N0001424SF004 FY25 YIP-Amendment 1.pdf

ONR Announcement N0001424SF004

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) FISCAL YEAR

(FY) 2025 YOUNG INVESTIGATOR PROGRAM (YIP)

Deadlines

Application Inquiries and Questions 16 April 2024 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time

Applications must be received no later than

30 April 2024 (Tuesday) at 5:00 PM Eastern Time

AMENDMENT 1: This amendment corrects the day of the week that applications are due, corrects the link to the DoD Terms and Conditions on page 8, and clarifies throughout that subawards are not allowable. This version of the FOA supersedes all previous versions.

SPECIAL NOTE: Do NOT use the FedConnect message center to submit questions or responses to this announcement. Please contact the appropriate individual listed in Section G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts.

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Contents I. Overview of the Research Opportunity

A. Overview

1. Federal Awarding Agency Name

2. Funding Opportunity Title

3. Announcement Type

4. Funding Opportunity Number

5. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA Numbers)

6. Key Dates

7. Grants Officer

II. DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY

A. Program Description

B. Federal Award Information

1. Eligibility for Competition

2. Contracted Fundamental Research

3. Funded Amount and Period of Performance

4. Instrument Type

5. Model Grants

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

4. Submission Dates and Times

5. Funding Restrictions

6. Other Submission Requirements

E. Application Review Information

1. Evaluation Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Recipient Qualifications

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

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3. Reporting

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

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I. Overview of the Research Opportunity

This publication constitutes a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as contemplated in the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARS) 32 CFR 22.315(a). ONR reserves the right to fund all, some, or none of the proposals received under this FOA. ONR provides no funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and budget proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this FOA will not be returned. It is the policy of ONR to treat all proposals submitted under this FOA as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation.

Hyperlinks have been embedded within this document and appear as underlined, blue-colored words. The reader may “jump” to the linked section by clicking the hyperlink.

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A. Overview

1. Federal Awarding Agency Name

Office of Naval Research One Liberty Center 875 N. Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-1995

2. Funding Opportunity Title

Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP)

3. Announcement Type

Initial Announcement

4. Funding Opportunity Number

N0001424SF004

5. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA Numbers)

12.300 Title: Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Research, Basic and Applied Research

6. Key Dates

Anticipated Schedule of Events *

Event Date

(MM/DD/YEAR)

Time (Local Eastern Time)

Questions Regarding Eligibility and Technical Requirements **

16 April 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time

Application Due Date 30 April 2024 5:00 PM Eastern Time Notification of Selection for Award * 6 September 2024 Start Date of Grant* 1 October 2024

*These dates are estimates as of the date of this announcement.

**Questions submitted after the Q&A deadline may not be answered.

IMPORTANT NOTE: White Papers are NOT being solicited but ARE OPTIONAL

7. Grants Officer

The Grants Officer for this announcement is identified in Section G.2.

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II. DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY

A. Program Description

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is interested in receiving proposals for its Young Investigator Program (YIP). ONR's Young Investigator Program seeks to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who are in their first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent academic appointment, who have received their PhD or equivalent degree on or after 01 January 2017, and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. The objectives of this program are to attract outstanding faculty members of U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (hereafter also called "universities") to the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology (S&T) research program, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers. Individuals who are holding U.S. non-profit equivalent positions are also encouraged to apply.

Proposals addressing research areas (as described in the ONR Science and Technology Department section of ONR's website at https://www.nre.navy.mil/ ) which are of interest to ONR Program Officers will be considered. Contact information for each division (a subgroup of an S&T Department) is also listed within the S&T section of the website.

Applicants are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to contact the appropriate Program Officer who is the point of contact for a specific technical area to discuss their research ideas before submitting a proposal. A list of most Program Officers and their contact information can be found at:

https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research or at:

https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/our-program-officers.

Brief informal pre-proposals may be submitted to facilitate these discussions but are not required.

Such discussions can clarify the content and breadth of the priority research areas and enhance the match between a subsequent proposal and Department of the Navy research needs. Please allow adequate time for such discussions with the ONR Program Officer. The brief informal pre-proposal should be emailed to the ONR Program Officer with ONRYIP@ navy.mil on the cc: line. The ONRYIP@navy.mil need only be cc’d on the first email correspondence.

