NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260003 DEPSCoR-CB - Amendment 3.pdf

AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT #

NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260003

FY26 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE

COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) –

CAPACITY BUILDING (CB)

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Defense

Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) – Capacity

Building (CB) opportunity. The program is sponsored and managed by Office of the

Under Secretary for War, Research and Engineering (OUSW-R&E)/Science &

Technology (S&T), Foundations, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD [R&E]), awarded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research

(AFOSR), and administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The DoD plans to award FY26 DEPSCoR appropriations through this announcement.

IAW 10 U.S.C. 4010, DEPSCoR's objectives are to: (1) increase the number of university researchers in eligible States/Territories capable of performing science and engineering

(S&E) research responsive to the needs of the DoD; (2) enhance the capabilities of institutions of higher education (IHEs) in eligible States/Territories (listed below) to develop, plan, and execute S&E research that is relevant to the mission of the DoD, and competitive under the peer-review systems used for awarding Federal research assistance;

and (3) increase the probability of long-term growth in the competitively awarded financial assistance that IHEs in eligible States/Territories receive from the Federal

Government for S&E research.

Consistent with these long-term objectives of building research infrastructure, the DoD intends to competitively make, and fund from fiscal year 2026 appropriations, multiyear awards for capacity building strengthens basic research infrastructure and science and engineering capabilities at universities in underutilized states and territories to support

Department of Defense national security priorities in IHEs.

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

IHEs in the following States/Territories are eligible to apply for this DEPSCoR opportunity under this announcement: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New

Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming see eligibility table in III A.

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

SUMMARY OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

1. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY NAME

Air Force Office of Scientific Research

875 North Randolph Street, STE 325, Room 3112

Arlington, VA 22203

2. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE

Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) –

Capacity Building (CB)

3. ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE

Initial Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

4. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER

5. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA)

NUMBER(S)

12.431 – Basic Scientific Research

6. KEY DATES

Schedule of Events

Event Date Eastern Time

RunGrants website open for White Paper submission

(https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor) Monday, 10 August 2026 9:00 AM

DEPSCoR Webinar

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

Tuesday, 25 August 2026 2:00 - 4:00 PM

RunGrants Registration (strongly suggested by)

Cut-off date for Q&As with Program Officers

Wednesday, 7 October 2026 NLT 11:59 PM

White Paper and Supporting Documentation submission on RunGrants website

(https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor) (required by)

Monday, 12 October 2026 NLT 11:59 PM

Notification of White Paper Selection Friday, 08 January 2027 NLT 11:59 PM

Full Proposal Submission (by invitation only) electronically on

Grants.gov website

(submitted by) Monday, 05 April 2027 NLT 11:59 PM

Notification of Selection for Award Friday, 23 July 2027 NLT 11:59 PM https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor https://www.grants.gov/

Table of Contents

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. OBJECTIVES

B. TEAM COMPOSITION

C. DoD RELEVANT AREAS

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

A. ADDITIONAL DEPSCoR FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. INELIGIBLE ENTITIES

C. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

D. OTHER

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

A. ONLINE REGISTRATION VIA RunGrants

B. WHITE PAPER AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTION SUBMISSION

C. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF THE WHITE PAPER

D. FULL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PACKAGE

E. INFORMATION YOU MUST SUBMIT IF SELECTED FOR POSSIBLE AWARD

F. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM) REGISTRATION,

GRANTS CERTIFICATIONS, UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER, AND CAGE CODE

G. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

H. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

I. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW PROCESS

C. DISCLOSURE OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING BY CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL .44

D. NO GUARANTEED AWARD

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. WHITE PAPER SELECTION AND NONSELECTION NOTICES

B. AWARD NOTICES

C. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

D. REPORTING

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

A. TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC INQUIRIES AND QUESTIONS

B. GENERAL INQUIRIES AND QUESTIONS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. GRANTS OFFICERS AUTHORITY

B. ADDITIONAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. OBJECTIVES

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

Management Regulation:

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

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

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

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

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

Authority for a grant or cooperative agreement award under this announcement is established in 10 U.S.C. 4001 for basic research. Authority for DEPSCoR specifically was established in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal

Year 1995 and has subsequently been codified at 10 U.S.C. 4010. Grants awarded under this program are intended to support the strategic objectives of IHEs (either individually or in partnership with others) in DEPSCoR States/Territories to achieve basic research excellence in areas of high relevance to the DoD. The intent of this DEPSCoR-Capacity Building effort is to foster new, strategic, multi-thrust efforts to increase basic research capacity in DoD-relevant https://comptroller.defense.gov/portals/45/documents/fmr/current/02b/02b_05.pdf https://comptroller.defense.gov/portals/45/documents/fmr/current/02b/02b_05.pdf https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section4001&num=0&edition=prelim research areas at the applicant IHE. DEPSCoR-Capacity Building is an opportunity for Executive Offices of IHEs in DEPSCoR states and territories to develop strategic plans to grow and expand basic research capacity at the IHE, and to use that capacity to outreach to the surrounding DEPSCoR region, with a long-term goal to compete and contribute more effectively to the DoD basic research enterprise. Innovative approaches to improving basic research capacity beyond the initial seed capacity of the IHE are highly encouraged.

DEPSCoR-Capacity Building is less interested in plans that do not seek to significantly improve and expand the existing seed capacity and thrusts already ongoing at the applicant IHE. Applied research proposals are not responsive to this call.

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

Definitions:

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

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

Capacity Building – the improvement of basic research capacity at the

IHE through the acquisition of equipment, new faculty hires, educational initiatives, basic research plans, and other activities that synergistically improve the basic research capabilities in a DoD-relevant area for the IHE.

Capacity building is not the incremental improvement, centralization, or the reorganization of existing recognized basic research capability capacity at an IHE.

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

Applicants must be aware of the following expectations of the

DEPSCoR-Capacity Building program:

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

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

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

4. Applications must present a management plan for coordinating multiple thrusts working on a common basic research theme that will fill the capacity gaps and develop new basic research capabilities.

These thrusts could include but are not limited to purchasing new equipment, supporting new hires, and support for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Adequate provision for substantive commitment by the IHE’s executive offices and appropriate administrative support is an important factor contributing to the success of this Capacity Building effort.

5. Applications (at the Full Proposal Stage) must include Letters of

Recommendation for Commitment / Endorsement as noted below and in SECTION IV.D.3.p:

a) Letters of recommendation from any regional partners that may benefit from or contribute to the success of your proposed activity

(industry, non-profit, other IHEs, etc.). (Required)

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

B. TEAM COMPOSITION

The DEPSCoR-Capacity Building proposal must be led by a member of the

Institution of Higher Education's (IHE) executive staff such as the Vice President for Research who will serve as the Team Lead (referred to as the Applicant).

While the overall team structure may vary depending on the specific application, all key participants and proposed subawardees must be clearly identified at the time of submission, and all key personnel must hold appointments at an IHE within a DEPSCoR-eligible state (see Table III A for eligible states).

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

FOA.

C. DoD RELEVANT AREAS

Applications must address one or more of the technical basic research areas outlined in the Services (Army Research Office [ARO], Office of Naval Research

[ONR], and Air Force Office of Scientific Research [AFOSR]) broad agency announcements (BAA). Please refer to the websites cited below for detailed technical information and goals for the Services.

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

OUSW-R&E/S&T, Foundations anticipates up to $6 million in total funding will be made available for this program to fully fund and award between one to four grants up to $1.5 million (total cost) each. Each grant award will be funded up to

$750,000 (total cost) per year for two (2) years.

The award is subject to funding availability. OUSW-R&E/S&T, Foundations reserves the right to select and fund for award all, some, part, or none of the proposals received. There is no guarantee of an award.

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

The DEPSCoR Capacity Building award is to an IHE. However, should there be any changes to the Team Lead for the capacity building effort, these changes

SERVICES HOW TO FIND THE SERVICES' RESEARCH INTEREST

Army Research Office (ARO) https://arl.devcom.army.mil/who-we-are/aro/

Select “Collaborate with Us”; find “Funded Research”; select “Learn

More”; and then “Broad Agency Announcements (BAA)” to see the most recent BAA: https://arl.devcom.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/DEVCOM-ARL-

BAA_W911NF23S0001-Amendment-3.pdf

Army Research Lab (ARL) BAA topics website:

https://cftste.experience.crmforce.mil/arlext/s/baa-download

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

Select “Work With Us”; select “Funding Opportunities”; select

“announcements section”; select “FY25 Long Range Broad Agency

Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and

Technology N0001425SB001” or go to https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/fy25-long-range-broad-agency-announcement-baa-navy-and-marine and select the most recent amendment.

