FOA-AFRL-AFOSR-2024-0006 CB.docx

AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT #

FOAAFRLAFOSR20240006

FY24 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE

COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) –

CAPACITY BUILDING (CB)

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) – Capacity Building opportunity. The program is sponsored and managed by the Basic Research Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD [R&E]), awarded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The DoD plans to award FY24 DEPSCoR appropriations through this announcement.

DEPSCoR's objectives are to: (1) increase the number of university researchers in eligible States/Territories capable of performing science and engineering (S&E) research responsive to the needs of the DoD; (2) enhance the capabilities of institutions of higher education (IHEs) in eligible States/Territories (listed below) to develop, plan, and execute S&E research that is relevant to the mission of the DoD, and competitive under the peer-review systems used for awarding Federal research assistance; and (3) increase the probability of long-term growth in the competitively awarded financial assistance that IHEs in eligible States/Territories receive from the Federal Government for S&E research.

Consistent with these longterm objectives of building research infrastructure, the DoD intends to competitively make, and fund from fiscal year 2024 appropriations, multiyear awards for capacity building in IHEs with basic research areas relevant to the DoD’s mission and which are important to national security.

This funding opportunity aims to support the strategic objectives of IHEs (either individually or in partnership with others) in DEPSCoR States/Territories to achieve basic research excellence in areas of high relevance to the DoD.

IHEs in the following States/Territories are eligible to apply for this DEPSCoR opportunity under this announcement: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Hyperlinks have been embedded within this document and appear as underlined and 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).

SUMMARY OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

1. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY NAME

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

2. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE

Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) –Capacity Building (CB)

3. ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE

Initial Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

4. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER

FOAAFRLAFOSR20240006

5. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA)

NUMBER(S)

12.431 – Basic Scientific Research

6. KEY DATES

Schedule of Events

RunGrants website open for White Paper submission (https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor)

DEPSCoR Webinar For details and registration, please visit (https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor)

RunGrants Registration (strongly suggested by) Cut-off date for Q&As with Program Officers

White Paper and Supporting Documentation submission on RunGrants website (https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor) (required by)

Full Proposal Submission (by invitation only) electronically on Grants.gov website (submitted by)

Notification of Selection for Award

Table of Contents

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

OBJECTIVES

The aim of DEPSCoR – Capacity Building is to improve the research capabilities at institutions of higher education (IHEs) in eligible States/Territories to perform competitive basic research in science and engineering that is relevant to the DoD mission and reflect national security priorities. As defined in the DoD Financial Management Regulation:

Basic research is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. It is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological progress (DoD 7000.14-R, vol. 2B, chap. 5, para. 1.5.1)

The DoD’s basic research program invests broadly in many scientific fields to ensure that it has early cognizance of new scientific knowledge.

To address the program’s aim, DEPSCoR – Capacity Building (CB) objectives are to:

· Jumpstart capability development in the State/Territory through increased human, technical, and management resources.

· Achieve excellence in a DoD-relevant basic research area through funding to support equipment, education, research, and other relevant activities.

Authority for a grant award under this announcement is established in 10 U.S.C. 4001 for basic research. Authority for DEPSCoR specifically was established in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995, and has subsequently been amended and reauthorized over the years since (see specifically 10 U.S.C. 4010 referring to DEPSCoR in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024). Grants awarded under this program are intended to support the strategic objectives of IHEs (either individually or in partnership with others) in DEPSCoR States/Territories to achieve basic research excellence in areas of high relevance to the DoD. The intent of this DEPSCoR-Capacity Building effort is to foster new, strategic, multi-thrust efforts to increase basic research capacity in DoD-relevant research areas at the applicant IHE. DEPSCoR-Capacity Building is an opportunity for Executive Offices of IHEs in DEPSCoR states and territories to develop strategic plans to grow and expand basic research capacity at the IHE, and to use that capacity to outreach to the surrounding DEPSCoR region, with a long-term goal to compete and contribute more effectively in the DoD basic research enterprise. Innovative approaches to improving basic research capacity beyond the initial seed capacity of the IHE are highly encouraged. DEPSCoR-Capacity Building is less interested in plans that do not seek to significantly improve and expand the existing seed capacity and thrusts already ongoing at the applicant IHE. Applied research proposals are not responsive to this call.