An individual wishing to apply for the Young Investigator Program MUST submit a research proposal and at least one Letter of Support through the appropriate university officials. Refer to Section II.E.1 “Evaluation Criteria” regarding the importance of the Letter(s) of Support in the overall evaluation criteria and Section II.D “Application and Submission Information” regarding its content.

Applications received without at least one letter of support will be considered incomplete and will not be considered for award.

The research proposal must follow the format described in FOA Section II. D. “Application and Submission Information.”

The ONR YIP is a single principal investigator (PI) award. Co-principal investigators (Co-PIs) are not allowed.

Tenured faculty are ineligible to apply.

A PI may submit only one application under this solicitation.

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The ONR YIP is a one-time award. A PI may receive only one ONR YIP award throughout their career.

Upon completion of the award, individuals may apply for continued support under ONR's Long Range BAA (or other research grant opportunities). Decisions about continued funding outside the context of the YIP will be made following a review of the new proposal by the appropriate Program Officer based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the ONR Long Range BAA. Continued support is not guaranteed.

A proposal not selected for the YIP may still be considered for an ONR grant award. The proposal would be in competition with all other research proposals submitted in response to ONR solicitations.

Historically, only a limited number of proposals initially submitted to the YIP FOA, but not selected under that FOA, have been awarded other funds.

The YIP is not a "research initiation" opportunity with standards that are less demanding than ONR's other research grant programs; instead, it is intended to confer honor upon awardees beyond the funding being provided. Consideration of any YIP proposal to another ONR research grant program is at the discretion of the Program Officer.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Eligibility for Competition

Proposals for supplementation of existing projects are eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards under this FOA.

2. Contracted Fundamental Research

With regard to any restrictions on the conduct or outcome of work funded under this FOA, ONR will follow the guidance on and definition of “contracted fundamental research” as provided in the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) Memorandum of 24 May 2010. The memorandum can be found at https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/pgi/docs/2012- D054%20Tab%20D%20OUSD%20(ATL)%20memorandum%20dated%20May%2024%202010.pdf.

As defined therein the definition of “contracted fundamental research,” in a DoD contractual context, includes research performed under grants and contracts that are (a) funded by RDT&E Budget Activity 1 (Basic Research), whether performed by universities or industry or (b) funded by Budget Activity 2 (Applied Research) and performed on campus at a university.

Pursuant to DoD policy, research performed under grants and contracts that are (a) funded by Budget Activity 2 (Applied Research) and NOT performed on-campus at a university or (b) funded by Budget Activity 3 (Advanced Technology Development) or Budget Activity 4 (Advanced Component Development and Prototypes) does not meet the definition of “contracted fundamental research.” In conformance with the USD (AT&L) guidance and National Security Decision Directive 189 found at https://fas.org/irp/offdocs/nsdd/nsdd-189.htm, ONR will place no restriction on the conduct or reporting of unclassified “contracted fundamental research,” except as otherwise required by statute, regulation or executive order. The research shall not be considered fundamental in those rare and exceptional circumstances where the applied research effort presents a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense, and where agreement on restrictions have been recorded in the contract or grant. For certain research

FOA N0001424SF004 FY25 Young Investigator Program 8 projects, it may be possible that although the research being performed by the prime contractor is restricted research, a subcontractor may be conducting “contracted fundamental research.” In those cases, it is the prime contractor’s responsibility in the proposal to identify and describe the subcontracted unclassified research and include a statement confirming that the work has been scoped, negotiated, and determined to be fundamental research according to the prime contractor and research performer.

Normally, fundamental research is awarded under grants with universities and under contracts with industry. Non-fundamental research is normally awarded under contracts and may require restrictions during the conduct of the research and DoD pre-publication review of such research results due to subject matter sensitivity. Potential applicants should consult with the appropriate ONR Technical POCs to determine whether the proposed effort would constitute fundamental or non-fundamental research.

3. Funded Amount and Period of Performance

The ONR YIP is highly competitive with typically less than 15 percent of applicants receiving awards.

