NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260001.pdf

Page 1 of 30 AFOSR: NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260001

ARO: W911NF26S0095

ONR: N0001426SF003

FY27 DURIP Page 1 of 40

AFOSR Announcement NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260001

ARO Announcement W911NF26S0095 ONR Announcement N0001426SF003

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO)

Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War (DoW) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)

Deadlines

Application Inquiries and Questions 16 October 2026

Applications must be received no later than 06 November 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time

SPECIAL NOTE: Applications must be ‘VALIDATED’ by Grants.gov by the application deadline. This can take up to 48 hours after successful submission. See Section f.1., Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission, for more information. It is strongly recommended that applications be submitted at least 2 business days ahead of the application deadline.

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CONTENTS

Overview of the Research Opportunity

(a) Basic Information

(1) Federal Agency Names

(2) Funding Opportunity Title

(3) Announcement Type

(4) Funding Opportunity Number

(5) Assistance Listing Number

(6) Funding Details

(7) Key Dates

(8) Executive Summary

(9) Agency Contact Information

(10) Gold Standard Science (GSS):

(b) Eligibility

(1) Eligible Applicants

(2) Cost Sharing or Matching

(3) Other

(4) Funding Restrictions

(c) Program Description

(1) Instrument Type

(d) Application Contents and Format

(1) Content and Form of Application Submission

(e) Submission Requirements and Deadlines

(1) Address to Request Application Package

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

(3) Submission Instructions

(4) Submission Dates and Times

(f) Application Review Information

(1) Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

(2) Specific Review Criteria

(3) Review and Selection Process

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(4) Risk Review

(g) Federal Award Notices

(h) Post Award Requirements and Administration

(1) Administrative and National Policy Requirements

(2) Reporting

FY27 DURIP Page 4 of 40

Overview of the Research Opportunity The Department of War (DoW) announces the Fiscal Year 2027 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). The DoW DURIP, one element of the University Research Initiatives (URI), is sponsored by the DoW research offices. Those offices include the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) (hereinafter collectively referred to as "DoW agencies" or “DoW”).

This publication constitutes a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) as contemplated in the Department of Defense Grants and Agreements regulations (DoDGARS) 32 CFR 22.315(a). The DoW agencies reserve the right to fund all, some, or none of the proposals received under this NOFO. The DoW agencies provide no funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and budget proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this NOFO will not be returned. It is the policy of the DoW agencies to treat all proposals submitted under this NOFO 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.

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.

AFOSR/ONR awards will take the form of grants. FOR ARO SUBMISSIONS ONLY, awards will take the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements. Any assistance instrument awarded under this Announcement will be governed by the award terms and conditions that conform to DoW’s implementation of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circulars applicable to financial assistance. Terms and conditions will reflect DoW implementation of OMB guidance in 2 CFR Part 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.”

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants should be alert for any amendments that may modify the announcement.

Amendments to the original NOFO will be posted to the Grants.gov webpage: https://www.grants.gov/.

(a) Basic Information

(1) Federal Agency Names

Air Force Office of Scientific Research 875 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203

Army Research Office 800 Park Office Drive Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

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

(2) Funding Opportunity Title Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War (DoW) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program 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.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2021-title20/pdf/USCODE-2021-title20-chap28-subchapI-partA-sec1001.pdf https://www.grants.gov/

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(DURIP)

(3) Announcement Type Initial Announcement

(4) Funding Opportunity Number

AFOSR: NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260001

(5) Assistance Listing Number

AFOSR: 12.800

ARO: 12.431

ONR: 12.300

(6) Funding Details Funded Amount and Period of Performance

The total amount of funding for the 12 months available for grants resulting from this DURIP NOFO is estimated to be approximately $28 million dollars pending appropriations. DURIP awards are contingent on availability of funds and the scope of the proposed acquisition and intended research and education. Typical funding per grant is $50,000 to $3,000,000. The amount of the award should generally not exceed the specified limit. Awardees have the option to request a no-cost extension for up to an additional 12-months with sufficient justification. It is expected that DURIP awards will be completed within the initial 12-month period of performance.