Structuring of proposals will vary depending on technical field, basic research gaps and capabilities addressed, and geographic region.

Definitions:

Seed Capacity – existing expertise and capability to perform basic research in the selected research areas. Examples of seed capacity include initial pilot research, expertise, personnel, research facilities, and educational efforts.

Basic Research Capacity Gap – A deficiency or missing element of your existing capacity that the IHE wishes to enhance to achieve basic research excellence and competitiveness in a DoD-relevant technical field.

Capacity Building – the improvement of basic research capacity at the IHE through the acquisition of equipment, new faculty hires, educational initiatives, basic research plans, and other activities that synergistically improve the basic research capabilities in a DoD-relevant area for the IHE. Capacity building is not the incremental improvement, centralization, or the reorganization of existing recognized basic research capability capacity at an IHE.

Sustainment of Basic Research Capacity - activities to support the new basic research capacity beyond DEPSCoR funding A sustainment plan may include tactical activities, such as maintaining newly acquired core equipment through user fees, but also must include more strategic elements, such as seeking alternative funding sources or leveraging additional DoD, academic, or commercial interests to further the increased basic research capacity for the IHE and the surrounding region.

Applicants must be aware of the following expectations of the DEPSCoR-Capacity Building program:

1. Applications must identify current seed capacity and the basic research capacity gaps which are inhibiting basic research excellence and competitiveness.

2. Applications must articulate thrusts to full the basic research capacity gaps identified at the IHE and the required capabilities that need to be developed at the applicant IHE to achieve full and competitive basic research capability in DoD-relevant research areas.

3. Applications must present a strategic plan to sustain the enhanced basic research capacity after the DEPSCoR award period of performance and must discuss regional outreach and partnerships.

4. Applications must present a management plan for coordinating multiple thrusts working on a common basic research theme that will fill the capacity gaps and develop new basic research capabilities. These thrusts could include but are not limited to purchasing new equipment, supporting new hires, and support for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Adequate provision for substantive commitment by the IHE’s executive offices and appropriate administrative support is an important factor contributing to the success of this Capacity Building effort.

5. Applications (at the Full Proposal Stage) must include Letters of Recommendation for Commitment / Endorsement as noted below and in SECTION IV.D.3.p:

a) Letters of recommendation from any regional partners that may benefit from or contribute to the success of your proposed activity (industry, non-profit, other IHEs, etc.). (Required)

b) Any current or planned support from the state or region, financial or otherwise. (Not Required)

TEAM COMPOSITION

The proposal must be led by a member of the IHE’s executive staff such as the Vice-President for Research who will serve as the Team Lead, henceforth referred to as the Applicant. The composition of the team will look different depending on the application, but key participants and proposed subawardees must be identified at the time of application. All key personnel must hold appointments at an IHE in a DEPSCoR eligible state.

Applicant institutions are limited to no more than one application under this FOA.

DoD RELEVANT AREAS

Applications must address one or more of the technical basic research areas outlined in the Services (Army Research Office [ARO], Office of Naval Research [ONR], and Air Force Office of Scientific Research [AFOSR]) broad agency announcements (BAA). Please refer to the websites cited below for detailed technical information and goals for the Services.

Army Research Office (ARO) https://arl.devcom.army.mil/who-we-are/aro/ Select “Collaborate with Us”; find “Funded Research”; select “Learn More”; and then “Broad Agency Announcements (BAA)” to see the most recent BAA: https://arl.devcom.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/DEVCOM-ARL-BAA_W911NF23S0001-Amendment-2b.pdf

Office of Naval Research (ONR) https://www.nre.navy.mil/ Select “Work With Us”; select “Funding Opportunities”; select “announcements section”; and then select FY24 Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology, N00014-24-S-B001 Amendment 2.