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

Air Force Office of Scientific Research

(AFOSR)

https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/

Select “Funding Opportunities” then select “see the latest BAAs. On grants.gov search using keyword(s) “Research Interests of the Air

Force Office of Scientific Research” to see the latest core announcement. The current funding opportunity number for general research interests is FA9550-23-S-0001.

https://arl.devcom.army.mil/who-we-are/aro/ https://arl.devcom.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/DEVCOM-ARL-BAA_W911NF23S0001-Amendment-3.pdf https://arl.devcom.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/DEVCOM-ARL-BAA_W911NF23S0001-Amendment-3.pdf https://arl.devcom.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/DEVCOM-ARL-BAA_W911NF23S0001-Amendment-3.pdf https://arl.devcom.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/DEVCOM-ARL-BAA_W911NF23S0001-Amendment-3.pdf https://arl.devcom.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/DEVCOM-ARL-BAA_W911NF23S0001-Amendment-3.pdf https://cftste.experience.crmforce.mil/arlext/s/baa-download https://www.nre.navy.mil/ https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/fy25-long-range-broad-agency-announcement-baa-navy-and-marine https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/fy25-long-range-broad-agency-announcement-baa-navy-and-marine https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/fy25-long-range-broad-agency-announcement-baa-navy-and-marine https://www.nre.navy.mil/our-research/onr-technology-and-research https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/ https://www.grants.gov/search-grants https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/345653 must be proposed, reviewed, and approved by the DEPSCoR Program Manager and OUSW-R&E/S&T, Foundations at least 30 days in advance.

The award start date is determined at the time of award but is most likely projected for an October 2027 start date.

Authority for award under this competition is established in 10 U.S.C. 4001 for basic research. Authority for DEPSCoR specifically was established in the

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 and has subsequently been amended and reauthorized over the years since. (see specifically 10 U.S.C.

4010). Regulations, terms, and conditions that will apply to the award can be found in Section VI. Federal Award Administration Information.

A. ADDITIONAL DEPSCoR FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to this DEPSCoR - Capacity Building FOA, OUSW-R&E/S&T, Foundations anticipates funding up to 24 awards under the DEPSCoR – Research

Collaboration FOA # NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260003 to support collaborative research activities in DoD-relevant fields. This additional competitive research funding is separate from this announcement and is also set aside for researchers at

IHEs in DEPSCoR eligible States/Territories.

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

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

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

2. All activities supported by a DEPSCoR award must be performed in a

DEPSCoR eligible State/Territory. Funding support for the Applicant and any potential subawardees is limited to those with addresses within one or more DEPSCoR eligible States/Territories.

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

IHE in 37 States/Territories are eligible to receive awards under this announcement.

IHEs do not need to submit proposals through an EPSCoR State Committee in https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section4001&num=0&edition=prelim response to this announcement. Awards made as a result of this announcement will be limited to IHE in States/Territories that are eligible under the DEPSCoR program authority.

STATES/TERRITORIES DoD HAS DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR

FY26 DEPSCoR AWARDS1

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

Alabama Guam Louisiana Nebraska Oklahoma Tennessee

Alaska Hawaii Maine Nevada Oregon U.S. Virgin Islands

Arkansas Idaho Minnesota New Hampshire Puerto Rico Vermont

Connecticut Iowa Mississippi New Jersey Rhode Island West Virginia

Delaware Kansas Missouri New Mexico South Carolina Wisconsin

District of

Columbia

Kentucky Montana North Dakota South Dakota Wyoming

OUSW-R&E/S&T, Foundations and AFOSR will review your application, proposal, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) designated repositories of government-wide public and non-public data, including comments you have made, as required by 31 U.S.C. 3321 and 41 U.S.C. 2313 and described in 2 CFR200.206 and 32 CFR 22.410 to assess risk posed by applicants, and to confirm applicants are qualified, responsible, and eligible to receive an award.