It is strongly recommended that Applicants communicate with the technical program officers at the respective component agencies they are submitting to. Depending on the results of the proposal evaluation, there is no guarantee that any of the proposals submitted will be recommended for funding.

Each administering component agency will make grant awards to fund the purchase of research equipment or instrumentation costing $50,000 to $3,000,000 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 DoW funding unless your proposal qualifies for one of the two exceptions listed in section b.3.ii, Amount of Requested DoW 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 DoW with the new equipment or instrumentation proposed.

(7) Key Dates Pre-proposal inquiries and questions must be submitted not later than Friday, 16 October 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Proposals must be received electronically through Grants.gov by Friday, 06 November 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

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(8) Executive Summary Since its inception, DURIP has provided equipment and instrumentation to enhance basic research capability and research-related education in areas of interest and priority to the DoW.

DoW 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 DoW component agencies.

The DURIP is executed with the hope that these awards facilitate the growth of the U.S. base of STEM professionals as well as enable U.S. institutions of higher education to address the Department’s unique problem sets. It is imperative that proposals address the impact of the equipment and instrumentation on the institution’s ability to educate students through research in disciplines important to DoW missions.

(9) Agency Contact Information DURIP Program Points of Contact

All UNCLASSIFIED communications shall be submitted via e-mail to the Program Point of Contact (POC) with a copy to the designated Business POC, as designated below.

Comments or questions submitted should be concise and to the point, eliminating any unnecessary verbiage. In addition, the relevant part and paragraph of the NOFO should be referenced. Questions submitted within 2 weeks prior to a submission deadline may not be answered, and the due date for proposal submission will not be extended.

Questions of a policy/program nature shall be directed as specified below:

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Ms. Katie Wisecarver afosr.rtb.durip@us.af.mil

Army Research Office (ARO) Dr. Sue Kase usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.aro-durip@army.mil

Office of Naval Research (ONR) Dr. Amanda Netburn onr.ncr.durip@us.navy.mil

Questions of a business nature shall be directed as specified below:

Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Research Laboratory, Contracting Office (AFMC/AFRL

RBKR)

Mr. Jorge Gallegos jorge.gallegos@us.af.mil

USARMY ACC

mailto:afosr.rtb.durip@us.af.mil mailto:usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.aro-durip@army.mil mailto:onr.ncr.durip@us.navy.mil mailto:jorge.gallegos@us.af.mil

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Ms. Ramila Century ramila.century.civ@army.mil

Office of Naval Research Ms. Veronica Lacey veronica.y.lacey.civ@us.navy.mil

(10) Gold Standard Science (GSS):

(i) In Accordance with Executive Order (EO) 14303, Gold Standard Science (GSS) is defined as science conducted in a manner that is:

A. reproducible;

B. transparent;

C. communicative of error and uncertainty;

D. collaborative and interdisciplinary;

E. skeptical of its findings and assumptions;

F. structured for falsifiability of hypotheses;

G. subject to unbiased peer review;

H. accepting negative results as positive outcomes; and, I. without conflicts of interest.

(ii) Expectations of Adherence to Gold Standard Science and EO 14332: The DoW expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, integrity, and adherence to appropriate tenets of GSS. For more on these standards and DoW expectations, see https://www.cto.mil/gold-standard-science-implementation-plan/.

(iii) To meet the EO 14332 requirement with regards to GSS, applications/proposals shall include a commitment to complying with administration policies, procedures, and guidance respecting GSS.

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

A. Our institution understands the definition of Gold Standard Science as outlined above.

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

(iv) By responding to this NOFO you explicitly agree to the following statements:

A. Our institution understands the definition of Gold Standard Science as outlined above.

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

(b) Eligibility

(1) Eligible Applicants

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 (UARCs) are eligible to participate in this competition.

mailto:ramila.century.civ@army.mil mailto:veronica.y.lacey.civ@us.navy.mil https://www.cto.mil/gold-standard-science-implementation-plan/ https://www.cto.mil/gold-standard-science-implementation-plan/

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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 41 U.S.C. § 2313 and described in 2 CFR § 200.206 and 32 CFR § 22.415 to confirm you are qualified, responsible, and eligible to receive an award. Under national security directives, Department components conduct risk-based security reviews on proposals to prevent conflicts of interest and foreign influence.

