https://www.grants.gov/.

Hyperlinks have been embedded within this document and appear as underlined, and or blue-colored words in the midst of paragraphs. The reader may “jump” to the linked section within this document by “clicking” (CTRL + CLICK, or CLICK).

Amendment 1 Makes updates to the following:

• White Paper Submission Deadline is 8 January 2027: Deadline for electronic submission of white papers via the Qualtrics portal (by 11:59 PM Eastern).

• White Paper Feedback / Determination is 5 February 2027: Expected date by which the Government will respond with white paper determinations (before COB).

II. BASIC INFORMATION

FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY NAME

Air Force Office of Scientific Research 875 North Randolph Street, STE 325, Room 3112 Arlington, VA 22203

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE

AFRL/AFOSR Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 University Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE

Initial Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER

FA955027S0001

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER

12.800 Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program

The authorization to make awards under this funding opportunity may be found via the Assistance Listing (CFDA) Number on sam.gov.

FUNDING DETAILS

AFOSR intends to fund one (1) award, in the amount of $2,750,000 per year, for three (3) years. The expected value of each award is anticipated to be $8,250,000, with options to extend to five (5) years. The total amount of funding is based on the quality of proposals, the availability of funds, and the exercise of option periods, with a base amount of $8.25M that can reach up to $13.75M over five years if all options are exercised.

KEY DATES

Pre-proposal inquiries and questions, regarding white papers and the submission of those white papers, must be received in writing by electronic mail to the address(es) of this NOFO not later than 13 November 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered. The Government will respond to any pre-proposal inquiries or questions via public posting, or individual responses, no later than COB on 11 December 2026.

Whitepapers must be received by submitting to https://afosr.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKuTqm9qezoDYep by 8 January 2027 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered. White paper evaluation is meant to initially assess the capability of a proposed effort and is NOT a selection process. White papers must be no more than five (5) pages in length. References and CV/bios will not count against the page limit. Please review this NOFO in its entirety prior to submitting a white paper.

The government will respond to the white paper determination before COB on 5 February 2027.

https://afosr.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKuTqm9qezoDYep

Proposals must be received electronically through Grants.gov by 2 April 2027 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered.

We anticipate that we will notify proposers of selection or non-selection for award no later than 15 August 2027. We anticipate awards to be made by 15 August 2027, barring delays.

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

Each award under this Announcement will be governed by the general terms and conditions in effect at the time of the award that conform to DoW’s implementation of OMB guidance applicable to financial assistance, as follows:

a. For Universities and Non-Profit Entities, these terms and conditions are identified in Parts 1126 through 1138 of the DoDGARS (2 CFR Parts 1126 through 1138, which comprise 2 CFR 1100 Subchapter D).

b. For For-Profit Entities, requirements to be included in the general terms and conditions are identified in Part 34 of the DODGARS (32 CFR Part 34).

c. For All Entities, National Policy Requirements are identified in Part 1122 of the DoDGARS (2 CFR Part 1122).

Any resulting awards will be subject to the DoW Research and Development (R&D) General Terms and Conditions (Ts&Cs), located at: https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/manage-your-award/manage-grant-award/grants-terms-conditions. In addition, the AFRL Addendum to the DoW R&D General Ts&Cs and AFRL Award-Specific Ts&Cs (attached to this NOFO) include additional Ts&Cs that may be applicable to any resulting awards. This AFRL document is a supplement to the DoW R&D General Ts&Cs. To understand the entire AFRL requirement for a given article, the DoW R&D General Ts&Cs must be read in tandem with this document.

NATIONAL PRIORITY

In accordance with Executive Order 14332, all technical program descriptions contained in this NOFO reflect the basic research priorities for the Department of the Air Force and are defined to advance the administration and agency priorities (c.f., OMB memo M-25-34 “Fiscal Year 2027 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities and Cross-Cutting Actions”). More information about the Department of the Air Force Priorities can be found at www.af.mil.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Air Warfare Directorate (RA), intends to provide support for a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at U.S. universities to establish a university-led Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity.

