FOAAFRLAFOSR20240001 - Amendment 2.pdf

AFOSR: FOAAFRLAFOSR20240001

ARO: W911NF24S0001

ONR: N0001424SF001

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD)

FISCAL YEAR 2025

DEFENSE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM (DURIP)

AFOSR: FOAAFRLAFOSR20240001

ARO: W911NF24S0001

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE

Friday, February 16, 2024, at 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

SPECIAL NOTE: Applications must be ‘VALIDATED’ by Grants.gov by the application deadline which can take up to 48 hours after successful submission. See Timely Receipt

Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission.

Amendment 2 updates the FY25 DURIP Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) for AFOSR from FOAAFRLAFOSR20240000 to FOAAFRLAFOSR20240001 throughout and adds a link for ONR research interests to the chart on page 8.

INQUIRIES AND QUESTIONS DEADLINE

Friday, January 19, 2024

Army Research Office

Office of Naval Research

Air Force Office of Scientific Research in cooperation with

The Office of the Director for Basic Research in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense

ARO: W911NF24S0001

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

The Department of Defense (DoD announces the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP).

DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of accredited United States (U.S.) institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation.

For-profit organizations are not eligible for DURIP funding. We refer to eligible institutions of higher education as universities in the rest of this announcement.

DURIP is part of the University Research Initiative (URI).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants should be alert for any amendments that may modify the announcement. Amendments to the original funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will be posted to the Grants.gov Webpage: https://www.grants.gov/.

SUMMARY FUNDING OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

1. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY NAMES

This Department of Defense program is administered by three (3) agencies:

Army Research Office (ARO)

Office of Naval Research (ONR)

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

2. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE

Fiscal Year 2025 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)

3. ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE

Amendment 2

4. ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER

AFOSR: FOAAFRLAFOSR20240001

ARO: W911NF24S0001

5. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBERS

12.431 Basic Scientific Research (ARO)

12.300 Basic and Applied Research (ONR)

12.800 Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (AFOSR)

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2021-title20/pdf/USCODE-2021-title20-chap28-subchapI-partA-sec1001.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2021-title20/pdf/USCODE-2021-title20-chap28-subchapI-partA-sec1001.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2021-title20/pdf/USCODE-2021-title20-chap28-subchapI-partA-sec1001.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2021-title20/pdf/USCODE-2021-title20-chap28-subchapI-partA-sec1001.pdf https://www.grants.gov/

ARO: W911NF24S0001

6. KEY DATES

Pre-proposal inquiries and questions must be submitted not later than Friday, January 19, 2024

Proposals must be received electronically through Grants.gov by Friday, February 16, 2024, at 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.

ARO: W911NF24S0001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

SUMMARY FUNDING OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

1. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY NAMES

2. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE

3. ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE

4. ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER

5. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBERS

6. KEY DATES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

2. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

3. OTHER

a. Types of Equipment and Instrumentation Eligible

b. Amount of Requested DoD Funding – $50,000 to $3,000,000 Unless Excepted

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. ELECTRONIC DELIVERY

2. HOW TO REGISTER TO APPLY THROUGH GRANTS.GOV

a. Instructions

b. Electronic Signature

3. HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE ADMINISTERING AGENCIES VIA GRANTS.GOV

a. Create a Workspace

b. Complete a Workspace

c. Submit a Workspace

d. Track a Workspace

4. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

a. Pre-Proposal Inquiries and Questions Encouraged

b. The Application as a Whole

ARO: W911NF24S0001

c. Proposal Format

d. Proposal Length

e. Disclosure of Conflict of Commitment and Conflict of Interest

f. Electronic Form and Proposal Attachments

g. Marking of Proposals with Confidential or Proprietary Information

h. Submission to Multiple Administering Agencies

i. Advance Preparation for Electronic Submission through Grants.gov

5. COMPONENT PIECES OF THE APPLICATION

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

b. SFLLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

c. R&R Other Project Information Form

d. Publicly Releasable Project Summary/Abstract

e. Project Narrative

f. Bibliography and References Cited

g. Facilities and Other Resources

h. R&R Senior/Key Person Profile Form

i. R&R Personal Data Form

j. R&R Budget Form

k. Budget Justification

l. R&R Project/Performance Site Locations Form

m. Information Successful Applicants Must Submit After Selection for a Possible Award

6. UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI), CAGE, AND SYSTEM FOR AWARDMANAGEMENT (SAM)

a. SAM Registration Required

b. Questions about SAM Registration and Updates

c. Consequences of Non-Compliance with SAM Registration Requirements

7. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

a. Pre-Proposal Inquiries and Questions Deadline

b. How Submission Time for Pre-Proposal Inquiries and Questions is Determined

c. Effect of Missing Pre-Proposal Inquiries and Questions Deadlines

d. Proposal Submission Deadline

e. Grants.gov Tracking Number is Application Receipt

f. Effect of Missing the Proposal Submission Deadline

8. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

ARO: W911NF24S0001

9. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

a. Award Value Limits and Exceptions

b. DURIP Specific Funding Restrictions

c. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

d. Pre-Award Costs

e. Other Submission Requirements

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. CRITERIA

a. Evaluation Criteria

b. No further evaluation criterion or criteria will be used for proposal selection

2. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

a. Merit-Based, Competitive Procedures

b. Cost Analysis

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. SELECTION NOTICES

a. Electronic Notification

b. Selection for Possible Award Does Not Authorize Work

2. AWARD NOTICES

a. Federal Award Document

b. Electronic of Mail Federal Award Distribution

3. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

a. Reporting on Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance

b. Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants

c. Cross-Cutting National Policy Requirements

d. Equipment Vesting

e. Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements

f. DoD Research and Development General Terms and Conditions

g. Recipients Other Than Individuals

h. Minimum Record Retention Requirements

i. Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019

j. Certification Regarding Disclosure of Funding Sources (Supplement to SF424 (R&R), block 17, Financial Assistance Certifications and Representations)

4. REPORTING

ARO: W911NF24S0001

a. Monitoring and Reporting Program Performance

b. Standard Form (SF) 425 Federal Financial Report

c. Electronic Payment Requests and Electronic Payment

d. Electronic Submission of Technical and SF 425 Reports

G. AGENCY CONTACTS

1. ADMINISTERING AGENCY CONTACTS

H. OTHER INFORMATION

1. AIR FORCE OMBUDSMAN

2. GRANTS OFFICER’S AUTHORITY

ARO: W911NF24S0001

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION/OBJECTIVES

This announcement seeks proposals from universities to purchase equipment and instrumentation in support of research in areas of interest to the DoD.

DoD interests include the areas of research supported by the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), hereafter generally referred to collectively as “we,” “our,” “us,” or “administering agency.” We use “administering agency” to provide a generic reference to any of the administering agencies.

A central purpose of the DURIP is to provide equipment and instrumentation to enhance research related education in areas of interest and priority to the DoD. Therefore, your proposal must address the impact of the equipment or instrumentation on your institution’s ability to educate students through research in disciplines important to DoD missions.

Our areas of research interest are published at the following internet locations:

ADMINISTERING AGENCY HOW TO FIND OUR RESEARCH INTERESTS

https://arl.devcom.army.mil/

Navigate to https://arl.devcom.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/ to see the most recent ARL/ARO Core Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research.

Office of Naval Research https://www.nre.navy.mil/

Navigate to https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research to see a current list of ONR technology areas or, go to https://www.nre.navy.mil/, select “Work With Us,” then click “Announcements” under the “Funding Opportunities” heading to view our current Broad Agency Announcement N00014-24-S- B001.

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

Navigate to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=345653 to view the “Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research,” Broad Agency Announcement

FA9550-23-S-0001.

You must refer to the websites cited above for detailed technical information and our technical goals. We encourage you to contact the technical Program Managers/Officers (PM/PO) listed in the cited announcements before submitting proposals to explore research areas of mutual interest to you and us. Proposal must identify a technical PM/PO in block 4b of the SF424 proposal cover page.