Navigate to https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research for a list of ONR-sponsored research. Select a technology area which will provide program officer and specific program details.

Navigate to https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research for a list of ONR-sponsored research. Select a technology area which will provide program officer and specific program details.

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/

Select “Funding Opportunities” then select “see the latest BAAs. On grants.gov search using keyword(s) “Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research” to see the latest core announcement. The current funding opportunity number for general research interests is FA9550-23-S-0001.

FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

The Basic Research Office anticipates up to $6 million in total funding will be made available for this program to fully fund and award between one to four grants up to $1.5 million (total cost) each. Each grant award will be funded up to $750,000 (total cost) per year for two (2) years.

The award is subject to funding availability. The Basic Research Office reserves the right to select and fund for award all, some, part, or none of the proposals received. There is no guarantee of an award.

Cost sharing or matching is not required or considered as an evaluation criterion, but you may propose voluntary committed cost sharing or matching; for example, additional support for students. Any voluntary committed cost-sharing amount will be included in the total award value.

The DEPSCoR Capacity Building award is to an IHE. However, should there be any changes to the Team Lead for the capacity building effort, these changes must be proposed, reviewed, and approved by the DEPSCoR Program Manager and Basic Research Office at least 30 days in advance.

The award start date is determined at the time of award but is most likely projected for a JUNE 2025 start date.

Authority for award under this competition is established in 10 U.S.C. 4001 for basic research. Regulations, terms, and conditions that will apply to the award can be found in Section VI. Federal Award Administration Information.

ADDITIONAL DEPSCoR FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to this DEPSCoR - Capacity Building FOA, the Basic Research Office anticipates funding up to 25 awards under the DEPSCoR – Research Collaboration FOA # FOA-AFRL-AFOSR-2024-0006 to support collaborative research activities in DoD-relevant fields. This additional competitive research funding is separate from this announcement and is also set aside for researchers at IHEs in DEPSCoR eligible States/Territories.

You are strongly encouraged to examine and apply directly to this opportunity as well. The full FOA can be found on Grants.gov

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

1. You are eligible to submit an application if you are a qualified and responsible IHE and in a DEPSCoR eligible State/Territory as listed in the table below. Applicant institutions are limited to no more than one application under this FOA.

2. All activities supported by a DEPSCoR award must be performed in a DEPSCoR eligible State/Territory. Funding support for the Applicant and any potential subawardees is limited to those with addresses within one or more DEPSCoR eligible States/Territories.

3. The Team Lead must be a member of the IHE’s executive staff such as the Vice-President of Research and be employed in a DEPSCoR eligible State/Territory.

IHE in 38 States/Territories are eligible to receive awards under this announcement.

IHEs do not need to submit proposals through an EPSCoR State Committee in response to this announcement. Awards made as a result of this announcement will be limited to IHE in States/Territories that are eligible under the DEPSCoR program authority.

STATES/TERRITORIES DoD HAS DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR FY24 DEPSCoR AWARDS[footnoteRef:1] [1: The average annual amount of all DoD obligations for S&E research and development that were in effect with IHEs in the state/territory for the three fiscal years preceding the fiscal year for which the designation is effective or for the last three fiscal years for which statistics are available is less than the amount determined by multiplying 60 percent times the amount equal to 1/50 of the total average annual amount of all DoD obligations for S&E research and development that were in effect with IHEs in the U.S. for such three preceding or last fiscal years, as the case may be.]

West Virginia

The Basic Research Office and AFOSR will 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 200.206 and 32 CFR 22.410 to assess risk posed by applicants, and to confirm applicants are qualified, responsible, and eligible to receive an award.

INELIGIBLE ENTITIES

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

1. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)

2. Federal agencies (to include Military Educational Institutions)

COST SHARING OR MATCHING

We do not require cost sharing or matching for proposals under this announcement. Cost sharing is not an evaluation or selection criterion.