This multidisciplinary, basic research initiative focuses on investigating complex problem sets involving the fundamental physics at the intersection of high-speed fluid mechanics, thermal transport, and structural sciences. By supporting a balanced, integrated approach across computational simulation, theoretical modeling, and ground experimentation in these three areas, the Center will tackle critical aerothermoelasticity challenges for the Air Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering. This opportunity is a chance to work closely with the Air Force Research Lab Air Warfare Directorate (AFRL/RA) on computational simulations and ground and flight experiments in the field of high-speed aerothermoelasticity.

http://www.af.mil/

We seek unclassified proposals from a highly collaborative, qualified and responsible university-led team that bridges the traditional silos of fluid dynamics, thermal transport, and structural mechanics. The program requires an interdisciplinary roster of up to ten investigators (including computational and experimental leads) and strongly encourages partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in alignment with Executive Order 14283. Beyond technical discovery, the Center acts as a vital connection between academia and DoW scientists at facilities such as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). This ensures that breakthrough academic research translates into tangible capabilities for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and access to a well-trained future aerospace workforce.

It is important that your proposal shows strength in as many of the evaluation areas as practical for maximum competitiveness.

The award shall be made to U.S. institutions of higher education, where the principal investigator is employed on a full-time basis and holds a regular, non-contractor position. We discuss this more in section C.1. Eligible Applicants. Researchers working at the Federally Funded Research and Development Centers and DoW Laboratories are not eligible for this competition.

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

a) Technical Inquires and Questions

You should submit your questions in writing by electronic mail to the High-Speed Aerodynamics Program Officer, Dr. Amanda Chou at aerothermodynamics@us.af.mil. You should include the NOFO number in the subject line.

Please submit all inquiries in written format to ensure a response.

b) General Inquires and Questions

You must send all general questions and inquiries about this announcement by email. Your questions will generally be consolidated with other questions and posted on grants.gov so everyone gets the same information. We may provide an individual response by email if your question does not apply to everyone else.

AFOSR/RBKS2

GRANTS OFFICER Shelby Bonneville

Email: shelby.bonneville@us.af.mil

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. OVERVIEW INFORMATION

II. BASIC INFORMATION

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

C. ELIGIBILITY

C.1. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

C.2. COST SHARING

C.3. GOLD STANDARD SCIENCE

C.4. OTHER

C.5. AFOSR-SPECIFIC FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH SECURITY RISK REVIEW (FRSR) INFORMATION

D. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

D.1. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE

D.2. APPLICATION CONTENTS

D.3. GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION SUBMISSION

D.4. COMPONENT PIECES OF THE APPLICATION……………………………………………..28

D.5. INFORMATION YOU MUST SUBMIT IF SELECTED FOR POSSIBLE AWARD

D.6. UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI), CAGE, AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………...…37

E. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

E.1. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

E.2. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

F. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

F.1. CRITERIA

F.2. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

F 3. DISCLOSURE OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING BY CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL42

F.4. NO GUARANTEED AWARD

G. AWARD NOTICES

G.1. SELECTION NOTICES

G.2. ADMINISTRATION AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

H. POST-AWARD REQUIREMNTS AND ADMINISTRATION

H.1. MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM PERFORMANCE

H.2. REPORTS

I. OTHER INFORMATION

I.1. TECHNICAL INQUIRIES AND QUESTIONS…………………………………………….…..51

I.2. OMBUDSMAN……………………………………………………………………………………51

I.3. GRANTS AND CONTRACTING OFFICERS AUTHORITY………………………………..51

I.4. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ………………………………………………………………….51

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Department of War and broader aerospace community face critical knowledge gaps regarding the physical behavior of structures subjected to extreme environments such as sustained high-speed flight.

Historically, basic research has isolated aerodynamics, thermodynamics, and structural mechanics into separate, compartmentalized disciplines. However, as vehicle velocities scale into high-supersonic and hypersonic regimes, these distinct physical domains can become strongly coupled. An absence of understanding of these effects can lead to catastrophic consequences such as rapid material degradation, thermal buckling, and ultimately, vehicle loss.

The establishment of a university-led research center seeks to shatter these academic silos and encourage cross-discipline collaboration toward understanding the fundamental physics required to ensure success of related flight experiments at the Air Force Research Lab Air Warfare Directorate (AFRL/RA).

Through the development of a cohesive research plan that encompasses both a focus on aerothermal and structural research in computational simulations, theory, and experiment, the establishment of this Center will not only aid in scientific discovery but establish strong connections between academia and the technical directorate. Participants in this center can expect to be directly embedded into a research ecosystem that encourages multidisciplinary collaboration and comprehensive approach to problem solving.