You may submit a single DURIP proposal to more than one administering agency; however, only one administering agency will fund it, if selected. There is no limit on the total number of different proposals you can submit. There is no limit to the number of awards a single applicant organization can receive under this competition. We discuss this again in sections C.3.b Amount of Requested DoD Funding and D.4.g Submission to Multiple Administering https://arl.devcom.army.mil/ https://arl.devcom.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/ https://arl.devcom.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/ https://www.nre.navy.mil/ https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research https://www.nre.navy.mil/ https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/announcements https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=345653

ARO: W911NF24S0001

Agencies.

ARO: W911NF24S0001

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

The authority for DURIP awards is 10 U.S.C. 4001 in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 6304. The applicable regulations are 2 CFR 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards,” as implemented by 2 CFR Chapter XI, Subchapter A and DoDGARs at 32 CFR Subchapter C.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

We intend to award approximately $53 million under this DURIP competition for fiscal year 2025, subject to availability of funds.

Each administering agency will make grant awards to fund the purchase of research equipment or instrumentation costing $50,000 or more that cannot typically be purchased within the budgets of single-investigator awards. We refer to this as major equipment or instrumentation for the remainder of the announcement. We generally cannot make any individual award that exceeds more than $3,000,000 in DoD funding unless your proposal qualifies for one of the two exceptions listed in section C.3.b Amount of Requested DoD Funding. NOTE: AFOSR will not consider any request for exception above $7,000,000.

We can make awards to universities conducting, or demonstrably capable of conducting, research in areas of interest to the DoD with the new equipment or instrumentation proposed.

DURIP awards are typically one year in length. It is expected that DURIP awards will be completed within the initial 12-month period of performance. Awardees have the option to request a no-cost extension for up to an additional 12-months with sufficient justification.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Accredited U.S. Institutions of Higher Education

This competition is open to accredited U.S. institutions of higher education with degree granting programs in science, mathematics, and/or engineering except for-profit educational institutions.

University affiliated research centers are eligible to participate in this competition.

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers are not eligible to participate.

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

2. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

We do not require cost sharing or matching for proposals under this announcement. You are not prohibited from including voluntary committed cost sharing or matching in your proposal. Cost sharing or matching is not an evaluation factor.

3. OTHER

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section4001&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A31%20section%3A6304%20edition%3Aprelim) https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title31-section3321&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title41-section2313&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title41-section2313&num=0&edition=prelim https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-C/section-200.205 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=913b10a5a197ab08d9b08ff21d449c71&mc=true&node=sp32.1.22.d&rgn=div6

ARO: W911NF24S0001

a. Types of Equipment and Instrumentation Eligible DURIP funds must be used for the acquisition of major equipment or instrumentation to augment current, or develop new, research capabilities to support research in the technical areas of interest to the DoD. Your proposal may request funding for more than one item if the requested items comprise a “system” that is used for a common research purpose. Requests for computing equipment for DoD-relevant research programs are appropriate and eligible for funding. Proposals for purely instructional equipment or general-purpose computing facilities are not eligible for DURIP funding.

We provide more detailed information about how DURIP funds may be used in section D.9. Funding Restrictions.

b. Amount of Requested DoD Funding – $50,000 to $3,000,000 Unless Excepted With few exceptions, a DURIP award provides between $50,000 and $3,000,000 in DoD funding for the purchase of major equipment or instrumentation. We provide this in formation again in section D.9. Funding Restrictions.

(1) Exceptions

You may submit a proposal to purchase major equipment or instrumentation costing more than $3,000,000 under either of the following two (2) conditions:

Your proposal contains a firm commitment from your institution to provide voluntary committed cost sharing or matching so the cost to DoD remains $3,000,000 or less; or, Your proposal requests the administering agency that receives your proposal to grant an exception to the $3,000,000 maximum amount of DoD funding. At the administering agency’s discretion, your proposal may be considered if it is warranted by a priority defense research need or needs.

Exceptions to the $3,000,000 limit are expected to be rare.

We strongly recommend you communicate with the administering agency before you submit any formal proposal.

NOTE: AFOSR will not consider any request for exception above $7,000,000, cost-sharing included.

(2) You may submit a single DURIP proposal to more than one administering agency;

however only one administering agency will fund it, if selected. There is no limit on the total number of different proposals you can submit.