B. INELIGIBLE ENTITIES

Neither Federally Funded Research and Development Centers

(FFRDCs) nor Federal agencies (including military schools) can receive funding under this announcement, whether as the lead organization or as a sub-grantee.

C. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

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

D. OTHER

Acknowledgment of Support and Disclaimer Requirements https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title31-section3321&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title41-section2313&num=0&edition=prelim https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-C/section-200.206 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-C/section-200.206 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=99995f067c32119e1a31f27e1c456144&mc=true&node=pt32.1.22&rgn=div5&se32.1.22_1410

➢ You must include the VI.C.3. Acknowledgment of Research

Support on all materials created or produced under our awards.

➢ The VI.C.4. Disclaimer Language for Research Materials and

Publications must be included in materials as required.

➢ Our award document may provide additional instructions about specific distribution statements to use when you provide research materials to us. You are not eligible to submit a White Paper or Full

Proposal if you cannot accept these terms.

Expectation of Public Dissemination of Research Results

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

We intend, to the fullest extent possible, to make available to the public all unclassified, unlimited peer-reviewed scholarly publications and digitally formatted scientific data arising from research and programs funded wholly or in part by the DoD as described in the OUSD Memorandum, “Public Access to

Department of Defense-Funded Research” dated 9 JULY 2014.

We follow DoDI 5230.24 and DoDI 5230.27 policies and procedures to ensure broad dissemination of unclassified research results to the public and within the

Government. The DoDI 5230.27 policy and procedures allowing publication and public presentation of unclassified fundamental research results, and DoDD

5230.25 policy and procedures regarding withholding of unclassified technical data from public disclosure, will apply to all research proposed under this competition unless OUSW-R&E/S&T, Foundations gives you an explicit, written exclusion to these policies with the Grants Officer’s advice and consent. All exclusions must be authorized or required by law and must cite a valid legal authority.

You must provide a copy of all peer-reviewed publications developed or produced from research conducted with DoD funds to OUSW-R&E/S&T

Foundations.

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

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

Definitions

➢ Conflict of interest (financial conflict of interest): is a situation in which an individual, or the individual’s spouse or dependent children, https://discover.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/memo_public_access_kendall_20140709.pdf https://discover.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/memo_public_access_kendall_20140709.pdf https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523024p.pdf?ver=2020-06-12-112557-280 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523027p.pdf?ver=2019-04-04-095230-883 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523027p.pdf?ver=2019-04-04-095230-883 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/523025p.pdf?ver=2019-02-25-133644-407 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/523025p.pdf?ver=2019-02-25-133644-407 has a financial interest or financial relationship that could directly and significantly affect the design, conduct, reporting, or funding of research.

(Pursuant to NSPM-33).

➢ Conflict of commitment (non-financial conflict of interest): is a situation in which an individual accepts or incurs conflicting obligations between or among multiple employers or other entities. Many institutional policies define conflicts of commitment as conflicting commitments of time and effort, including obligations to dedicate time in excess of institutional obligations, including obligations to improperly share information with, or withhold information from, an employer or funding agency, can also threaten research security and integrity, and are an element of a broader concept of conflicts of commitment.2

General Requirement for Disclosure

You and your IHE must disclose any potential or actual scientific or nonscientific

COI/COC to us. You must also disclose any potential or actual COI/COC for any sub-recipient you include in your proposal. You must provide enough information for us to evaluate your disclosure. We may have to ask you more questions if we need more information.

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

Act and constitute a violation of law.

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

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

Scientific COI/COC

Scientific collaborations on research and development projects are generally the result of close collaboration prior to the submission of applications for support.

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

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

Failures to disclose:

➢ Financial conflicts of interest (both domestic and foreign)

➢ Conflicts of commitment 2 National Security Policy Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33), Presidential Memorandum on United States

Government-Supported Research and Development National Security Policy, January 14, 2021, President

Donald J. Trump

➢ External employment arrangements

➢ Financial support that overlaps with U.S. funding

➢ Shadow laboratories or other parallel research activities

➢ Diversion of intellectual property

➢ Peer review violations

Examples of Behaviors that May Violate Laws:

➢ Theft or diversion of materials and intellectual capital

➢ Grant fraud

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

The application and submission process is completed in three stages:

1. Completed online registration via https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/.

(Required)

2. White Paper submission via RunGrants. (Required)

3. Full Proposal Submission Package. (via grants.gov – Required)

(This is by invitation only. Must include invitation email as an attachment in block 20 of the SF424.)