The Air Force Office of Scientific and Research (AFOSR) is soliciting proposals for research to establish a university-led Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity. The topic area that we seek to support with this NOFO are complementary to those described in our open BAA entitled “Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research” and do not fall completely within any one research program. The objective of this NOFO is to support a multidisciplinary university team conducting foundational basic research at the intersection of high-speed fluid dynamics, thermal transport, and structural mechanics. We seek to support multidisciplinary research efforts, creating synergies to speed DAF-relevant research and development

The efforts proposed must be basic research and the recipients of this award must be an institution of higher education as defined by 10 USC 2199. A team of one primary investigator (PI) with up to 9 other co-investigators is allowed: the team shall include one computational investigator, one experimental investigator, one fluid dynamicist, and one structural scientist. These need not be separate individuals;

investigators will likely have overlapping qualifications to meet these criteria. Each faculty investigator is expected to support and mentor at least one graduate student under this award.

The main technical objective should focus on the basic research aspects of a series of flight experiments to be carried out by the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Air Warfare Directorate (RA) and complement the work being done. The university Center will focus on the fundamental physics governing high-speed aerothermoelasticity problems, targeting panel flutter, thermal buckling, and other fluid-thermal-structural interactions in realistic flight environments. These proposals should consider conditions relevant to reusable high-speed vehicles, where “high-speed” indicates a high supersonic and/or hypersonic cruise condition. The proposed work should be scoped to accomplish all objectives without the need for disclosure of or access to controlled unclassified information (CUI), even if the investigators otherwise have access to or are provided with CUI data as optional reference points.

The proposed work should include a strong component of understanding the underlying physics responsible for aerothermoelastic phenomena in application to flight and include a theoretical framework to study the sensitivity of the phenomena to flight-relevant uncertainties, including but not limited to manufacturing tolerances, boundary layer state, and freestream conditions. The research concentration areas may include (1) new approaches toward generating surrogate models of both aerothermal and structural states (2) data assimilation or machine learning techniques to understand the driving physics between these interactions (3) effects of uncertainty and/or sensitivities of boundary and initial conditions in the driving physics for fluid-thermal-structure interactions (4) transitional boundary layer and/or nonuniform heating effects (5) application of modal decomposition methods to aid in the differentiation of aerothermal vs. mechanical effects (6) and any diagnostic development necessary to transition ground testing methods to flight experiments. Geometry of a flight-relevant panel to be studied, initial conditions, and boundary conditions for the analysis of the fluid-thermal-structural interaction will be provided by AFRL/RA. However, precise knowledge of these parameters should be used to only demonstrate or anchor physical findings, not be critical to the execution of the basic research and study of the underlying physics.

The awarded team will be expected to budget for travel to aid in the participation of review meetings, in-person ground testing, and integration activities with AFRL/RA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) in Tullahoma, TN, and/or the launch provider in Mojave, CA during the first two years of the award. Additional locations and short visits may be added in the course of the program. The awarded team should also expect to present their progress at an annual two- to three-day review to be held at WPAFB each year separate from the traditional program reviews.

Basic and applied research is defined in the DoW 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.

1.5.1).

Applied research is systematic study to understand the means to meet a recognized and specific need. It is a systematic expansion and application of knowledge to develop useful materials, devices, and systems or methods. It may be oriented, ultimately, toward the design, development, and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet general mission area requirements. Applied research may translate promising basic research into solutions for broadly defined military needs, short of system development. This type of effort may vary from systematic mission-directed research beyond that in Budget Activity 1 to sophisticated breadboard hardware, study, programming and planning efforts that establish the initial feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions to technological challenges. It includes studies, investigations, and non-system specific technology efforts. The dominant characteristic is that applied research is directed toward general military needs with a view toward developing and evaluating the feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions and determining their parameters. Applied research precedes system specific technology investigations or development.

Program control of the applied research program element is normally exercised by general level of effort. Program elements in this category involve pre-Milestone B efforts, also known as Concept and Technology Development phase tasks, such as concept exploration efforts and paper studies of alternative concepts for meeting a mission need (DoD 7000.14-R, vol. 2B, chap. 5, para. 1.5.2).

Detailed descriptions and the government point(s) of contact can be found below. The descriptions are intended to provide the applicant a frame of reference and are not meant to be restrictive to the possible approaches and component solutions to achieving the goals of the topic and the program. Innovative ideas addressing these research topics are highly encouraged.

Proposals from an investigator team from multiple university departments and universities are warranted to assemble the expertise necessary to address the topic. Teams are also highly encouraged to leverage collaborations with the technical directorate, where appropriate, to demonstrate an ability to develop solutions that can be eventually applied to a specific application. 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 budget.