(3) There is no limit to the number of awards a single applicant organization can receive under this competition. We discuss this again in section D.4.h. Submission to Multiple Administering Agencies. Selections are based on our criteria.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. ELECTRONIC DELIVERY

The administering agencies are participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. The administering agencies encourage applicants to submit their applications online through Grants.gov.

ARO: W911NF24S0001

We will not provide paper copies of this announcement or accept paper applications.

You can also search Grants.gov using the administering agency CFDA Number.

ADMINISTERING AGENCY CFDA NUMBER AND TITLE

Army Research Office (ARO) 12.431 Basic Scientific Research

Office of Naval Research (ONR) 12.300 Basic and Applied Research

Air Force Office of Scientific Research

(AFOSR)

12.800 Air Force Defense Research

Sciences Program

If you have any special accessibility requirements, please contact the appropriate person from G.1. Agency Administrative Contacts to request a reasonable accommodation.

2. HOW TO REGISTER TO APPLY THROUGH GRANTS.GOV

a. Instructions Read the instructions below about registering to apply for administering agency’s funds. Applicants should read the registration carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last minute searches for required information.

Creating a Grants.gov account can be completed online in minutes, but SAM registrations may take several weeks to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

If individual applicants are eligible to apply for this grant funding opportunity, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html.

Organization applicants can find complete instructions here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html.

(1) Register with SAM: All organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with the System for Award Management (SAM). All organizations must register with SAM in order to apply online. Registrations in SAM now include the acceptance of Certifications and Assurances. Entities creating new registrations and existing entities completing their annual registration renewals will be required to review financial assistance representations and certification before their registration can be activated. Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov.

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

ARO: W911NF24S0001

(2) Create a Grants.gov Account: The next step in the registration process is to create an account with Grants.gov. Completing this process automatically triggers an email request for applicant roles to the organization’s E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) for review. The EBiz POC is a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for SAM. To apply for grants on behalf of your organization, you will need the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) role.

For more detailed instructions about creating a Grants.gov account, refer to:https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html.

(3) Authorize Grants.gov Roles: After creating an account on Grants.gov, the EBiz POC receives an email notifying them of your registration and request for roles.

The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been approved as an AOR.

For more detailed instructions on creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html.

(4) Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html.

b. Electronic Signature When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization’s AOR that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize individuals who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as an AOR, this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

3. HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE ADMINISTERING AGENCIES

VIA GRANTS.GOV

Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different webforms within an application. For each FOA, you can create individual instances of a workspace.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.

a. Create a Workspace

Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

b. Complete a Workspace https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

ARO: W911NF24S0001

Add participants to the workspace, complete all the required forms, and check for errors before submission.

(1) Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out webforms, you can download individual PDF forms in Workspace so that they will appear similar to other Standard or administering agency forms. The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drive(s), then accessed through AdobeReader.

NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants.gov to download the appropriate version of the software at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html.

(2) Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application.

(3) Complete SF 424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required fields across other forms, such as applicant name, address, and UEI number. To trigger this feature, an applicant must complete the SF 424 information first. Once it is completed, the information will transfer to the other forms.

c. Submit a Workspace An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt application submission.

d. Track a Workspace After successfully submitting a workspace package, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the package. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html.

Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, contact the number listed on the application package of the grant you are applying for.

If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the administering agency with tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.

4. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

a. Pre-Proposal Inquiries and Questions Encouraged https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html mailto:support@grants.gov

ARO: W911NF24S0001

We encourage you to contact the technical Program Managers/Officers (PMs/POs) listed in our Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) identified in section A. Program Description before submitting proposals to explore research areas of mutual interest to you and us.

If you need help with general questions or problems, the appropriate individual listed in section G. Agency Contacts should be contacted.

Your pre-proposal inquiries and questions should be submitted not later than Friday, January 19, 2024. We may not be able to answer questions received later. We discuss this more in section 7. Submission Dates and Times.

DURIP Program Managers and technical PMs/Pos do not have the authority to make commitment for the Government. Grants Officers acting within their warranted capacity are the only people authorized to make commitments for the Government.

b. The Application as a Whole You must use the electronic SF 424 Research & 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).