OTHER

Acknowledgment of Support and Disclaimer Requirements

· You must include the VI.C.3. Acknowledgment of Research Support on all materials created or produced under our awards.

· The VI.C.4. Disclaimer Language for Research Materials and Publications must be included 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 White Paper or Full Proposal if you cannot accept these terms.

Expectation of Public Dissemination of Research Results

We expect research funded by this announcement will be basic research. 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 DoD as described in the OUSD Memorandum, “Public Access to Department of Defense-Funded Research” dated 9 JULY 2014.

We follow DoDI 5230.24 and DoDI 5230.27 policies and procedures to ensure broad dissemination of unclassified research results to the public and within the Government. The DoDI 5230.27 policy and procedures allowing publication and public presentation of unclassified fundamental research results, and DoDD 5230.25 policy and procedures regarding withholding of unclassified technical data from public disclosure, will apply to all research proposed under this competition unless the Basic Research Office gives you an explicit, written exclusion to these policies with the Grants 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 DoD funds to the Basic Research Office.

You are not eligible to submit a White Paper or Full Proposal if you cannot accept these terms.

Conflict of Interest (COI) / Conflict of Commitment (COC)

Definitions

· Conflict of interest (financial conflict of interest): is a situation in which an individual, or the individual’s spouse or dependent children, has a financial interest or financial relationship that could directly and significantly affect the design, conduct, reporting, or funding of research.[footnoteRef:2] [2: The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Enhancing the Security, and Integrity of America’s Research Enterprise (Washington, D.C.: June 23, 2020). ]

· Conflict of commitment (non-financial conflict of interest): is a situation in which an individual accepts or incurs conflicting obligations between or among multiple employers or other entities. Many institutional policies define conflicts of commitment as conflicting commitments of time and effort, including obligations to dedicate time in excess of institutional obligations, including obligations to improperly share information with, or withhold information from, an employer or funding agency, can also threaten research security and integrity, and are an element of a broader concept of conflicts of commitment.[footnoteRef:3] [3: The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Enhancing the Security, and Integrity of America’s Research Enterprise (Washington, D.C.: June 23, 2020). ]

General Requirement for Disclosure

You and your IHE must disclose any potential or actual scientific or nonscientific COI/COC to us. You must also disclose any potential or actual COI/COC for any sub-recipient 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.

Any decision to accept a proposal for funding under this announcement will include full reliance on your disclosures. Failure to report fully and completely all sources of project support and outside positions and affiliations may be considered a materials statement within the meaning of the federal False Claims Act and constitute a violation of law.

The funding agency may conduct a pre-award COI/COC review of any proposal selected for funding, as defined in NSPM-33. Any significant COI/COC identified may be a basis for the rejection of an otherwise awardable proposal.

At our discretion, we may ask you for a COI/COC mitigation plan after you submit your proposal. Your plan is subject to our approval.

Scientific COI/COC

Scientific collaborations on research and development projects are generally the result of close collaboration prior to the submission of applications for support. Accordingly, these collaborations should be given consideration for potential conflicts of interest and commitment, and any undue influence on the integrity of research, national security, and economic security. A potential conflict is mitigated by the appropriate disclosure of these collaborations, foreign affiliations, associations, and activities, and the list of current and pending support you provide for senior and key researchers for both prime and sub-recipients.

Examples that increase risk and can harm the DoD research enterprise.

Failures to disclose:

· Financial conflicts of interest (both domestic and foreign)

· Conflicts of commitment

· External employment arrangements

· Financial support that overlaps with U.S. funding

· Shadow laboratories or other parallel research activities

· Diversion of intellectual property

· Peer review violations

Examples of Behaviors that May Violate Laws:

· Theft or diversion of materials and intellectual capital

· Grant fraud

APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

The application and submission process is completed in three stages:

1. Completed online registration via RunGrants. (Required)

2. White Paper submission via RunGrants. (Required)

3. Full Proposal Submission Package. (via grants.gov – Required) (This is by invitation only. Must include invitation email as an attachment in block 20 of the SF424.)

