Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance (NS CTA) - FINAL PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

Added: Aug 07, 2008 9:15 am Modified: Nov 13, 2008 3:05 pmTrack Changes The U.S. Army RDECOM Acquisition Center, RTP Contracting Division, on behalf of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, is issuing a SECOND DRAFT Program Announcement (PA), W911NF-08-R-0013, for the Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance (NS CTA). The purpose of the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance (NS CTA) Program Announcement (PA) is to solicit offers to establish a new Collaborative Technology Alliance (CTA) in the area of Network Science consisting of three research areas focused on Social/Cognitive Networks, Information Networks, and Communication Networks. Each of these basic research areas is to be led by an academic institution and will be referred to as an Academic Research Center (ARC). The fourth research area, Integration Research, referred to as the Integration Research Center (IRC), is focused on achieving integrated information-social/cognitive-communications networks by promoting and performing cross-cutting basic research, implementing theory, computation and experiment that characterize and provide insights into the interplay and composability of these interacting complex networks, and advancing the basic research breakthroughs through an applied research program. In addition to performing and leading basic research on network science integration issues, the IRC will perform applied research and execute the management and transition responsibilities of the CTA. The Army envisions this alliance will bring together government, industrial, and academic institutions to address research and development to enable Network-Centric Warfare and Network-Centric Operations. The SECOND DRAFT NS CTA PA has been posted at the NS CTA website: www.arl.army.mil/networkscience. This PA will result in the award of two instruments: (1) a cooperative agreement as defined at 31 U.S.C. 6305 for the execution of the Fundamental Research Component; and (2) a procurement contract as defined in 31 U.S.C. 6303 for the execution of the Technology Transition Component. The cooperative agreement for the Fundamental Research Component will be awarded to a Consortium consisting of four Principal Members. Three of the Principal Members will come from the three ARCs (one from each Center) described above with the fourth coming from the IRC. Each Principal Member may also include General Members as necessary and appropriate to fulfill the goals of the NS CTA Program. The Principal Members associated with the ARCs for Information Networks, Social/Cognitive Networks, and Communications Networks must be academic concerns. Further, each of the three ARCs is required to include an HBCU/MI as the Principal or as a General Member. The Principal Member for IRC may be an academic, non-profit or industrial concern, and will be the Lead of the Consortium. The procurement contract will be awarded to the Principal Member or General Member specified as such in the IRC proposal that is selected for award. Individual tasks will be issued under the procurement contract as transition opportunities are identified from the research results under the cooperative agreement. Under this PA, proposals are sought to select the four Principal Members for the NS CTA. Proposals must address only one of the three ARCs or the IRC. The proposed Principal Member for each ARC and the IRC is responsible for submitting the proposal on behalf of any General Members included in their proposal. Should an offeror desire to propose under more than one of the Centers, a complete separate proposal must be submitted for each area. There will be one cooperative agreement award that will be made to a Consortium consisting of the four Principal Members selected for award and any General Members included in their proposals. There will be one contract award to the Principal Member or General Member specified in the IRC proposal that is selected for award. Planned funding levels for the NS CTA are set forth in the PA. Contingent upon available funding, the Army expects to support the Network Science consortium for five years with an option for an additional five years.

Added: Aug 07, 2008 9:15 am The U.S. Army RDECOM Acquisition Center, RTP Contracting Division, on behalf of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, is issuing a DRAFT Program Announcement (PA), W911NF-08-R-0013, for the Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance (NS CTA). The purpose of the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance (NS CTA) Program Announcement (PA) is to solicit offers to establish a new Collaborative Technology Alliance (CTA) in the area of Network Science consisting of four components: a Social/Cognitive Networks Research Center, an Information Networks Research Center, a Communication Networks Research Center, and an Integration Research Center to lead, evaluate and leverage research from the other three Centers as well as other research entities and overall management of the NSCTA. The Army envisions this alliance will bring together government, industrial, and academic institutions to address research and development to enable Network Centric Operations. The DRAFT NS CTA PA has been posted at the NS CTA website: www.arl.army.mil/networkscience.com. This PA will result in the award of two instruments: (1) a cooperative agreement as defined at 31 U.S.C. 6305 for the execution of the Fundamental Research Component; and (2) a procurement contract as defined in 31 U.S.C. 6303 for the execution of the Technology Transition Component. The cooperative agreement for the Fundamental Research Component will be awarded to a Consortium consisting of the four Principal Members of the Research Centers set forth above. This Consortium may also include General Members as necessary and appropriate to fulfill the goals of the NS CTA Program. The Principal Members associated with the Research Centers for Information Networks, Social/Cognitive Networks, and Communications Networks must be academic concerns. Each of the three Research Centers is required to include an HBCU/MI as the Principal or as a General Member. The Principal Member for the Integration Research Center is expected (but not required to be) an industrial concern with academic involvement and will also be considered the Lead of the Consortium. The procurement contract will be awarded to the Lead of the Consortium. Individual tasks will be issued under the procurement contract as transition opportunities are identified from the research results under the cooperative agreement. Under this PA, proposals are sought to select the four Principal Members for the NS CTA. Proposals must address only one of the four research areas described above. Should an offeror desire to propose under more than one of the research areas, a complete separate proposal must be submitted for each area. The cooperative agreement award will be made to a Consortium consisting of four Principal Members selected for award and any General Members included in their proposals. Planned funding levels for the NS CTA are set forth in the PA. Contingent upon available funding, the Army expects to support the Network Science consortium for five years with an option for an additional five years. An Opportunity Conference will be conducted on Wednesday, 27 August 2008, at Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park, NC. The purpose of the Opportunity Conference is to provide potential offerors with technical and business information concerning the NS CTA and to provide an opportunity for potential offerors to discuss the NS CTA with Government personnel. Details concerning registration and logistics associated with the Opportunity Conference can be found at: http://www.armyuniversityopportunities.com/. All presentations provided at the Opportunity Conference will be posted subsequently on the NS CTA website. In addition, all questions and answers resulting from the conference that do not include proprietary information will be posted on the NS CTA website. Interested offerors are strongly encouraged to thoroughly review the draft PA prior to attending the Opportunity Conference.