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

(1) Standard Form 424, “Research and Related Senior and Key Person

Profile (Expanded) (Included in Application Package for all Covered

Individuals);

(2) Common Disclosure Forms: Biosketch, Current and Pending (Other)

Support, and Collaborators and Other Affiliations (to be submitted with SF-424);

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

(4) “Privacy Act Statement” consent form for each Covered Individual that is also signed by the Applicants/Recipients as the Individual’s Sponsors

(See “Covered Individual” section below and Appendix 2);

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

AFOSR accepts and recommends the Research Security Training module https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/ on National Science Foundation (NSF) SECURE website; however, Universities may submit certifications from substantially similar training(s). AFOSR requires all Covered Individuals listed on the application for a research and development award to take the training in the

12 months prior to proposal submission. Upon acceptance of proposal, Covered Individuals must submit and maintain annual certifications showing this course was taken yearly.

(6) Compliance Attestation. You must certify your institution’s compliance with OUSW’s Research Protection policies as articulated in the most up to date OUSW DoD Component Decision Matrix to Inform Research

Proposal Mitigation Decisions on official university letterhead, and attest for the duration of the grant that the recipient confirms that the Covered

Individuals participating in the grant are:

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

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

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

U.S.C. §6605.

[The University] also certifies that, at the time of submission, no Covered

Individual listed is a party in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.

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

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

Signature3: [Business Office, Provost, Dean, or someone with the authority to legally obligate the University]

Date:

In the event a security risk is identified, and the Government has determined the security risk exceeds the acceptable threshold and cannot be mitigated, the

Applicant/Recipient will be notified and informed of the decline of award.

The Government will provide an unclassified rationale for any rejection of a proposal due to security risks.

By submission of the required forms, the Applicant/Recipient agrees to comply with the following: To certify that each covered individual who is listed on the application has been made aware: 1) of all relevant disclosure requirements, including the requirements of 42 U.S.C. § 6605; and 2) that https://www.nsf.gov/policies/nspm-33/definitions#malign-program false representations may be subject to prosecution and liability pursuant to, but not limited to, 18 U.S.C.§§287, 1001, 1031 and 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733 and 3802. See National Science and Technology Council Guidance for

Implementing National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) on

National Security Strategy for United States Government-Supported Research and Development (January 2022).

FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH SECURITY REVIEW (FRSR) INFORMATION

(1) Security Risk Review. Each proposal submission will be subject to a risk-based Security Review, (FRSR), prior to selection for award. The FRSR is applied to federally funded research designed to help protect Department of

War (R&E) by identifying possible vectors of undue foreign influence. The

FRSR will be conducted in accordance with OUSD(R&E)’s “Policy for Risk

Based Security Reviews of Fundamental Research.”

(2) Covered Individual. An individual who contributes to a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of a research and development project proposed to be carried out with a research and development award from a federal research agency; and is designated as a covered individual by the federal research agency concerned. OUSW further defines that all positions identified in the proposal are Covered Individuals and thereby subject to disclosure requirements and should have a corresponding

Standard Disclosure Forms for Biosketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support, and Collaborators and Other Affiliations. See 42 U.S.C.§ 6605, Definitions.

(Note: For purposes of a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) solicitation, “covered individuals” are all Senior/Key Personnel.)

(3) Security risk review for these subject proposals will be developed for all proposed Senior/Key personnel and “Covered Individuals”. These risk reviews will be based on information disclosed in a Research and Related

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

(4) External Engagements. When considering all external engagements, OUSW incorporates a holistic decision-making process that encompasses technical and security factors. The security review method implemented by

OUSW measures risk factors to identify the appropriate Risk Acceptance

Level (RAL) within the organization. The objective analysis of the security risk factors is conducted to empower OUSW leaders to make risk-informed decisions. The review process looks at the risk factors indicated in the most up to date DoD Decision Matrix.