Access to DoW Resources

Proposals may request access to AFRL facilities or DoD high performance computing resources in order to conduct the proposed research. If authorized, there is no cost to the research for these resources. Applicants are advised that routine access of educational institution researchers to AFRL buildings and facilities is limited to U.S. citizens. Individuals eligible for access are subject to background checks.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

The award is for three (3) years, with options to extend to five (5) years, funded up to $2,750,000 per year for a total of approximately $13,750,000. The award may be funded no more than $2,750,000 annually, regardless of if the overall amount is $13,750,000. To qualify for the additional 750,000 per year, the proposal must include three (3) investigators with full-time appointments at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). No single HBCU investigator will be eligible for more than $250,000 per year. The proposers are highly encouraged to include at least one (1) HBCU investigator on each proposal and will be evaluated on the integration of investigators from HBCUs.

The projected start date is determined at the time of the award but is most likely projected no later than 15 August 2027 based on the availability of the president’s budget.

We anticipate approximately one (1) award may be awarded under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 4001 in the form of grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. We rely on discretionary appropriated funds for this program. Awards are only made if funds are available.

We select what kind of award instrument we can use based on requirements in the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act 31 U.S.C. 6301 – 31 U.S.C. 6308.

• A grant or cooperative agreement award may be made to U.S. institutions of higher education (IHE) or nonprofit organizations as described in 2 CFR 25.345

Awards are made under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 4001 in the form of grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. We rely on discretionary appropriated funds for this program. We can only make awards if enough funds are made available. We select what kind of award instrument we can use based on requirements in the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act 31 U.S.C. 6301 – 31 U.S.C. 6308.

Awards may take the form of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, technology investment http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=de4cb739ce90fc71f364a622e495a608&amp%3Bamp%3Bmc=true&amp%3Bamp%3Bnode=se2.1.200_138&amp%3Bamp%3Brgn=div8 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section4001&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title31-chapter63&edition=prelim agreements and other transaction agreements as appropriate. The following provides a brief description of potential instrument types:

• Grant. A legal instrument consistent with 31 U.S.C. 6304, is used to enter into a relationship:

• The principal purpose of which is to transfer a thing of value to the recipient to carry out a public purpose of support of stimulation authorized by a law or the United States, rather than acquire property or services for the Federal Government’s direct benefit or use.

• In which substantial involvement is not expected between the Federal Government and the recipient when carrying out the activity contemplated by the grant.

• No fee or profit is allowed.

• Cooperative Agreement. A legal instrument which, consistent with 31 U.S.C 6305, is used to enter into the same kind of relationship as a grant, except that substantial involvement is expected between the Federal Government and the recipient when carrying out the activity contemplated by the cooperative agreement. No fee or profit is allowed.

We reserve the right to select and fund for award all, some, part, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. There is no guarantee of an award.

C. ELIGIBILITY

C.1. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

C.1.a. General You are eligible to submit an application if you are a qualified and responsible organization from academia. Academia includes educational institutions of higher education in the United States as defined at 10 U.S.C. 2199. Educational institutions mean a local educational agency, college, university, or any other nonprofit institution dedicated to improving science, mathematics, and engineering education. We review your application, proposal, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) designated repositories of government-wide public and non-public data, including comments you have made, as required by 41 U.S.C. 2313 and described in 2 CFR 200.205 and 32 CFR

22.410 to assess risk posed by applicants, and confirm applicants are qualified, responsible, and eligible to receive an award.

As the individual Principal Investigator, you must hold a full-time, non-contractor permanent, career-competitive, or tenure-track position (based on your institution’s definition) with your organization, or your proposal must include a letter from your organization stating that you will be considered for a permanent, career- competitive, or tenure-track non-contractor position if you currently hold a short-term appointment. This is in addition to the requirement you are a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident. You are not eligible to submit a proposal if you do not meet these requirements. You must have permanent residency at the time of proposal submission.

Individual awards are made to U.S. institutions of higher education, where the individual principal investigator is a U.S. citizen, national, or has permanent residency at time of proposal submission; employed on a full-time basis and holds a permanent position. All

PIs must meet all eligibility requirements.