See Section (f)(4) below.

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. Selections are based on our criteria.

(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. Letters of support/commitment are not required.

(3) Other

(i) Eligible Equipment and Instrumentation

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 DoW. 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 DoW-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.

(4) Funding Restrictions

(i) 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 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.

A. In accordance with 2 CFR §§ 200.216 and 200.471, recipients and subrecipients of all awards that are issued on or after August 13, 2020 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 uses 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).

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://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title41-section2313&num=0&edition=prelim

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(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 War, 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.

B. In implementing the prohibition under Public Law 115-232, section 889, subsection (b), paragraph (2), 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.

C. See Public Law 115-232, section 889 (f) for additional information. “Covered Foreign Country” means the People’s Republic of China.

(ii) With few exceptions, a DURIP award provides between $50,000 and $3,000,000 in DoW funding for the purchase of major equipment or instrumentation.

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:

(1)Your proposal contains a firm commitment from your institution to provide voluntary committed cost sharing or matching so the cost to DoW remains $3,000,000 or less; or, (2) your proposal requests the administering agency that receives your proposal to grant an exception to the $3,000,000 maximum amount of DoW funding. At the administering agency’s discretion, your proposal may be considered if it is warranted by 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.

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.

(iii) DURIP-Specific Funding Restrictions

See Table on page 20 for a list of Allowable and unallowable costs.

(c) Program Description In accordance with EO 14332, Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking, dated 7 August 2025, and EO 14303, Restoring Gold Standard Science, dated 23 May 2025, this Announcement seeks

FY27 DURIP Page 10 of 40 proposals from universities to purchase equipment and instrumentation in support of research in areas of interest to the DoW, reflecting the basic research priorities for the Department of War and advancing the administration and agency priorities (c.f., OMB memo M-25-34 “Fiscal Year 2027 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities and Cross-Cutting Actions”).

DoW 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).

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 DoW. 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 DoW missions.

Basic research is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. It is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological progress (DoD 7000.14-R, vol. 2B, Chapter5, Section 1.51.)

IAW Executive Order 14332, all technical program descriptions contained in the respective Administering Agency’s Broad Agency Announcements reflect the basic research priorities for the respective departments and are defined to advance the administration and agency priorities (c.f., OMB memo M-25-34 “Fiscal Year 2027 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities and Cross-Cutting Actions”).

Our areas of research interest are published at the following websites:

ADMINISTERING AGENCY HOW TO FIND OUR RESEARCH INTERESTS

Army Research Office https://arl.devcom.army.mil/

Navigate to https://arl.devcom.army.mil/opportunities/arl-baa/ to see the most recent ARL Core Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research. See detailed instructions under section d.1.iv.A.3. for identifying ARO research areas funded under this Announcement.

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

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

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

Navigate to Grants.gov to view the “Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research,” Broad Agency Announcement

FA955026S0001.

You should refer to the websites cited above for detailed technical information and our technical https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/M-25-34-NSTM-2-Fiscal-Year-FY-2027-Administration-Research-and-Development-Budget-Priorities-and-Cross-Cutting-Actions.pdf https://arl.devcom.army.mil/ https://arl.devcom.army.mil/opportunities/arl-baa/ https://www.onr.navy.mil/ https://www.onr.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research https://www.onr.navy.mil/ https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/announcements https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/ https://files.simpler.grants.gov/opportunities/de479d2e-aad1-466a-acc3-d5d11cf7918d/attachments/fd9a4dfb-ac66-4c75-8166-592ea2daeb02/FA955026S0001_AFOSR_Open_BAA.pdf https://files.simpler.grants.gov/opportunities/de479d2e-aad1-466a-acc3-d5d11cf7918d/attachments/fd9a4dfb-ac66-4c75-8166-592ea2daeb02/FA955026S0001_AFOSR_Open_BAA.pdf https://files.simpler.grants.gov/opportunities/de479d2e-aad1-466a-acc3-d5d11cf7918d/attachments/fd9a4dfb-ac66-4c75-8166-592ea2daeb02/FA955026S0001_AFOSR_Open_BAA.pdf

FY27 DURIP Page 11 of 40 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. Your proposal must identify a technical PM/PO in block 4b of the SF-424 proposal cover page. See detailed instructions under Field 4b – Agency Routing Number for identifying an ARO technical PM in an area of research funded under this Announcement.