For FY2024, nearly 220 proposals were received, resulting in 24 awards with a total award value of $18M. Past awardees have submitted outstanding research proposals and possessed outstanding records of prior professional accomplishments. Given that "past performance" is a selection criterion, applicants are advised that the biographical information submitted as part of the proposal (see "Qualifications" under "Proposal Content,” below) should list all relevant past and present activities. See Section II. E. 1.

“Evaluation Criteria” for more details regarding evaluation of submitted proposals.

Typical awards are $750,000 over a 36-month period of performance. Applicants may request up to $250,000 for each 12-month interval. These funds may be budgeted against any reasonable costs related to conducting the proposed research, for example, salary for the investigator, graduate student support, supplies, and applicable indirect cost.

o Total Amount of Funding Available: $18.75M o Anticipated Number of Awards: up to 25* o Anticipated Individual Award Amount: $750K o Previous Year(s) Average Individual Award Amounts: $750K

Anticipated Period of Performance: 3 years

*There will be no more than five (5) awards made per S&T Department. The five (5) S&T Departments and research areas of interest are available on the ONR website: 31-Command, Control, Computing, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting (C5ISRT) ; 32-Ocean Battlespace Sensing ; 33-Sea Warfare and Weapons; 34- Warfighter Performance; and 35-Air Warfare and Weapons.

4. Instrument Type

In response to this FOA, ONR intends to award grants only. Any assistance instrument awarded under this announcement will be governed by the award terms and conditions that conform to DoD’s implementation of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance applicable to financial assistance.

The DoD Terms and Conditions are located at https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/manage-your-award/manage-grant-award/grants-terms-conditions.

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

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

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Substantial involvement is not expected between the Federal Government and the recipient when carrying out the activity contemplated by the grant.

No fee or profit is allowed.

5. Model Grants

The model grants at the link below are only provided as examples. In the event of any conflict between these examples and current 2 CFR 200 Uniform Guidance or ONR clauses, current 2 CFR 200 Uniform Guidance or ONR clauses will govern.

Examples of model grants can be found on the ONR website at the following link:

https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/how-to-apply/submit-grant-application

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Awards under this FOA will be made only to U.S. Institutions of Higher Education which award degrees in science, engineering, or mathematics. U.S. Non-profit organizations operating primarily for scientific and educational services may also submit proposals. The Principal Investigator of a proposal must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident (on the date proposals are due), holding a first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent faculty position at that university, and has received his/her PhD or equivalent degree on or after 01 January 2017. The term "national" of the United States includes a native resident of a possession of the United States, such as American Samoa.

The term “tenure-track-equivalent” is explained on the ONR website:

https://www.nre.navy.mil/education-outreach/sponsored-research/yip/tenure-track-equivalent

This is a single PI award. Co-PIs are not allowed.

Tenured faculty are ineligible to apply.

Prior ONR YIP Award recipients are ineligible to apply.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing is not expected and will not be used as a factor during the merit review of any application hereunder. However, the Government may consider voluntary cost sharing if proposed.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

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This FOA may be accessed from the sites below. Amendments, if any, to this FOA will be posted to these websites when they occur. Interested parties are encouraged to periodically check these websites for updates and amendments.

Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) ONR website (https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities )

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

a) General Information

All submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable law and DoD/DON regulations. Applicants are expected to appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information.

Titles given to the submissions should be descriptive of the work they cover and not be merely a copy of the title of this announcement.

b) Full Proposals

Prospective applicants must complete the mandatory forms in accordance with the instructions provided on the forms and the additional instructions below. Files that are attached to the forms must be in Adobe Portable Document Format (.PDF); cannot contain macros; and cannot be password protected. If your attachments are not PDF, contain macros or are password protected, they will not pass ONR’s automated acceptance check and will need to be resubmitted PRIOR TO the submission deadline. Block 2, “Type of Application” on the SF 424 should be marked “New” on the resubmission.

i. Format for Technical Proposal Paper size – 8.5 x 11 inch Margins – 1 inch Spacing – single-spaced Font – Times New Roman, 12-point Page Limit – Technical Proposal: 20 pages

NOTE: The following components are excluded from the technical proposal page limit.