ONLINE REGISTRATION VIA RunGrants

The RunGrants Online submission portal opens on Wednesday, 3 April 2024. It is strongly encouraged that you register on the RunGrants website no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, 6 June 2024 (see Section IV.G.5 Submission Dates and Times).

Note: If you previously registered at the nVision portal, you would need to update your user account using the same user email in the RunGrants portal. You will be asked to update your user account with two-factor authentication. Please see the RunGrants website for more details on this process (https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor).

While registration in RunGrants and submission of your White Paper can be done at the same time, we HIGHLY recommend that you register in RunGrants and submit your White Paper and supporting documentation well before the deadline in case you encounter any questions or problems.

There are two DEPSCoR competitions running concurrently. Make sure you are applying for this DEPSCoR – Capacity Building FOA # FOA-AFRL-AFOSR-2024-0006

WHITE PAPER AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTION

SUBMISSION

White Papers are a MANDATORY component for this three-stage application and submission process to minimize the labor and cost associated with the production of detailed proposals that have very little chance of being selected for funding.

If you do not register and submit a White Paper before the due dates and times, you will not be eligible to participate in the remaining Full Proposal submission process and are not eligible for funding.

To submit White Papers and Supporting Documentation, you are strongly encouraged to register on RunGrants (https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor) by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, 6 June 2024(see Section IV.G.5 Submission Dates and Times).

White Papers and Supporting Documentation must be submitted to RunGrants (https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor) by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Monday, 10 June 2024 (see Section IV.G.5 Submission Dates and Times).

The submission process could take several minutes depending on the network connection and the size of the file being submitted. You are responsible for allowing enough time to complete the online form, uploading the documents, and pressing the submit button before the deadline. An e-mail confirmation will be sent to the Applicant upon receipt of the submission.

Documents submitted after the deadline or found to be non-compliant will not be reviewed.

Evaluation of the White Paper will be issued via email notification. You are ineligible to submit a Full Proposal package under this FOA if your White Paper was not identified as being of “particular value” to the DoD.

Only electronic submissions will be accepted and reviewed.

CONTENT AND FORMAT OF THE WHITE PAPER

1. Pre-White Paper Inquiries and Questions

For help with technical and programmatic matters, please submit your questions in writing by email to the Basic Research Office DEPSCoR Program Manager identified in section VII.A TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC INQUIRIES AND QUESTIONS. All technical and programmatic discussions must take place prior to White Paper submission. After the White Paper deadline, applicants may no longer contact the DEPSCoR Program Manager.

If you have general questions about this announcement or administrative matters, please submit your questions in writing by email to the Grants Officer (see section VII.B GENERAL INQUIRIES AND QUESTIONS).

The Basic Research Office does not have the authority to make commitments. Grants Officers acting within their warranted capacity are the only people authorized to make commitments for the Government.

White Paper (as a whole)

White Papers submitted under this FOA are expected to be unclassified; classified proposals are not permitted.

All White Paper submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable law and DoD regulations. You are expected to appropriately mark each page of the submission that contains proprietary information.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Titles given to White Papers should be descriptive of the basic research capacity building activities they cover and not be merely a copy of a topic title from one of the technical research areas outlined in the Services’ BAAs.

Applicants must submit a single White Paper with the following four (4) components:

(1) Cover Page

(2) Abstract

(3) Capacity Building Narrative

(4) CVs (2-page limit each) for the Team Lead and any subawardees

Marking Requirements for Confidential Proprietary Information

You must mark the White Paper sections that contain proprietary or confidential information. However, under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requirements, some or all proposal information may be subject to release.

Your entire White Paper, or any portions thereof, without protective markings or otherwise identified as requiring protection will be considered voluntarily furnished to us without restriction and will be treated as such for all purposes. White Papers may be disclosed to reviewers for training purposes in future competitions.

White Paper Package

The due date for receipt of White Papers is by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Monday, 10 June 2024(see Section IV.G.5 Submission Dates and Times). White Papers received after the published deadline will not be considered under any circumstance. Early submission of White Papers is welcomed and encouraged.