(1) Instrument Type The authority for DURIP awards is 10 U.S.C. § 4001 in accordance with 31 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq. The applicable regulations are 2 CFR § 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards,” as implemented by 2 CFR, Subtitle B, Chapter XI, Subchapter A and DoDGARs at 32 CFR, Subchapter C.

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

A. 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.

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

C. No fee or profit is allowed.

(ii) Cooperative Agreement (ARO only): A legal instrument which, consistent with 31 U.S.C §

6305, is used to enter into the same kind of relationship as a grant, except:

A. Substantial involvement is expected between the Federal Government and the recipient when carrying out the activity contemplated by the cooperative agreement. No fee or profit is allowed. (For information on the substantial involvement DoW expects to have in cooperative agreements, prospective Applicants should contact the Technical Point of Contact identified in the research area of interest.)

B. No fee or profit is allowed.

C. In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4021(i), as amended, the following information submitted during the solicitation and award process of Cooperative Agreement for performance of basic, applied, or advanced research authorized by section 4001 are exempt from disclosure requirements of 5 U.S.C. § 552, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), for a period of five years from the date the Department receives the information. Offeror’s should mark the following documents with a legend asserting that they are submitted on a confidential basis:

(1) A proposal, proposal abstract, and supporting documents;

(2) A business plan submitted on a business proprietary basis; and,

(3) Technical information submitted on a controlled basis, as outlined in DoDI 5230.24, Distribution Statements on Technical Documents.

(d) Application Contents and Format

(1) Content and Form of Application Submission

(i) General Information

All submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable law and DoW 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.

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Prospective awardees are encouraged to contact technical PO/PMs prior to submitting a proposal to minimize the labor and cost associated with the production of detailed proposals that have very little chance of being selected for funding. The technical PO/PMs may provide informal feedback to the prospective awardees to encourage or discourage submission of proposals. The technical PO/PM may also, on occasion, provide feedback encouraging further strengthening of a proposal.

(ii) Distribution Markings

The proposals submitted under this NOFO are expected to address acquisition of equipment or instrumentation for unclassified basic research.

For proposals containing data that the Applicant does not want disclosed to the public for any reason, or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes, the Applicant shall mark the title page with the following legend:

“This proposal includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed--in whole or in part--for any purpose other than to evaluate the proposal or for program coordination. If, however, a grant is awarded to this Applicant as a result of, or in connection with, the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting award. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction is contained in

(insert numbers or other identification of sheets).”

Also, mark each sheet of data that the Applicant wishes to restrict with the following legend:

“Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.”

(iii) Full Proposals

The administering agencies require Applicants to submit their applications online through Grants.gov. 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 any attachment is not a PDF, contains macros or is password protected, they will not pass the automated acceptance check and will need to be resubmitted prior to the submission deadline.

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

Mandatory forms are found at Forms Repository | Grants.gov.

Block 2, “Type of Application” on the SF-424 should be marked “New” on the resubmission.

A. 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 – 25 pages*

There are no page limitations for the budget.

*INCLUDED IN PAGE COUNT NOT INCLUDED IN PAGE COUNT

https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/

FY27 DURIP Page 13 of 40

Project Summary/Abstract Everything else

Project Narrative

We do not include Grants.gov forms in the page count. We do not include OMB forms, disclosure documents, or curriculum vitae (CV) 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.

(1) NOTE: For ONR proposals, the technical proposal must describe the research in sections as described below:

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

• NOFO Number: N0001426SF0003;

• 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

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

(iii) 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.

• 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.

• Goals and Benchmarks: Describe the goals of the research and the benchmarks that will be used to measure the progress and success of those goals.

(iv) 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 subawardees or collaborators. This is a single PI award; if there are subawardees or collaborators, explain how the proposed team fits the single PI structure. If appropriate, briefly describe anticipated schedule.

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

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

(vi) Responsibility (included in page limit): Applicants must provide the following information to ONR in order to assist in ONR’s evaluation of the applicant’s responsibility:

• Describe how you have adequate resources or the ability to obtain such resources as required to complete the activities proposed.