Cover page Table of contents Curriculum Vitae (CV) Data Management Plan Letters of Support Cited References Current & Pending Support

There are no page limitations for the budget.

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ii. Content

NOTE: The electronic file name for all documents submitted under this FOA must not exceed 68 characters in length, including the file name extension.

Mandatory SF-424 Research and Related (R&R) Family Forms

The mandatory forms are found at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html

(1) SF-424 (R&R)

The SF-424 (R&R) form must be used as the cover page for all proposals. Complete all required fields in accordance with the “pop-up” instructions on the form and the following instructions for specific fields. Please complete the SF-424 first, as some fields on the SF-424 are used to auto-populate fields on other forms. Guidance: https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family

The completion of most fields is self-explanatory with the exception of the following special instructions:

Field 3 - Date Received by State: Leave Blank

Field 4a - Federal Identifier: For new proposals, enter N00014. If the application is a renewal or expansion of an existing award, enter the ONR award number.

Field 4b - Agency Routing Number: Enter the three (3) digit Program Office Code and the

Program Officer’s name, last name first, in brackets (e.g., 331 [Smith, John]). Note: There is a space between the code and the first bracket ( [ ) and between the comma ( , ) and the First Name.

There is no space between the last bracket ( ] ) and the last name.

Where the Program Office Code only has two digits, add a “0” directly after the Code

(e.g., Code 31 would be entered as 310)

Applicants who fail to provide a Program Officer Code identifier may receive a notice that their proposal is rejected.

Field 4c - 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.

Field 5 – Application Information: Email address entered by the grantee on the SF424 application to create the EDA notification profile. ONR recommends that organizations provide a global business address.

Field 7 - Type of Applicant. Complete as indicated: If the organization is a Minority Institution, select “Other” and under “Other (Specify)” note that the institution is a Minority Institution (MI).

Field 9 - Name of Federal Agency: List the Office of Naval Research as the reviewing agency.

This field is pre-populated in Grants.gov.

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Field 11 – Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project

Field 14 – Project Director/Principal Investigator: Email address entered by the grantee on the

SF424 application to create the EDA notification profile

Field 16 - Is Application Subject to Review by State Executive Order 12372 Process? Choose

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

Field 17 – Certification: All awards require some form of certifications of compliance with national policy requirements. By checking “I Agree” on the SF 424 (R&R) block 17 you agree to abide by the following statement: “By signing this application, I certify (1) to the statements contained in the list of certifications and (2) that the statements herein are true, complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I also provide the required assurances and agree to comply with any resulting terms if I accept an award. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject me to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties.

(U.S. code, Title 18, Section 1001).

Field 19 – Authorized Representative: Name of the person with the Email address entered by the grantee on the SF424 application to create the EDA notification profile. The signature and name of the Authorized Representative should match each other, otherwise the grantee shall provide signature delegation authority for the signatory.

(2) PROJECT ABSTRACT

The project abstract must identify the research problem and objectives, technical approaches, anticipated outcome of the research, if successful, and impact on DoD capabilities. Use only characters available on a standard QWERTY keyboard. Spell out all Greek letters, other non- English letters, and symbols. Graphics are not allowed and there is a one page or 4,000-character including spaces limit whichever is less.

Do not include proprietary or confidential information. The project abstract must be marked by the applicant as “Approved for Public Release”. Abstracts of all funded research projects will be posted on the public DTIC website: https://dodgrantawards.dtic.mil/grants

(3) RESEARCH AND RELATED OTHER PROJECT INFORMATION

Fields 1 and 1a – Human Subject Use: Each proposal must address human subject involvement in the research by completing Fields 1 and 1a of the R&R Other Project Information form. For proposals containing activities that include or may include “research involving human subject” as defined in DoDI 3216.02, prior to award, the applicant must submit the required documentation under “Use of Human Subjects in Research” (Section F).

Fields 2 and 2a – Vertebrate Animal Use: Each proposal must address animal use protocols by addressing Fields 2 and 2a of the R&R Other Project Information form. If animals are to be utilized in the research effort proposed, the applicant must submit the documents described under “Use of Animals” (Section F).