C.1.b. Eligibility Notice for All Applicants

We review your application, proposal, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) designated repositories of government-wide public and non-public data, including comments you have made, as required by 31 U.S.C. 3321 and 41 U.S.C. 2313 and described in 2 CFR 200.205 and 32 CFR 22.410 to assess risk posed by applicants, and confirm applicants are qualified, responsible, and eligible to receive an award. If we cannot determine you or your organization qualified and responsible, you are not eligible to receive an award. You are required to submit a white paper. White papers must be submitted by 8 January 2027, at 11:59PM EST. Upon the PO white paper review and feedback, an invitation to submit a full proposal may be extended.

You may submit more than one white paper to a single or multiple research discipline;

but you must acknowledge so on each submission. White papers must be submitted electronically via https://afosr.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKuTqm9qezoDYep.

Detailed instructions are included on the submission page. For support, please contact the High-Speed Aerodynamics Program Manager at aerothermodynamics@us.af.mil. If you do not submit a white paper under this NOFO, you will be ineligible to submit a proposal.

C.1.c. Ineligible Entities

None of the following entity types are eligible to submit proposals as primary award recipients under this announcement.

• Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)

• Department of War (DoW) Laboratories

• Individual persons or people

C.2. COST SHARING

We do not require cost sharing for proposals under this announcement (except as may be required for transactions other than contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements entered into under 10 U.S.C. 4021 and 10 U.S.C. § 4022). Cost sharing is not an evaluation or selection criterion.

C.3. GOLD STANDARD SCIENCE

C.3.a. Definition of Gold Standard Science

Gold Standard Science (GSS): In accordance with Executive Order (E.O.) 14303; GSS is science conducted in a manner that is:

(1) reproducible;

(2) transparent;

(3) communicative of error and uncertainty;

(4) collaborative and interdisciplinary;

(5) skeptical of its findings and assumptions;

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=dc0e04ed18bcc6c499bee1e082d0eaea&amp%3Bamp%3Bmc=true&amp%3Bamp%3Bnode=se2.1.200_1205&amp%3Bamp%3Brgn=div8 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=dc0e04ed18bcc6c499bee1e082d0eaea&amp%3Bamp%3Bmc=true&amp%3Bamp%3Bnode=se2.1.200_1205&amp%3Bamp%3Brgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-22/subpart-D/section-22.410

(6) structured for falsifiability of hypotheses;

(7) subject to unbiased peer review;

(8) accepting negative results as positive outcomes; and,

(9) without conflicts of interest.

C.3.b. Expectation of Adherence to Gold Standard Science

AFOSR expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, integrity and adherence to appropriate tenets of GSS. For more on these standards and DoW expectations, see https://www.cto.mil/gold-standard-science-implementation-plan/.

To demonstrate compliance with E.O. 14332, applications/proposals shall:

(1) Include clear benchmarks for measuring success and progress towards relevant goals and a commitment to achieving GSS;

(2) Identify areas of demonstrating success in implementing GSS; and

(3) Include a commitment to complying with administration policies, procedures, and guidance respecting GSS.

By responding to this NOFO, you explicitly agree to the following statements:

(1) Our institution understands the definition of Gold Standard Science as outlined above.

(2) Our institution and all personnel involved in the proposed project will adhere to all administration policies, procedures, and guidance respecting Gold Standard Science in the execution of this project, if funded.

C.4. OTHER

C.4.a. Acknowledgement of Support and Disclaimer Requirements

You must include the G.2.g. Acknowledgement of Research Support on all materials created or produced under our awards.

You must include the G.2.h. Disclaimer Language on materials as required.

Our award document may provide additional instructions about specific distribution statements to use when you provide research materials to us. You are not eligible to submit a proposal if you cannot accept these terms.

C.4.b. Expectation of Public Dissemination of Research Results

We expect research funded by this announcement will be fundamental. We expect public dissemination of research results if you receive an award. This is a basic requirement for unclassified research results.

We intend, to the fullest extent possible, to make available to the public all unclassified, unlimited peer-reviewed scholarly publications and digitally formatted scientific data arising from research and programs funded wholly or in part by the DoW as described in the OUSW, AT&L Memorandum, “Public Access to Department of Defense-Funded Research” dated 09 Jul 2014.

https://www.cto.mil/gold-standard-science-implementation-plan/ https://www.cto.mil/gold-standard-science-implementation-plan/ https://discover.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/memo_public_access_kendall_20140709.pdf https://discover.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/memo_public_access_kendall_20140709.pdf

We follow DoD Instruction 5230.24 and DoD Instruction 5230.27 policies and procedures to ensure broad dissemination of unclassified research results to the public and within the Government. The DoD Instruction 5230.27 policy and procedures allowing publication and public presentation of unclassified fundamental research results will apply to all research proposed under this competition unless the Program Officer gives you an explicit, written exclusion to these policies with the Grants or Contracting Officer’s advice and consent. All exclusions must be authorized or required by law and must cite a valid legal authority.