• Describe how you have the ability to comply with the grant conditions, taking into account all existing and currently prospective commitments of the applicant, nongovernmental and governmental.

• Describe your performance history; specifically, your record in managing Federal awards and the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to future awards.

• Describe your record of integrity and business ethics.

• Describe qualifications and eligibility to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations.

• Describe your organization, experience, accounting, and operational controls and technical skills or the ability to obtain them (including as appropriate such elements as property control systems, quality assurance measures, and safety programs applicable to the efforts to be performed).

(2) NOTE for AFOSR proposals: While the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Tools is not prohibited, AFOSR strongly encourages disclosure the use of such tools in your proposal.

(i) Any use of GenAI tools is at your own risk, and you are responsible for ensuring the use of GenAI tools in your proposal does not result in plagiarism, unauthorized use of intellectual property, or presentation of misinformation.

(ii) Please note that external reviewers are prohibited from using GenAI tools in the review process, and AFOSR Program Officers (POs) are prohibited from sharing proposal information with external GenAI tools. AFOSR POs have access to an approved firewalled internal GenAI tool (e.g., GenAI.mil) which they may use for internal proposal processing.

B. 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 DoW Component Decision Matrix to

FY27 DURIP Page 15 of 40

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.

For additional requirements, see section (f) below.

(iv) Content

NOTE: The electronic file name for all documents submitted under this NOFO 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 Forms Repository | Grants.gov.

A. 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: R&R Family | Grants.gov. You must use 18 June 2027 as the anticipated start date in your proposal and budget; however, the actual effective date is not final until an award is made.

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

(1) Field 3 - Date Received by State: Leave Blank

(2) Field 4a - Federal Identifier:

For AFOSR, enter “FA9550”

For ARO, enter “W36QYT”

For ONR, enter “N00014”

(3) Field 4b - Agency Routing Number:

For AFOSR, enter the Technical Program Officer’s name (last name first).

For ARO, specific basic research areas are funded under this Announcement.

Navigate to https://arl.devcom.army.mil/opportunities/arl-baa/ to the ARL Core Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research. Use the “Filters” function on the left edge of the page and select the checkbox for “Army Research Office (ARO)”; then click “Apply Filters”. For each ARO research topic listed, look under “Funding Category” on the right side of the research topic description. The Funding Category funded under this Announcement only includes “6.1”. Funding Categories of 6.2-6.3 are not funded under this Announcement. Enter the name of the Technical Program Officer listed under “Topic POC(s).” It is important that the Program Officer selected has the “ARL Office of Responsibility” as “Army Research Office (ARO)” and not “Army Research Directorate (ARD)”.

For ONR, enter the three (3) digit Research Topic Chief’s Code and the Research Topic Chief’s name (last name first) in brackets (e.g., 331 [Smith, John]). 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.

https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/ https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/ https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family https://arl.devcom.army.mil/opportunities/arl-baa/

FY27 DURIP Page 16 of 40

(4) 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.

(5) Field 5 – Application Information: Email address entered by the grantee on the SF-424 application to create the Electronic Document Access (EDA) notification profile. DoW recommends that organizations provide a global business address.

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

(7) Field 9 - Name of Federal Agency: List the appropriate agency (i.e., ONR, AFOSR, or ARO) as the reviewing agency. This field is usually pre-populated in Grants.gov.

(8) Field 11 – Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project: Include “DURIP:” at the beginning of your descriptive title.

(9) Field 14 – Project Director/Principal Investigator: Email address entered by the grantee on the SF-424 application to create the EDA notification profile.

(10) Field 16 - Is Application Subject to Review by State Executive Order 12372 Process?:

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

(11) 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 218, Section 1001).

For AFOSR, if you check “I agree” on SF424 block 17 and do NOT upload a completed SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, you are certifying that you do NOT have any lobbying activities to disclose. If you do have lobbying activities to disclose, you MUST check “I agree” on SF424 block 17 AND upload a completed SF-

LLL.

(12) Field 19 – Authorized Representative (AOR): Email address entered by the grantee on the SF-424 application to create the EDA notification profile. Note: If the name in the signature field of Block 19 does not match the name listed as the AOR, you must provide signature delegation authority in the form of written approval from the named AOR or an institutional memo granting delegated signature authority.