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Fields 4a through 4d – Environmental Compliance: Address these fields and briefly indicate whether the intended research will result in environmental impacts outside the laboratory, and how the applicant will ensure compliance with environmental statutes and regulations.

Federal agencies making grant or cooperative agreement awards and recipients of such awards must comply with all applicable environmental planning and regulatory compliance requirements. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. § 4321 et seq. for example, requires that agencies consider the environmental impact of “major Federal actions” prior to any final agency decision. With respect to those awards which constitute “major Federal actions,” as defined in 40 CFR 1508.18, federal agencies may be required to comply with NEPA and prepare environmental planning documentation such as an environmental impact statement (EIS), even if the agency does no more than provide grant funds to the recipient. Most field research funded by ONR, however, constitute activities covered by a NEPA categorical exclusion that do not require preparation of further environmental planning documentation. This is particularly true with regard to basic and applied scientific research conducted entirely within the confines of a laboratory, if the research complies with all other applicable safety, environmental and natural resource conservation laws. Questions regarding NEPA or other environmental planning or regulatory compliance issues should be referred to the technical point of contact.

Field 7 – Project Summary/Abstract: Leave Field 7 blank; complete Form SF 424 Project Abstract.

If an error message occurs when leaving Block 7 blank, upload the Project Abstract.

Field 8 – Project Narrative: Clearly describe the research, including the objective and approach to be performed, keeping in mind the evaluation criteria. Attach the entire proposal narrative to R&R Other Project Information form in Field 8. To attach a Project Narrative to Field 8, click on “Add attachment” and attach the technical proposal as a single PDF file. Save the file as “Technical Proposal” as typing in the box is prohibited.

The technical proposal must describe the research in sections as described below:

o Cover Page (not included in page limit): This must include the words “Technical Proposal” and the following:

FOA Number: N0001424SF004 Title of proposal;

Identity of prime applicant Technical contact (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail address);

Administrative/business contact (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail address); and Proposed period of performance (identify both the base period and options, if included).

o Table of Contents (not included in page limit): An alphabetical/numerical listing of the sections within the proposal, including corresponding page numbers.

o Technical Approach (included in page limit): Describe the scientific or technical concepts that will be investigated, providing the complete research plan. Describe what is innovative about the proposed approach. Provide the proposed approach compared to alternate approaches other researchers in the field have taken. Given the successful completion, describe the results, new knowledge, or insights.

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Future Naval Relevance: A description of potential Naval relevant and contributions of the effort to the agency’s specific mission.

Project Schedule and Milestones: A summary of the schedule of events and milestones.

o Management Approach (included in page limit): Describe the overall management approach and provide rationale for participation of key team members. Describe the planned relationships with any collaborators. This is a single PI award. If appropriate, briefly describe anticipated schedule.

o Principal Investigator Qualifications (included in page limit): Describe the qualifications of the proposed Principal Investigator and any other key personnel.

o Letter(s) of Support (not included in page limit): There is no specified format or content required for the letter(s) of support other than being authored by the appropriate University (or Nonprofit) Official(s) and supporting long-term commitment by the University (or Nonprofit) to the applicant and his or her research. Long-term commitment may include (but is not limited to) release time from teaching and/or administrative responsibilities, paid nine-month salary, other related research funding, related laboratory and/or computer investments, new faculty start-up package, support for applicant’s graduate students/postdocs, and mentoring. The letter(s) can include any and all commitments and investments made by the university (or non-profit) towards the applicant being a successful researcher, instructor, and advisor, as well as the applicant's achievements. It must be clear that the university (or non-profit) is making long-term commitment to the applicant and his or her research, and that the applicant is viewed as a potential leading faculty member or equivalent. The university (or nonprofit) should make it clear that the individual being recommended is truly outstanding. The Letter(s) of Support shall be attached to the proposal.

o Data Management Plan (not included in page limit): A data management plan is a document that describes which data generated through the course of the proposed research will be shared and preserved, how it will be done, or explains why data sharing or preservation is not possible or scientifically appropriate, or why the costs of sharing or preservation are incommensurate with the value of doing so. See also: DoD Instruction 3200.12.