You must provide a copy of all peer-reviewed publications developed or produced from research conducted with Air Force and Space Force funds to our Program Officer.

You are not eligible to submit a proposal if you cannot accept these terms, and by your submission, you agree to the terms set forth herein.

C.4.c. Disclosure of Conflict of Commitment and Conflict of Interest

In accordance with 42 U.S.C. § 6605 this announcement requires that all current and pending research support be disclosed at the time of proposal, for all Covered Individuals.

Covered Individuals includes those individuals as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 6605 as well as those who are listed as key personnel on proposals including, but not limited to the principal investigator or co-principal investigators. Such disclosure will be updated annually during the performance of any research project selected for funding, and whenever Covered Individual(s) are added or identified as performing under this project.

Any decision to accept a proposal for funding under this NOFO will include full reliance on the applicant’s statements. Failure to report fully and completely all sources of project support and outside positions and affiliations may be considered a material statement within the meaning of the federal False Claims Act, and constitute a violation of law.

The funding agency must conduct a pre-award conflict of interest/conflict of commitment review of any proposal selected for funding, as defined in the National Security Strategy for United States Government-Supported Research and Development (NSPM-33). Offerors are advised that any significant conflict of interest/conflict of commitment identified may be a basis for the rejection of an otherwise awardable proposal.

(1) General Requirement for Disclosure You and your organization must disclose any potential or actual scientific or non-scientific Conflict of Interest(s) to us. You must also disclose any potential or actual conflict(s) of interest for any subrecipient you include in your proposal.

You must provide enough information for us to evaluate your disclosure. We may have to ask you more questions if we need more information.

At our discretion, we may ask you for a conflict-of-interest mitigation plan after you submit your proposal. Your plan is subject to our approval.

(2) Scientific Conflict of Interest https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523024p.pdf?ver=2020-06-12-112557-280 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523027p.pdf?ver=2019-04-04-095230-883 https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/010422-NSPM-33-Implementation-Guidance.pdf https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/010422-NSPM-33-Implementation-Guidance.pdf

Scientific collaborations on research and development projects are generally the result of close collaboration prior to the submission of applications for support. Accordingly, virtually all of these collaborations might be considered to include a potential conflict of interest. The potential conflict is mitigated by the disclosure of these collaborations, and the list of current and pending support you provide for senior and key researchers.

C.5. AFOSR-SPECIFIC FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH SECURITY REVIEW (FRSR) INFORMATION

(1) Security Risk Review. Each proposal submission will be subject to a risk-based Security Review, (FRSR), prior to selection for award. The FRSR is applied to federally funded research designed to help protect Department of the Air Force Science and Technology (S&T) by identifying possible vectors of undue foreign influence. AFRL will follow all policies and procedures outlined in Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Instruction AFRLI 61-113, Science and Technology Protection for the Air Force Research Laboratory and Department of the Air Force Instruction DAFI 63-101/20-101, Integrated Lifecycle Management. The FRSR will be conducted in accordance with OUSD(R&E)’s “Policy for Risk Based Security Reviews of Fundamental Research.”

(2) Covered Individual.

An individual who contributes to a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of a research and development project proposed to be carried out with a research and development award from a federal research agency; and is designated as a covered individual by the federal research agency concerned. AFOSR further defines that all positions identified in the proposal are Covered Individuals and thereby subject to disclosure requirements and should have a corresponding Standard Disclosure Forms for Biosketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support, and Collaborators and Other Affiliations.

See 42 U.S.C.§ 6605, Definitions. (Note: For purposes of a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) solicitation, “covered individuals” are all Senior/Key Personnel.)

(3) Security risk review for these subject proposals will be developed for all proposed Senior/Key personnel and “Covered Individuals”.

These risk reviews will be based on information disclosed in a Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile and Security Questionnaire. In addition, any accompanying or referenced documents, and publicly available information, will be utilized in risk reviews. Nationality or citizenship is not a factor in the security risk reviews.

(4) External Engagements. When considering all external engagements, AFRL incorporates a holistic decision-making process that encompasses technical and security factors.