All documents in the White Paper package must be submitted in PDF format in compliance with the guidelines and file naming convention below. When submitting the White Paper, you must upload the following as one (1) PDF file:

(1) White Paper (required):

a. Cover page (one (1) page limit, single-sided): Include all key personnel names and IHE affiliations. Per Section I.C, applications must address, at a minimum, one of the technical basic research areas outlined in the Services’ broad agency announcements (BAAs). Multiple BAA numbers and research areas are acceptable. The relevant BAA number(s) and research area(s) addressed by your application should be listed on the cover page. For example:

a. ONR N00014-24-S-B001, Amendment 2, Basic Physiological Sciences

b. ARL W911NF-23-S-001, Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMP)

c. AFOSR FA9550-23-S-0001, Energy, Combustion, and Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics

Do not cite the FY24 DEPSCoR Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) as a BAA number. Your application will be considered ineligible if at least one Service BAA number and research area are not included. Include a protective legend for proprietary information, if applicable.

b. Abstract (not to exceed 500 words): Describe the overall approach to achieving the strategic objectives of your IHE to achieve basic research excellence in areas of high relevance to the DoD. The abstract must be submitted without proprietary restrictions. Therefore, this non-proprietary abstract must be a version that is releasable under the Freedom of Information Act without changes.

c. Capacity Building Narrative (six (6) page limit, single-sided): Your White Paper must clearly describe your IHE’s strategic objectives to achieve basic research excellence in an area of high relevance to the DoD. Please review the PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (I.A-C), including the OBJECTIVES and DEFINITIONS, of this FOA carefully when composing the Narrative. The Capacity Building Narrative should include:

a. Existing seed research capability.

b. Strategic vision for building basic research capacity at the IHE including programmatic, academic, educational, and technical gaps and the specific thrusts that will be pursued to fill those gaps to build the competitive research capacity.

c. Your complete team composition and potential partners.

d. Management plan for implementing the multi-thrust effort at the applicant IHE.

e. The potential for long-term sustainment of the desired research capability.

f. Estimated budget, showing anticipated allocation of funds among different categories of expenditures for the proposed capacity building project. These categories could include, but are not limited to, potential IHE faculty hires, research projects, IHE Departmental or programmatic educational or academic initiatives, equipment, IHE outreach to regional partners, or activities to sustain the proposed increased research capacity at the IHE.

d. Identify anticipated human subject or vertebrate animal subject research (one (1) page limit, single-sided) (where applicable).

e. Curricula Vitae (CV) (two (2) page limit, single-sided each): Provide a CV for the Team Lead and any subawardees. All key personnel must hold appointments at an IHE in a DEPSCoR eligible state/territory. The CV should include educational degrees, organizational affiliations, academic, professional or institutional appointments, whether or not remuneration is received, and whether full-time, part-time, or voluntary, paid consulting that falls outside of an individual’s appointment, separate from the institution’s agreement, relevant experience, collaborations, publications, foreign affiliations, associations, and activities, and a list of current and pending funding support received in the area of interest, and any previous involvement and experiences with the DoD.

White Paper components must be submitted in the following format as a single PDF file with the following naming convention:

· IHE NAME_DEPSCoR_FY24CB

Documents must be submitted in the following format as one (1) PDF file:

· Paper Size – 8.5 x 11-inch paper

· Margins – 1 inch

· Spacing – single-spaced

· Font – Times New Roman, 12 point

· Use the file naming convention specified above.

Concurrent submission of a proposal to other organizations will not prejudice review. Send any changes as they become known.

FULL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PACKAGE

1. Full Proposal Packages will only be accepted from applicants invited to submit proposals.

All the application forms you need are available electronically on Grants.gov. From the “View Grant Opportunity” page, you can click on the “Package” tab to download the application package. These same application forms will also be available in the “Related Documents” tab to download individually.

We will not issue paper copies of this announcement.

Full Proposal packages must be submitted electronically on Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, 12 November 2024 in response to this solicitation (see Section IV.G.5 Submission Dates and Times).