In no more than 2 pages, discuss the following:

o The types of data, software, and other materials to be produced.

o How the data will be acquired.

o Time and location of data acquisition, if scientifically pertinent.

o How the data will be processed.

o The file formats and the naming conventions that will be used.

o A description of the quality assurance and quality control measures during collection, analysis, and processing.

o A description of dataset origin when existing data resources are used.

o A description of the standards to be used for data and metadata format and content.

o Appropriate timeframe for preservation.

o The plan may consider the balance between the relative value of data preservation and other factors such as the associated cost and

FOA N0001424SF004 FY25 Young Investigator Program 15 administrative burden. The plan will provide a justification for such decisions.

A statement that the data cannot be made available to the public when there are national security or controlled unclassified information concerns (e.g., “This data cannot be cleared for public release in accordance with the requirements in DoD Instruction 5230.09.”) ( DoD Instruction

5230.09 can be found at:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523009p.pdf?ver=nuEwULZ- 197fNysiam2Mnw%3d%3d)

Field 9 – Bibliography & Referenced Cited: Upload your Bibliography/Referenced cited as a single PDF.

Field 10 – Facilities & Other Resources: Describe facilities available for performing the proposed research and any additional facilities the applicant proposes to acquire at its own expense.

Indicate government-owned facilities already possessed that will be used. (Additional equipment will not be provided unless the research cannot be completed by any other practical means.)

Field 11 – Equipment: Describe any equipment available or any additional equipment the application proposes to acquire at its own expense. Indicate government owned equipment that will be use. Justify the need for each equipment item. (Additional equipment will not be provided unless the research cannot be completed by any other practical means.)

Field 12 – Other Attachments: Optional, as necessary

Grants do not include the delivery of software, prototypes or other hardware deliverables.

(4) RESEARCH AND RELATED BUDGET

The applicant must use the Grants.gov forms (including the Standard Form (SF) Research and Related (R&R) Budget Form) from the application package template associated with the FOA on the Grants.gov web site located at http://www.grants.gov/. If options are proposed, the cost proposal must provide the pricing information for the option periods; failure to include the proposed costs for the option periods will result in the options not being included in the award.

The applicant shall provide a detailed cost breakdown of all costs, by cost category.

The award start date for budget purposes should be 01 October 2024.

Typical awards are $750,000 over a 36-month period of performance. Applicants may request up to $250,000 for each 12-month interval.

The budget should be separated into three budget forms with the following periods of performance per budget form:

Budget form (1): 12 months (01 October 2024 through 30 September 2025), up to $250,000 Budget form (2): 12 months (01 October 2025 through 30 September 2026), up to $250,000 Budget form (3): 12 months (01 October 2026 through 30 September 2027), up to $250,000

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Note that the budget for each budget-period (e.g., 01 October 2024 through 30 September 2025) should include only those costs to be expended during that budget period. Annual budget should be driven by program requirements.

A separate Adobe .pdf document shall be included in the application that provides appropriate justification and/or supporting documentation for each element of cost proposed. This document shall be attached under Section K. “Budget Justification” of the Research and Related Budget form. Click “Add Attachment” to attach.

Part 1: The itemized budget should include the following. All costs should be rounded to the nearest dollar.

Direct Labor – Individual labor categories or persons, with associated labor hours and unburdened direct labor rates. Provide escalation rates for out years.

Administrative and Clerical Labor – Salaries of administrative and clerical staff are normally indirect costs (and included in an indirect cost rate). Direct charging of these costs may be appropriate when a major project requires an extensive amount of administrative or clerical support significantly greater than normal and routine levels of support. Budgets proposing direct charging of administrative or clerical salaries must be supported with a budget justification which adequately describes the major project and the administrative and/or clerical work to be performed.

Fringe Benefits and Indirect Costs (Facilities and Administration (F&A), Overhead, G&A, etc.) – The proposal should show the rates and calculation of the costs for each rate category. If the rates have been approved/negotiated by a Government agency, provide a copy of the memorandum/agreement. If the non-Federal entity has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, they may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs or provide sufficient detail to enable a determination of allowability, allocability and reasonableness of the allocation bases, and how the rates are calculated. See 2 CFR 200.414(f) regarding the use of a de minimis rate.