The security review method implemented by AFRL measures risk factors to identify the appropriate Risk Acceptance Level (RAL) within the organization. The objective analysis of the security risk factors is conducted to empower AFRL’s S&T leaders to make risk-informed decisions. The review process looks at the risk factors indicated in the most up to date DoD Decision Matrix.

C.5.a. Actions Required by Applicants/Recipients at Proposal Submission

In accordance with AFRLI 61-113, S&T Protection, Applicants/Recipients are required to submit the following documentation with their proposal:

(1) Standard Form 424, “Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile (Expanded) (Included in Application Package for all Covered Individuals);

(2) Common Disclosure Forms: Biosketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support, and Collaborators and Other Affiliations (to be submitted with SF-424);

(3) Security Program Questionnaire (See Appendix 1);

(4) “Privacy Act Statement” consent form for each Covered Individual that is also signed by the Applicants/Recipients as the Individual’s Sponsors (See “Covered Individual” section below and Appendix 2);

(5) Certification(s) of Covered Individual’s Research Security Training.

AFOSR accepts and recommends the Research Security Training module on National Science Foundation (NSF) SECURE website; however, Universities may submit certifications from substantially similar training(s). AFOSR requires all Covered Individuals listed on the application for a research and development award to take the training in the 12 months prior to proposal submission. Upon acceptance of proposal, Covered Individuals must submit and maintain annual certifications showing this course was taken yearly.

(6) Compliance Attestation. You must certify your institution’s compliance with OUSW’s Research Protection policies as articulated in the most up to date OUSW DoD Component Decision Matrix to Inform Research Proposal Mitigation Decisions on official university letterhead, and attest for the duration of the grant that the recipient confirms that the Covered Individuals participating in the grant are:

(1) not actively participating in a malign foreign talent recruitment program (MFTRP); and,

(2) not involved in active collaboration on fundamental research with a Section 1286 Prohibited Entity or employee of a Prohibited Entity.

For example: [The University] certifies that the information provided is current, accurate, and complete. This includes, but is not limited to, information related to current, pending, and other support (both foreign and domestic) as defined in 42 U.S.C. §6605.

[The University] also certifies that, at the time of submission, no Covered Individual listed is a party in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.

[The University] understands that misrepresentations and/or omissions may be subject to prosecution and liability pursuant to, but not limited to, 18 U.S.C.

§§287, 1001, 1031 and 31 U.S.C. §§3729-3733 and 3802.

https://www.nsf.gov/policies/nspm-33/definitions#malign-program

Signature: [Business Office, Provost, Dean, or someone with the authority to legally obligate the University]

Date:

In the event a security risk is identified, and the Government has determined the security risk exceeds the acceptable threshold and cannot be mitigated, the Applicant/Recipient will be notified and informed of the decline of award. The Government will provide an unclassified rationale for any rejection of a proposal due to security risks.

By submission of the required forms, the Applicant/Recipient agrees to comply with the following: To certify that each Covered Individual who is listed on the application has been made aware: 1) of all relevant disclosure requirements, including the requirements of 42 U.S.C. § 6605; and, 2) that false representations may be subject to prosecution and liability pursuant to, but not limited to, 18 U.S.C.§§287, 1001, 1031 and 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733 and 3802. See National Science and Technology Council Guidance for Implementing National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) on National Security Strategy for United States Government-Supported Research and Development (January 2022).

By submitting this application, the proposer’s research institution) Authorized Organizational Representative certifies that all key personnel have completed the Federally mandated research security training (RST). The National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of War (DoW), has provided four online research security training modules as a resource to awardee organizations. Subsequently, the Safeguarding the Entire Community in the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Center developed an updated and condensed version of the four modules. The condensed RST module is designed to meet the Government-wide RST requirement in section 10634 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (as in 42 U.S.C. § 19234). To that end, NSF, NIH, DOE, and DoW all recognize completion of the condensed module as compliant with their respective RST requirements.

Proposers may use any training that aligns with the guidelines set forth by the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, covering topics such as cybersecurity, international collaboration, foreign interference, and rules for the proper use of funds, disclosure, conflict of commitment, and conflict of interest. The condensed training modules developed by the NSF-funded SECURE Center are encouraged and available at https://www.secure-center.org/resources.

C.5.b. Actions Required by Covered Individuals. Federal law requires that all current and pending research support, as defined by 42 U.S.C. §6605, must be disclosed at the time of proposal submission, for all covered individuals.