A. ONLINE REGISTRATION VIA RunGrants

The RunGrants Online submission portal opens on Monday, 10 August 2026. It is strongly encouraged that you register on the RunGrants website no later than

11:59 PM Eastern Time on Monday, 5 October 2026 (see Section IV.F.G.1.

Submission Dates and Times).

Note: If you previously registered at the nVision portal, you will need to update your user account using the same user email in the RunGrants portal. You will be asked to update your user account with two-factor authentication. Please see the RunGrants website for more details on this process

(https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor).

While registration in RunGrants and submission of your White Paper can be done at the same time, we HIGHLY recommend that you register with

RunGrants and submit your White Paper and supporting documentation well before the deadline in case you encounter any questions or problems.

There are two DEPSCoR competitions running concurrently. Make sure you are applying for this DEPSCoR – Capacity Building FOA #

B. WHITE PAPER AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTION SUBMISSION

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

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

To submit White Papers and Supporting Documentation, you are strongly encouraged to register on RunGrants

(https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor) by 11:59 PM

Eastern Time on Wednesday, 7 October 2026 (see Section IV.F.G.1.

White Papers and Supporting Documentation must be submitted to RunGrants

(https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor) by 11:59 PM

Eastern Time on Monday, 12 October 2026 (see Section IV.F.G.1. Submission Dates and Times).

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

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

Evaluation of the White Paper will be issued via email notification. You are ineligible to submit a Full Proposal package under this FOA unless invited to do so after the White Paper evaluation process.

Only electronic submissions will be accepted and reviewed.

C. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF THE WHITE PAPER

Pre-White Paper Inquiries and Questions

For help with technical and programmatic matters, please submit your questions in writing by email to the Director, Research Programs OUSW-R&E/S&T, Foundations identified in section VII.A TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC

INQUIRIES AND QUESTIONS. All technical and programmatic discussions must take place prior to White Paper submission. After the White Paper deadline, applicants may no longer contact the DEPSCoR Program Manager.

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

OUSW-R&E/S&T, Foundations does not have the authority to make commitments. Grants Officers acting within their warranted capacity are the only people authorized to make commitments for the Government.

White Paper (as a whole)

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

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

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

BAAs.

Applicants must submit a single White Paper with the following five (5) components:

(1) Cover Page

(2) Abstract

(3) Capacity Building Narrative

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

(5) Human Subject or Vertebrate Animal Subject

Marking Requirements for Confidential Proprietary Information

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

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

White Papers may be disclosed to reviewers for training purposes in future competitions.

White Paper Package

The due date for receipt of White Papers is by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on

Monday, 12 October 2026 (see Section IV.F.G.1. Submission Dates and Times).

White Papers received after the published deadline will not be considered under any circumstance. Early submission of White Papers is welcomed and encouraged.

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

(1) White Paper (required):

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

a. ONR N0001425B001, Amendment 0002, Basic Physiological

Sciences

b. ARL W911NF-23-S-0001, Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMP)

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

Equilibrium Thermodynamics

Do not cite the FY26 DEPSCoR Funding Opportunity Announcements

(FOAs) as a BAA number. Your application will be considered ineligible if at least one Service BAA number and research area are not included.

Include a protective legend for proprietary information, if applicable.

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

Information Act without changes.

c. Capacity Building Narrative (six (6) page limit, single-sided):

Your White Paper must clearly describe your IHE’s strategic objectives to achieve basic research excellence in an area of high relevance to the DoD.

Please review the PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (I.A-C), including the

OBJECTIVES and DEFINITIONS, of this FOA carefully when composing the Narrative. The Capacity Building Narrative should include:

a. Existing seed research capability.

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

c. Your complete team composition and potential partners.

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

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

f. Estimated budget, showing anticipated allocation of funds among different categories of expenditures for the proposed capacity building project. These categories could include, but are not limited to, potential

IHE faculty hires, research projects, IHE Departmental or programmatic educational or academic initiatives, equipment, IHE outreach to regional partners, or activities to sustain the proposed increased research capacity at the IHE.

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

e. Curricula Vitae (CV) (two (2) page limit, single-sided each):

Provide a CV for the Team Lead and any subawardees. All key personnel must hold appointments at an IHE in a DEPSCoR eligible state/territory.