Travel – The proposed travel cost must include the following for each trip: the purpose of the trip, origin and destination if known, approximate duration, the number of travelers, and the estimated cost per trip must be justified based on the organizations historical average cost per trip or other reasonable basis for estimation. Such estimates and the resultant costs claimed must conform to the applicable Federal cost principles. Applicants may include travel costs for the Principal Investigator to attend the peer reviews described in Section II of this FOA.

Subawards/Subcontracts – Subawards are not allowed.

Consultants – Provide a breakdown of the consultant’s hours, the hourly rate proposed, and any other proposed consultant costs, a copy of the signed Consulting Agreement or other documentation supporting the proposed consultant rate/cost, and a copy of the consultant’s proposed statement of work if it is not already separately identified in the prime applicant’s proposal.

Materials & Supplies – Provide an itemized list of all proposed materials and supplies including quantities, unit prices, and the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, FOA N0001424SF004 FY25 Young Investigator Program 17 catalog price lists).

Recipient Acquired Equipment or Facilities – Equipment and/or facilities are normally furnished by the Recipient. If acquisition of equipment and/or facilities is proposed, a justification for the purchase of the items must be provided. Provide an itemized list of all equipment and/or facilities costs and the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists). General purpose equipment (i.e., equipment not used exclusively for research, scientific or other technical activities, such as personal computers, laptops, office equipment) should not be requested unless they will be used primarily or exclusively for the project. For computer/laptop purchases and other general purpose equipment, if proposed, include a statement indicating how each item of equipment will be integrated into the program or used as an integral part of the research effort. Applicants must provide vendor quotes for any proposed capital equipment costs.

Other Direct Costs – Provide an itemized list of all other proposed other direct costs such as

Graduate Assistant tuition, laboratory fees, report and publication costs, and the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists).

Fee/Profit – Fee/profit is unallowable under assistance agreements at either the prime or subaward level but may be permitted on contracts issued by the prime awardee.

(5) RESEARCH AND RELATED SENIOR/KEY PERSON PROFILE (EXPANDED)

To evaluate compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C.A § 1681 Et. Seq.), 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. In addition, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2019, Section 1286, directs the Secretary of Defense to protect intellectual property, controlled information, key personnel, and information about critical technologies relevant to national security and limit undue influence, including foreign talent programs by countries that desire to exploit United States’ technology within the DoD research, science and technology, and innovation enterprise.

The R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form will be used to collect the following information for all senior/key personnel, including Project Director/Principal Investigator, whether or not the individuals' efforts under the project are to be funded by the DoD:

• Degree Type and Degree Year fields as the source for career information.

• Current and Pending Support shall include a list of all current projects the individual is working on, in addition to any future support the individual has applied to receive, regardless of the source or relevance to the current proposal. Upload this document by clicking “Add Attachment.” The following information shall be included for each current or pending project:

o Title and objectives o The percentage per year to be devoted to the other projects o The total amount of support the individual is receiving in connection to each of the other research projects or will receive if the other proposals are awarded o Name and address of the agencies and/or other parties supporting the other research projects

FOA N0001424SF004 FY25 Young Investigator Program 18 o Period of performance for the other research projects

• Upload the biosketch/CV/resume to the Biographical Sketch field. There is no page limit to the CV for the Principal Investigator. Other key personnel resume limited to 5 pages each. Biosketch/CV/resume not included in page count.

Additional senior/key persons can be added by selecting the “Next Person” button. Note that, although applications without these fields completed may pass Grants.gov edit checks, if ONR receives an application without the required information, ONR may determine that the application is incomplete and may cause it to be returned without further review. The DoD reserves the right to request further details from the applicant before making a final determination on funding the effort.

(6) RESEARCH AND RELATED PERSONAL DATA

This form will be used by ONR as the source of demographic information, such as gender, race, ethnicity, and disability information for the Project Director/Principal Investigator. Each application must include this form with the name fields of the Project Director/Principal Investigator completed; however, provision of the demographic information in the form is voluntary. The demographic information may be accessible to the reviewer, but will not be considered in the evaluation. Applicants who do not wish to provide some or all of the information should check or select the “Do not wish to provide” option.