(1) Research and Related Senior/Key Personnel Profile (Expanded) to include:

• Biosketch Form; and, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/010422-NSPM-33-Implementation-Guidance.pdf https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/010422-NSPM-33-Implementation-Guidance.pdf https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/010422-NSPM-33-Implementation-Guidance.pdf https://www.secure-center.org/resources

• Current and Pending (Other) Support. AFOSR requires information on all current and pending support for ongoing projects and proposals. AFOSR accepts NSF’s Current and Pending (Other) Support, https://www.nsf.gov/policies/nspm-33/common-form-cps. This document contains a list of an individual's proposed and active projects and sources of support. It is used by AFOSR to assess:

• The capacity of the individual to carry out the proposed research.

• Any potential scientific and budgetary overlap or duplication across projects.

• The potential the individual is overcommitting themselves with the proposed project.

What to include in your Current and Pending (Other) Support document:

• A brief outline of the information you will need to include is provided below.

• Identifying information.

• Organization and location.

• Projects/proposals, including the following:

• Project/proposal title.

• Status of support.

• Source of support.

• Primary place of performance.

• Start date.

• End date.

• Total award amount.

• Person-months (or partial person-months) per year committed to the project/proposed project.

• Overall objectives.

• Statement of potential overlap.

• In-kind contributions.

• Certification that the information you've provided is current, accurate and complete.

• Senior/key personnel are required to certify that the information is current, accurate and complete. This includes, but is not limited to, information related to current, pending and other support (both foreign and domestic).

https://www.nsf.gov/policies/nspm-33/common-form-cps https://www.nsf.gov/policies/nspm-33/common-form-cps

(2) Collaborators and Other Affiliations. AFOSR accepts the template format required by NSF applicants, https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/coa_template.xlsx?VersionId=uaz022di3.2KK DC7uauIadw7yeI3Xf.1, for identifying this information. AFOSR uses Collaborators and Other Affiliations information during the merit review process to help manage reviewer selection. To expedite identification of potential reviewers, having a standard, searchable format for this information is essential. If you are using a Microsoft Excel document, you must submit it as a PDF document through Grants.gov. A brief outline of the information you will need to include is provided below.

• Your name and organizational affiliation.

• The names of anyone whose relationship to you precludes their service as a reviewer — including personal, family or business relationships — and what type of relationship you have with them.

• Names and organizational affiliations of your Ph.D. advisor and Ph.D.

thesis advisees.

• Names and organizational affiliations of any co-authors or project collaborators in the last 48 months. Names of editorial boards, editors-in-chief and co-editors you have interacted with in the last 24 months.

Do not list editors or reviewers you have interacted with because of a paper submission.

(3) Certification(s) of Research Security Training. See above, C.4.a(5).

(4) The Government will require an updated disclosure whenever Covered Individuals are added or identified as performing under the funded project.

The Government may require an updated disclosure during the performance of any research project selected for funding.

(5) Covered Individuals are also required to sign the “Privacy Act Statement” and provide such signed statement to the Applicant/Recipient for submission with the proposal. (See Appendix 2).

Any decision to accept a proposal for funding under this announcement will include full reliance on the individual’s statements. Failure to report fully and completely all sources of project support and outside positions and affiliations may be considered a material statement within the meaning of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729, and constitute a violation of Federal law.

C.5.c. Actions required by Applicants/Recipients during period of performance

(1) Applicant/Recipient will utilize a section of the Research Progress

Performance Report (RPPR) to provide disclosure updates for Senior/Key Research Personnel and Covered Individuals. In addition, whenever a new covered individual(s) is to be added or identified as performing under the funded project, a new Research and Related Senior and Key Personal Profile (Expanded), Biosketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support, and Collaborators and Other

Affiliations forms and disclosures will be required prior to continued performance.

If, at any time, during performance of this award, the Applicant/Recipient learns that its Senior/Key Research Personnel and/or Covered Individual (including any sub awardee personnel who receive this designation) are or are believed to be participants in a Foreign Government Talent Program or have Foreign Components with a strategic competitor or country with a history of targeting U.S. technology for unauthorized transfer, the Applicant/Recipient will notify the Contracting/Grants/Agreements Officer within five (5) business days of awareness. Foreign Component is defined as performing any significant scientific aspect of a project outside the United States. This applies whether the activity is conducted by the recipient or a researcher at a foreign organization, regardless of whether grant funds are used.

(2) This disclosure must include specific information as to…