Your proposal must describe the research and related science and engineering education the equipment or instrumentation enables. Your proposal must adequately describe the research and research-related education so that we can assess relevance to our research priorities and DoD missions. You are encouraged to clarify the extent to which your research interests coincide with ours by:

(1) Reviewing the websites provided in section A. Program Description; and,

(2) Contacting the administering agency Program Managers/Officers listed on our websites and BAAs.

You must submit your proposal electronically through Grants.gov. DO NOT password protect attachments. You must mark your application with the announcement number.

We created a summary of what is required for a complete proposal in the table below.

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

• Some applications require the attachments in italics

• We provide more instructions in section D.5. Component Pieces of the Application

ARO: W911NF24S0001

R&R FORM, OMB 4040-0001 FIELD ATTACHMENT

SF 424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance, including an authorized signature

18. SFLLL Disclosure of Lobbying

18. Cover Letter

R&R Other Project Information Form

7. Project Summary/Abstract

8. Project Narrative

9. Bibliography & References

Cited

12. Other Attachments

R&R Senior/Key Person (Expanded) Profile Form

N/A Biographical Sketch

R&R Budget Form N/A Budget Justification

Vendor Quotes

R&R Personal Data Form N/A N/A

R&R Project /Performance Site Locations Form

N/A N/A

The SF 424 (R&R) must include the signature of an authorized applicant representative.

Your signature is affixed electronically by Grants.gov upon submission. This signature is considered the signature for the application as a whole.

We give you more instructions in section D.5. Component Pieces of the Application.

c. Proposal Format

• Paper Size: 8.5 x 11-inch paper

• Margins: 1 inch

• Spacing: 1.0-line spacing

• Font: Times New Roman, 12 point

• Page Limitation: 25 pages* (see D.4.d. Page Count Table)

• Content: as described below

d. Proposal Length The total length of your project summary/abstract, project narrative, and bibliography and references cited attached to the R&R Senior/Key Person (Expanded) Profile form http://www.grants.gov/

ARO: W911NF24S0001

must be no longer than twenty-five (25) pages. We will not read or evaluate any pages in excess of the twenty-five (25) page limit.

We describe what is included in the page count in the table below.

D.4.d. Page Count Table

*INCLUDED IN PAGE COUNT NOT INCLUDED IN PAGE COUNT

Project Summary/Abstract Everything else

Project Narrative

Bibliography and References Cited

We do not include Grants.gov forms in the page count. We do not include curriculum vitae or the list of current and pending support in the page count. We do not include budget related information or required representations in the page count. Not having enough information to understand if your costs are reasonable and realistic is the most common reason awards are delayed. We cannot make an award unless we can determine you are eligible, the cost of your proposal is reasonable and realistic, and complies with 2 CFR 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles.

NOTE: Awards are made in whole dollar amounts only. Proposed budgets should be submitted in whole dollars.

e. Disclosure of Conflict of Commitment and Conflict of Interest This announcement requires that all current and pending research support, as defined by Section 223 of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act must be disclosed at the time of proposal, for all covered individuals. Such disclosure will be updated through the annual progress report during the performance of any research project selected for funding, and whenever covered individual are added or identified as performing under this project. Covered individuals are those who are listed as key personnel on proposals including but not restricted to the principal investigator or co-principal investigator.

Any decision to accept a proposal for funding under this announcement 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 may conduct a pre-award conflict of interest/conflict of commitment review of any proposal selected for funding as described in the DoD Component Decision Matrix to Inform Fundamental Research Proposal Mitigation Decisions.

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.

f. Electronic Form and Proposal Attachments Your application and proposal attachments must be in PDF using Workspace or the platform that your institution uses to submit proposals.

Files that are not in PDF will not be pulled down by our system.

DO NOT password protect attachments.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/subpart-e

ARO: W911NF24S0001

Grants.gov provides information about Adobe software compatibility at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html.

g. Marking of Proposals with Confidential or Proprietary Information You must mark your proposal and proposal sections that contain proprietary or confidential information. You must use the protective legend found at FAR 52.215-1(e) Instructions to Offerors – Competitive Acquisition modified to permit release to our outside evaluators.