Please contact us to request a reasonable accommodation for any accessibility requirements you may have.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. The application as a whole

You must submit your full proposal electronically through Grants.gov. We will not accept or evaluate any proposal submitted by any means other than through Grants.gov. We must receive your proposal before the IV.G.1. Proposal Submission Deadline.

DO NOT password protect any attachments.

You must use the electronic Standard Form (SF) 424 Research and Related (R&R) Form Family, OMB Number 4040-0001. The SF 424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance form must be your cover page. No pages may precede the SF 424 (R&R). You must mark your application with the FOA number.

b. A summary of what is required for a complete proposal is summarized below:

· We require the forms and attachments in bold text with all applications

· Some applications require the attachments in italic

· We provide more instructions in IV.D.3. Component Pieces of the Application

R&R FORM,

OMB No. 4040-0001

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) (If Applicable)

Invitation email to submit a Full Proposal (Required)

(Not Required)

R&R Other Project Information Form (Required)

(If Applicable)

Facilities and Other Resources (If Applicable)

Data Management Plan (Optional) Letters of Recommendation for Commitment / Endorsement (Required)

R&R Senior/Key Person Profile Form Expanded (Required) Biographical Sketch (Required)

Current & Pending Support (Required)

R&R Budget Form (Required)

Budget Justification (Required)

R&R Subaward Budget (If Applicable) Attachments Form

Subaward Budget Justification (If Applicable)

R&R Project/Performance Site Locations Form (Required) None

The SF 424 (R&R) must include the signature of an authorized representative from your IHE. The signature is affixed electronically by Grants.gov upon submission. This signature is considered the signature for the application as a whole.

c. Proposal Format

· Paper Size – 8.5 x 11-inch paper

· Margins – 1 inch

· Spacing – 1.5-line spacing

· Font – Times New Roman, 12 point

· Page Limitation – Please see proposal length below

· Content – As described below

d. Proposal Length

Your required Publicly Releasable Project Summary/Abstract must not exceed 500 words. Your Capacity Building Plan (Required) section must not exceed ten (10) single-sided pages.

Your Team Composition and Management Plan (Required) section must not exceed five (5) single-sided pages. The optional Data Management Plan must not exceed two (2) single-sided pages. We will not consider more than the maximum number of pages in our evaluation.

You must not include elaborate brochures, reprints, or presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal.

We created this table to help you understand how to calculate your page count.

INCLUDED

IN PAGE COUNT

NOT INCLUDED

IN PAGE COUNT

Publicly Releasable Project Summary/Abstract (Required) must not exceed 500 words

Capacity Building Plan (Required) must not exceed ten (10) single-sided pages

Team Composition and Management Plan (Required) must not exceed five (5) single-sided pages

Data Management Plan (Optional) must not exceed two (2) single-sided pages

Everything else

You must include enough budget related information in your Full Proposal to support your costs as necessary, reasonable, allocable, realistic, and in compliance with 2 CFR 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles

Not having enough information in your Full Proposal to understand if your costs are necessary, allowable, reasonable, allocable, and realistic is the most common reason awards are delayed.

e. Marking Requirements for Confidential or Proprietary Information

You must mark the proposal sections that contain proprietary or confidential information. However, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requirements, some or all proposal information may be subject to release.

Your entire proposal, or any portions thereof, without protective markings or otherwise identified as requiring protection will be considered voluntarily furnished to us without restriction and will be treated as such for all purposes.

f. Advance Preparation for Electronic Submission through Grants.gov

Your Full Proposal must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. You should verify that the person authorized to submit proposals for your organization has completed Grants.gov registration well in advance of the submission deadline. Grants.gov electronic proposal submissions cannot be accomplished before your organization is fully registered. Registration with Grants.gov may take up to twenty-one (21) days. From January 21, 2023, the registration and authentication process for the EBiz POC (Electronic Business Point of Contact) has changed. Details on account management can be found here: https://grantsgovprod.wordpress.com/2022/12/14/improvements-to-ebiz-account-management/.