The CV should include educational degrees, organizational affiliations, academic, professional or institutional appointments, whether or not remuneration is received, and whether full-time, part-time, or voluntary, paid consulting that falls outside of an individual’s appointment, separate from the institution’s agreement, relevant experience, collaborations, publications, foreign affiliations, associations, and activities, and a list of current and pending funding support received in the area of interest, and any previous involvement and experiences with the DoD.

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

• IHE NAME_DEPSCoR_FY26CB

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

PDF file:

• Paper Size – 8.5 x 11-inch paper

• Margins – 1 inch

• Spacing – single-spaced

• Font – Times New Roman, 12 point

• Use the file naming convention specified above.

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

D. FULL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PACKAGE

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

All the application forms you need are available electronically on

Grants.gov. From the “View Grant Opportunity” page, you can click on the “Package” tab to download the application package.

These same application forms will also be available in the “Related

Documents” tab to download individually.

We will not issue paper copies of this announcement.

Full Proposal packages must be submitted electronically on

Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, 5 April 2027 in response to this solicitation (see Section IV.F.G.1.

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

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. The application as a whole

You must submit your full proposal electronically through Grants.gov. We will not accept or evaluate any proposal submitted by any means other than through Grants.gov. We must receive your proposal no later than

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, 5 April 2027 in response to this solicitation (see IV.F.G.1. Proposal Submission Deadline).

DO NOT password protect any attachments.

You must use the electronic Standard Form (SF) 424 Research and

Related (R&R) Form Family, OMB Number 4040-0001. The SF 424

(R&R) Application for Federal Assistance form must be your cover page.

No pages may precede the SF 424 (R&R). You must mark your application with the FOA number.

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

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

• Some applications require the attachments in italic

• We provide more instructions in IV.D.3. Component

Pieces of the Application

R&R FORM,

OMB No. 4040-0001

FIELD ATTACHMENT

SF 424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance, 18 Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-including an authorized signature (Required) LLL) (If Applicable)

Invitation email to submit a Full

20 Proposal (Required) 21 Cover Letter Attachment

(Not Required)

R&R Other Project Information Form (Required) 7 Project Summary / Abstract (Required)

8 Attach the Project Narrative - Capacity

Building and Team Composition and

Management Plans (Required)

9 Bibliography & References Cited

(If Applicable)

10 Facilities and Other Resources

(If Applicable)

11 Equipment Justification (If Applicable)

12 Other Attachments

Data Management Plan (Optional)

Letters of Recommendation for

Commitment / Endorsement (Required)

R&R Senior/Key Person Profile

Form Expanded (Required)

Biographical Sketch (Required)

Current & Pending Support (Required)

R&R Budget Form (Required) Budget Justification (Required)

R&R Subaward Budget (If Applicable) Subaward Budget Justification https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-mandatory-family

Attachments Form (If Applicable)

R&R Project/Performance Site

Locations Form (Required)

None

R&R Personal Data Form (Required) None

Security Program Questionnaire (See Appendix 1)

Privacy Act Statement (See Appendix 2)

The SF 424 (R&R) must include the signature of an authorized representative from your IHE. The signature is affixed electronically by Grants.gov upon submission.

This signature is considered the signature for the application as a whole.

c. Proposal Format

• Paper Size – 8.5 x 11-inch paper

• Margins – 1 inch

• Spacing – 1.5-line spacing

• Font – Times New Roman, 12 point

• Page Limitation – Please see proposal length below

• Content – As described below

d. Proposal Length

Your required Publicly Releasable Project Summary/Abstract must not exceed 500 words. Your Capacity Building Plan

(Required) section must not exceed ten (10) single-sided pages.

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

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

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

INCLUDED

IN PAGE COUNT

NOT INCLUDED

IN PAGE COUNT

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

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

Team Composition and Management Plan (Required)

Everything else must not exceed five (5) single-sided pages

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

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

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

e. Marking Requirements for Confidential or Proprietary

Information

You must mark the proposal sections that contain proprietary or confidential information. However, under the Freedom of

Information Act (FOIA) requirements, some or all proposal information may be subject to release.

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

f. Advance Preparation for Electronic Submission through

Grants.gov

Your Full Proposal must be submitted electronically through

Grants.gov. You should verify that the person authorized to submit proposals for your organization has completed

Grants.gov registration well in advance of the submission deadline.