B. Project Summary/Abstract You must provide a concise abstract of 4,000 characters or less with your proposal. Spaces are included in the character count do not include proprietary or confidential information. The project summary/abstract must be marked by the applicant as “Approved for Public Release.”

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.1.iv.A, SF-424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance.

FY27 DURIP Page 17 of 40

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://discover.dtic.mil/grant/.

C. Research and Related Other Project Information

(1) Fields 1 and 1a – Human Subject Use: DURIP is for the acquisition of instrumentation/equipment only and therefore do not include Human Subject Use.

(2) Fields 2 and 2a – Vertebrate Animal Use: DURIP is for the acquisition of instrumentation/equipment only and therefore do not include Vertebrate Animal Use.

(3) Fields 4a through 4d – Environmental Compliance: Address these fields and briefly indicate whether the proposed instrumentation/equipment acquisition 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 DoW, 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.

(4) 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.

(5) 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. You must clearly describe how the proposed equipment or instrumentation will:

(i) Enhance the quality of research and research-related education of importance to the DoW. Indicate the DoW organization the proposal will be submitted to, any associated contract or grant numbers, 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,

(ii) Contribute to research and research-related education of importance to the DoW.

Indicate the DoW organization the proposal will be submitted to, thePI of the proposal under consideration, the prospective DoW sponsor, and concisely describe the thrust of the research and research-related education in sufficient https://discover.dtic.mil/grant/

FY27 DURIP Page 18 of 40 detail to enable review of the DURIP proposal by an evaluator who is not familiar with your research proposal; and/or,

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

(iv) 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,

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

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

(vii) Indicate the estimated useful life of the equipment.

(6) Field 9 – Bibliography & References Cited: Upload your Bibliography/References Cited as a single PDF.

(7) Field 10 – Facilities & Other Resources: Describe facilities available for performing the proposed research and any additional facilities the Applicant proposes to acquire at their 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.)

(8) Field 12 – Other Attachments: Optional, as necessary.

D. 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 NOFO on the Grants.gov web site located at http://www.grants.gov/

The awarding agency reserves the right to request further details and reduce travel costs after program and business office review.

You must include a budget that identifies the cost per item for equipment or instrumentation to be purchased, associated travel costs, and the total cost. Cite the proposed sources of the equipment or instrumentation on the budget justification attachment. This form is not included in your page count.

Your equipment or instrumentation costs should be based on recent quotations from manufacturers or distributors. Itemize equipment on the R&R Budget form to the extent possible or provide an itemization on the budget justification attachment.

Travel costs may be proposed to the extent that it is required for testing and/or acceptance of the proposed instrumentation. Travel must be clearly justified to demonstrate relevance to the success of the project. Sufficient detail shall be provided for how travel costs were estimated.

The awarding agency reserves the right to request further details and reduce travel costs after program and business office review. Your travel costs should be based on your institution’s written travel policy, or in accordance with 2 CFR 200.475. Itemize travel costs on the budget justification attachment.

All equipment or instrumentation requested must be considered part of one “system” costing

$50,000 to $3,000,000 absent an exception; and thus, all equipment or instrumentation proposed must be exempt from indirect costs. NOTE: AFOSR will not consider any request for exception above $7,000,000.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRed1f39f9b3d4e72/section-200.475

FY27 DURIP Page 19 of 40

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

You must use 18 June 2027 as the anticipated start date in your proposal and budget;

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

The final awarded budget is subject to change based on availability of funds.

ALLOWABLE DURIP COSTS UNALLOWABLE DURIP COSTS

Acquisition of major equipment or instrumentation consistent with the evaluation criteria, including:

reasonable costs for design, construction, assembly, and/or installation by external contractors or university technicians or engineers

Construction of modification of buildings, building support systems such as heating, ventilation, or air conditioning, plumbing, or electrical, or fixed equipment such as clean rooms or fume hoods

Costs for continued operation and maintenance, including extended warranties

Purely instructional equipment

Computers for DoW-relevant research programs consistent with the evaluation criteria

General purpose computing facilities

Any…