We make every effort to protect the confidentiality of proposals, including any proposal evaluations; however, under 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.

h. Submission to Multiple Administering Agencies In some cases, proposed equipment and instrumentation, and associated research, may be relevant to more than one of the administering agencies’ research interests. In such cases, you may submit a single DURIP proposal to more than one administering agency; however, only one administering agency will fund it, if selected.

There is no limit on the total number of different proposals you can submit. There is no limit to the number of awards a single applicant organization can receive under this competition.

The electronic SF 424 (R&R) may be saved and modified to indicate the updated agency and CFDA number to that agency. To have the proposal reviewed by more than one administering agency, proposals must be submitted directly to each administering agency, requiring up to three (3) electronic submissions for a single proposal.

i. Advance Preparation for Electronic Submission through Grants.gov Your proposal must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. Your organization must complete several one-time actions before electronic submission. Registration with Grants.gov may take up to twenty-one (21) days.

(1) You should verify that the person authorized to submit proposals for your organization has completed registration well in advance of the submission deadline.Grants.gov electronic proposal submissions cannot be accomplished before your organization is fully registered.

(2) A Grants.gov getting started checklist is available at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants- 101/getting-started-checklist.html.

(3) Guidance for registering with Grants.gov as an organization may be found at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html.

(4) Questions relating to the Grants.gov registration process, system requirements, how an application works, or the proposal submittal process can be answered by email atsupport@grants.gov, telephone at (800) 518-http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.215-1 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.215-1 https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants-101/getting-started-checklist.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants-101/getting-started-checklist.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html mailto:support@grants.gov

ARO: W911NF24S0001

4726 or (606) 545-5035, or at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html.

(5) An active System for Award Management (SAM) registration and an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number are required to register through Grants.gov. Sections D.2.a and D.6 provide more information.

5. COMPONENT PIECES OF THE APPLICATION

We have arranged this section to generally follow the table in section D.4.b. The Application as a Whole.

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

You must use the electronic SF 424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance form as your application cover page. No pages may precede the SF 424 (R&R). This form is not included in your page count.

You must use 1 December 2024 as the anticipated start date in your proposal and budget;

however, the actual effective date is not final until an award is made.

(1) Complete all required fields in accordance with the “pop-up” instructions on the SF424 (R&R) form. The completion of most fields is self-explanatory.

(2) You can turn on Grants.gov “Help Mode” to provide additional instructions on a form-specific basis. “Help Mode” is turned on by the icon with the pointer and question mark located at the top of the form.

We have special instructions for completing several SF 424 (R&R form fields for applications under this announcement. Our instructions are:

FIELD INSTRUCTION

2. You may leave “Applicant Identifier” blank

3. You may leave “Date Received by State” and “State Application Identifier” blank

4.a. ARO Submissions: Leave “Federal Identifier” blank

ONR Submissions: Enter N00014

AFOSR Submissions: Leave “Federal Identifier” blank http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html https://www.sam.gov/

ARO: W911NF24S0001

FIELD INSTRUCTION

4.b. ARO Submissions: Enter the ARO Program Manager’s name

ARO Program Managers’ names associated with current opportunities in the ARL Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) can be found at https://arl.devcom.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/. Select “Browse current BAA topics” then use the filter check box to filter by “Army Research Office (ARO)” to filter on ARO opportunities. Each topic has a technical point of contact, the Program Manager. The search box can be used to search topics by Program Manager name.

ONR Submissions: Enter the three (3) digit Program Officer Code and, if known, the Program Officer’s name, last name first, in brackets, e.g., 331 [Smith, John]

Program Officer names and Program Office Codes can be found on the ONR website. First select “Our Research” or use the link https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research. Then select “ONR Program Managers” https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/our-program-officers to get Program Officer names and technical areas. Select “ONR Technology Areas” https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research to get the Program Office information and Codes.

AFOSR Submissions: Enter the Program Officer’s name

Program Officer names can be found on the AFOSR Website or our general BAA.

From our website, select “Research Areas” or use the following link:

https://www.afrl.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Fact-Sheet- Display/Article/2282138/afosr-research-areas/.

Our general BAA, “Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research,” lists a Program Officer for each research area. You can view our most recent general BAA at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=345653.