· A Grants.gov getting started checklist is available at: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/grant-applications/how-to-apply-for-grants

· Guidance for registering with Grants.gov as an organization may be found at: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration

· Questions relating to the Grants.gov registration process, system requirements, how an application works, or the proposal submittal process can be answered by email at support@grants.gov, telephone at 1-800-518-4726, or at https://www.grants.gov/support

· An active System for Award Management (SAM) registration and SAM issued Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) are required to register through Grants.gov Section IV.F.1 SAM Registration Required provides more information.

3. Component Pieces of the Application

IMPORTANT NOTE: Titles given to proposals should be descriptive of the basic research capacity building activities they cover and not be merely a copy of the topic title from one of the technical research areas outlined in the Services’ BAAs.

a. SF-424 Form (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance (Required)

The SF 424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance form must be your cover page. No pages may precede the SF 424 (R&R).

Complete all required fields in accordance with the “pop-up” instructions on the SF 424 (R&R) form. You can turn on Grants.gov “Help Mode” to provide additional instructions for forms. “Help Mode” is turned on by the icon with the pointer and question mark at the top of the form.

We have special instructions for completion of several SF 424 (R&R) form fields in your application.

Our instructions are:

For block 4.b. Agency Routing Identifier – you may leave blank For block 4.c. Previous Grants.gov Tracking ID – If this submission is for a changed/corrected application, enter the Grants.gov tracking number of the previous proposal submission; otherwise, leave blank.

If you have lobbying activity that you must disclose under 31 U.S.C. 1352 as implemented by the DoD in 32 CFR Part 28, you must attach the completed Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) to field 18 of the SF 424 (R&R). Instructions for completing this form are available here. If you do not have lobbying activities to disclose, you do not need to complete the SF-LLL.

Grants Certifications (Required) You must attach your completed Grants Certifications Report from SAM.gov to field 18 of the SF 424 (R&R).

Concatenate these documents, if necessary, into a single document and attach the concatenated document into Field 18.

b. R&R Other Project Information Form (Required)

Complete this form as indicated. You must include all necessary attachments. Additional guidance on each field on the form is located here.

5.

5.a.

Is the research performance site designated, or eligible to be designated, as a historic place? Select “Yes” or “No”.

If you checked the “Yes” box indicating any performance site is designated, or eligible to be designated, as a historic place, provide the explanation in Block 5.a.

6.

6.a.

6.b.

Does this project involve activities outside of the United States or partnerships with international collaborators? Select “Yes” or “No”.

If you checked the “Yes” box, identify the countries with which international cooperative activities are involved.

Enter an explanation for involvement with outside entities (optional).

Attach your IV.D.3.k. R&R Sub-award Budget Attachments Form to field 12 (If Applicable).

Attach your IV.D.3.o. Data Management Plan to field 12 (Optional) Attach your IV.D.3.p. Letters of Recommendation to field 12 (Required).

c. Publicly Releasable Project Summary/Abstract (Required)

You must attach the Project Summary/Abstract to field 7 of the R&R Other Project Information form.

You must provide a concise abstract no more than 500 words with your Full Proposal. Do not include proprietary or confidential information. The project summary/abstract must be marked by the applicant as “Approved for Public Release.” The abstract should use terms the public can understand to describe the capacity building research objective, technical approach, anticipated outcome, and potential impact of the specific research.

Use only characters available on a standard QWERTY keyboard. Spell out all Greek letters, other non-English letters, and symbols. Graphics are not allowed.

Abstracts of all funded research projects will be posted on the public DTIC website: https://discover.dtic.mil/

d. Project Narrative – Capacity Building and Team Composition and Management Plans (Required)

You must attach the Project Narrative – Capacity Building and Team Composition and Management Plans to field 8 of the R&R Other Project Information Form. Concatenate these documents, if necessary, into a single document and attach the concatenated document to field 8.

Your project narrative will be evaluated using the criteria listed in section…