3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

All applicants submitting proposals or applications must:

a) Be registered in SAM prior to submission;

b) Provide a valid UEI number in each application or proposal it submits to the agency; and

c) Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

SAM may be accessed at https://www.sam.gov/SAM.

A Federal awarding agency may not make a Federal award to an applicant/offeror until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant/offeror has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Federal awarding agency is ready to make a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency may determine that the applicant/offeror is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant/offeror.

4. Submission Dates and Times

See Section A.6 above, “Key Dates” for information.

5. Funding Restrictions

Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 (Public Law 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency from obligating or expending loan or grant funds to procure or obtain, extend, or renew a contract to procure or obtain, or enter into a contract (or

FOA N0001424SF004 FY25 Young Investigator Program 19 extend or renew a contract) to procure or obtain the equipment, services, or systems prohibited systems as identified in section 889 of the NDAA for FY 2019.

1. In accordance with 2 CFR 200.216 and 200.471, for all awards that are issued on or after August 13, 2020, recipients and subrecipients are prohibited from obligating or expending loan or grant funds to:

(1) Procure or obtain;

(2) Extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain; or

(3) Enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) to procure or obtain equipment, services, or systems that use covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. As described in Public Law 115-232, section 889, covered telecommunications equipment is telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).

(i) For the purpose of public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).

(ii) Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such entities or using such equipment.

(iii) Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of the National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a covered foreign country.

2. In implementing the prohibition under Public Law 115-232, section 889, subsection (f), paragraph (1), heads of executive agencies administering loan, grant, or subsidy programs shall prioritize available funding and technical support to assist affected businesses, institutions and organizations as is reasonably necessary for those affected entities to transition from covered communications equipment and services, to procure replacement equipment and services, and to ensure that communications service to users and customers is sustained.

3. See Public Law 115-232, section 889 for additional information.

COVERED FOREIGN COUNTRY means the People’s Republic of China.

6. Other Submission Requirements

Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures

This section provides the application submission and receipt instructions for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) program applications. Please read the following instructions carefully and completely.

FOA N0001424SF004 FY25 Young Investigator Program 20

a. Electronic Delivery

ONR is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. ONR applicants shall submit their applications online through Grants.gov.

b. How to Register for Grants.gov

i. Instructions: Read the instructions below about registering to apply for ONR funds. Applicants should read the registration instructions 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.

Organizations must have an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants. If individual applicants are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity, then you may begin with step 3, Create a Grants.gov Account, listed below.

Creating a Grants.gov account can be completed online in minutes, but SAM registrations may take additional time. Therefore, an organization's registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact the entity's ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

Complete organization instructions can be found on Grants.gov here:

https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registrationl

1) Register with SAM: All organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with the System for Award Management (SAM). Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

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

https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration/

2) Create a Grants.gov Account: The next step in the registration process is to create an account with Grants.gov. Follow the on-screen instructions provided on the registration page.

3) Add a Profile to a Grants.gov Account: A profile in Grants.gov corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (i.e., an applicant) or an individual applicant. If you work for or consult with multiple organizations and have a profile for each, you may log in to one Grants.gov account to access all of your grant applications. To add an organizational profile to your Grants.gov account, enter the UEI Number for the organization in the UEI field while adding a profile. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration/ebiz-poc-authorizes-profile-roles

4) EBiz POC Authorize Profile Roles: After you register with Grants.gov and create an Organization Applicant Profile, the organization applicant's request for Grants.gov roles and access is sent to the EBiz POC. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the Authorized Organization Representative (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 assigned the AOR role. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration/ebiz-poc-authorizes-profile-roles

FOA N0001424SF004 FY25 Young Investigator Program 21

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

https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration/track-profile-role-status

ii. 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.

c. How to Submit an Application to the Office of Naval Research via Grants.gov

All attachments to grant applications submitted through Grants.Gov must be in Adobe Portable Document Format. Proposals with attachments submitted in word processing, spreadsheet, or any format other than Adobe Portable Document Format will not be considered for award.

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 web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (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/applicants/workspace-overview

1) Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

2) Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace, complete all the required forms, and check for errors before submission.