8. Complete as indicated. If you are submitting your DURIP proposal to more than one administering agency, you must provide the name(s) and phone number(s) of the Point(s) of Contact at those agencies.

If you run out of space in field 8, include an attachment to field 12 of the R&R Other Project Information form. Name that attachment “Continuation of SF 424 (R&R) Field 8.” This attachment is NOT included in your page count https://www.arl.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/opportunity/arl-baa/ https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/our-program-officers https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/our-program-officers https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=345653 https://www.afrl.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Fact-Sheet-Display/Article/2282138/afosr-research-areas/ https://www.afrl.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Fact-Sheet-Display/Article/2282138/afosr-research-areas/

ARO: W911NF24S0001

9. List the appropriate DoD administering agency name:

Army Research Office

Office of Naval Research

Air Force Office of Scientific Research

This field is usually pre-populated by Grants.gov.

11. Enter a descriptive title for your project.

Using one phrase or sentence, title the proposal so that it is basic research oriented, not equipment or application oriented. For example, “Ultrashort- Pulse Laser for Research on Advanced Cathodes and Windows for High Power Microwave Sources.”

It is preferred that DURIP be included in the title of the proposal.

DO NOT use the word EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTATION, FACILITY, ACQUISITION, or any Program Manager’s/Officer’s name in your title.

16. Check “No,” and “Program is Not Covered by Executive Order 12372.”

17. Select “I Agree” to:

Certify that all statements in this proposal and Internal Confidentiality Agreements, written or otherwise, are true, complete, and accurate.

See section F.3. Administrative and National Policy Requirements for more information and links to the full text of these items.

Additionally, this provides the certification regarding lobbying that is required by 31 U.S.C. 1352 as implemented by the DoD in 32 CFR Part 28

The full text of this certification may be found in Appendix A to Part 28 of 32 CFR at 32 CFR Part 28 or we will provide you a copy if you ask for one.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A31%20section%3A1352%20edition%3Aprelim)%20OR%20(granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title31-section1352)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-28 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-28

ARO: W911NF24S0001

18. You may attach the completed D.5.b. SFLLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities 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.

b. SFLLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

When required, the SFLLL form is attached to field 18 of the R&R Other Project Information form. This attachment is not included in your page count.

If you have lobbying activity that you must disclose under 31 U.S.C. 1352 as implemented by the DoD at 32 CFR Part 28, you must attach the completed SFLLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.

You can find instructions for completing this form at:

https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/instructions/SFLLL_2_0-V2.0- Instructions.pdf.

c. R&R Other Project Information Form This form is not included in your page count.

Complete all information as requested. You must attach the publicly releasable Project Summary/Abstract and Project Narrative to this form.

d. Publicly Releasable Project Summary/Abstract You must attach the Project Summary/Abstract to field 7 of the R&R Other Project Information form. This attachment is included in your page count.

You must provide a concise abstract of 4,000 characters or less with your proposal.

Spaces are included in the character count. Your abstract must be marked as publicly releasable. Your abstract should use terms the public can understand to describe the equipment or instrumentation requested, and research or related education that will be supported by the equipment or instrumentation.

Your abstract header should include the Agency Program Manager or Officer’s name(s) and directorate(s) you listed in SF 424 (R&R) field 4.b. as discussed in section D.5.a. SF 424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance.

If you receive an award, we must publish your abstract to a searchable website available to the general public as required by statue. The website address is https://dodgrantawards.dtic.mil/grants/#/home.

e. Project Narrative You must attach the Project Narrative to field 8 of the R&R Other Project Information form. The narrative must be complete and self-contained to qualify for review. This attachment is included in your page count.

You must clearly describe how the proposed equipment or instrumentation will:

(1) Enhance the quality of research and research-related education currently funded by the DoD. Indicate the DoD organization, the contract or grant https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A31%20section%3A1352%20edition%3Aprelim)%20OR%20(granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title31-section1352)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A31%20section%3A1352%20edition%3Aprelim)%20OR%20(granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title31-section1352)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A31%20section%3A1352%20edition%3Aprelim)%20OR%20(granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title31-section1352)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-28 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A31%20section%3A1352%20edition%3Aprelim)%20OR%20(granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title31-section1352)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-28 https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/instructions/SFLLL_2_0-V2.0-Instructions.pdf https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/instructions/SFLLL_2_0-V2.0-Instructions.pdf https://dodgrantawards.dtic.mil/grants/%23/home

ARO: W911NF24S0001

number, and the principal investigator (PI), and concisely describe the thrust of the research and the research-related education in sufficient detail to enable review of the proposal by an evaluator who is not familiar with your research program; and/or,

(2) Contribute to research and research-related education currently proposed to the DoD. Indicate the organization and PI of the proposal under consideration, the prospective DoD sponsor, and concisely describe the thrust of the research and research-related education in sufficient detail to enable review of the DURIP proposal by an evaluator who is not familiar with your research proposal; and/or,

(3) Establish new research capabilities or enhance current research capabilities for performing research and research-related education in areas of interest to the DoD.

Additionally:

(4) Describe how the proposed equipment or instrumentation will interface with existing facilities or upgrade other equipment or instrumentation available for research and research-related education at your institution; and,

(5) Describe the amounts and sources of ongoing or proposed support for the research and research-related education to be facilitated; and,

(6) Describe any special circumstances regarding the acquisition or installation of the equipment or instrumentation; and,

(7) Indicated the estimated useful life of the equipment.

f. Bibliography and References Cited You must attach your Bibliography and references Cited to field 9 of the R&R Other Project Information form. This attachment is included in your page count.

g. Facilities and Other Resources You may attach your Facilities and Other Resources information to field 10 of the R&R Other Project Information form. This attachment is not included in your page count.

h. R&R Senior/Key Person Profile Form You must attach a short biographical sketch and list of significant publications (vitae) for each Senior/Key Person, whether or not the individuals’ efforts under the project are to be funded by the DoD. You must also attach a list of current and pending support as discussed in the aforementioned vitae including title and objectives, the percentage per year to be devoted to the other projects, the total amount of support the individual is receiving in connection to each of the other research projects or will receive if other proposals are awarded, name and address of the agencies and/or parties supporting the other research projects, and period of performance for the other research projects.

You must list all key persons proposed for the research on the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form. Key persons are generally the PI, and Co-PIs, and senior staff.

We use this information to evaluate the qualifications of you and your research team.

To evaluate compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20

ARO: W911NF24S0001

U.S.C. A subsection 1681 Et. Seq.), the DoD is collecting certain demographic and career information to be able to assess the success rates of women who are proposed for key roles in applications in STEM disciplines.

To enable this assessment, each applicant must include this form completed as indicated. The Degree Type and Degree Year fields will be used by the DoD as the source for career information. In addition to the required fields on the form applicants must complete these two fields for all individuals that are identified as having the project role of Project Director (PD)/PI or Co-PD/PI on the form. Additional senior/key persons can be adding by selecting the “Next Person” button.

Failure to submit this information may cause the proposal to be returned without further review. Additionally, DoD reserves the right to request further details from the proposer before making a final determination on the funding effort.

This information will be used to support protection of intellectual property, controlled information, key personnel, and information about critical technologies relevant to national security. Additionally, this information will be used to limit undue influence, including foreign talent programs, by countries that desire to exploit the United States’ technology within the DoD research, science and technology, and innovation enterprise.

i. R&R Personal Data Form This form will be used by the DoD as the source of demographic information, such as gender, race, ethnicity, and disability information for the PD/PI and all other persons identified as Co-PDs/PIs. Each application must include this form with the name fields of the PD/PI and any Co-PDs/PIs completed; however, provision of the demographic information in the form is voluntary. If completing the form for multiple individuals, each Co-PD/PI can be added by selecting the “Next person” button. The demographic information, if provided, will be used for statistical purposes only and will not be made available to merit reviewers. Applicants who do not wish to provide some or all of the information should check or select the “Do not wish to provide” option.

NOTE: The Government Accountability Office (GAO), in its report GAO-16-14, WOMEN IN STEM RESEARCH: Better Data and Information Sharing Could Improve Oversight of Federal Grant Making and Title IX Compliance, December 3, 2015, recommended that the DoD collect certain demographic and career information to be able to assess the success rates of…