Funder: Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command
Due Dates: November 20, 2027 (final closing) | Rolling submission (proposals accepted any time)
Funding Amounts: No fixed ceiling; typical awards range from $60,000 (STIR) to $120,000/year (ECP, 3 years); larger multi-year awards and instrumentation grants available; see details below.
Summary: Supports basic and applied research proposals in science and engineering to advance Army capabilities, with broad eligibility and a wide range of research topics.
Key Information: Highly competitive, open to international and domestic applicants; whitepaper submission strongly encouraged before full proposal.
Description
This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) solicits innovative research proposals in foundational science and engineering. The BAA consolidates previous ARL opportunities into a single, open call for basic (6.1) and applied (6.2) research, with the potential for advanced technology development (6.3) and prototyping (6.4) when aligned with ARL’s mission.
The BAA is designed to support high-risk, high-reward research that can enable new Army operational capabilities, spanning a wide array of scientific disciplines. Proposals are sought from academic, nonprofit, for-profit, and international organizations, as well as state and local governments.
Research topics are updated regularly and cover areas such as materials science, artificial intelligence, quantum information, biotechnology, cyber and network sciences, human performance, and more. The BAA also includes targeted opportunities for early career investigators, short-term innovative research, instrumentation, and conference support.
Due Dates
- Final closing date: November 20, 2027
- Rolling submissions: Proposals and whitepapers may be submitted at any time while the BAA is open.
- Targeted opportunities: Some special calls (e.g., Early Career, HBCU/MI programs) may have specific deadlines—refer to the ARL BAA topics website for current details.
Funding Amount
- No fixed ceiling or floor. Award size and duration are determined by the scope and nature of the proposed research.
- Typical awards:
- Single Investigator (SI): 3 years, budget to support PI and 1–2 graduate students or a postdoc.
- Short-Term Innovative Research (STIR): Up to $60,000, 9 months.
- Early Career Program (ECP): Up to $120,000/year for 3 years.
- Research Instrumentation (RI): Varies; contact TPOC for guidance.
- Conference/Symposia: Varies; typically smaller, for event support.
- Special programs: HBCU/MI Early Career Program awards up to $990,000 over 5 years (see special notices).
- No cost sharing required (except for certain Other Transaction awards).
Eligibility
- Who can apply:
- U.S. and non-U.S. institutions of higher education
- Nonprofit organizations
- For-profit organizations (large and small businesses)
- State and local governments
- Foreign organizations and public entities
- Special programs (e.g., HBCU/MI Early Career) may have additional eligibility restrictions.
- FFRDCs and UARCs: May apply with sponsor approval and justification.
- Individuals: Proposals must be submitted through an eligible organization.
Application Process
- Step 1: Review current research topics at the ARL BAA topics website.
- Step 2: Contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) listed for your topic of interest to discuss alignment and funding availability.
- Step 3: Submit a whitepaper (strongly encouraged, not required) to the TPOC for feedback.
- Step 4: Prepare and submit a full proposal following the detailed instructions in the BAA (see full BAA PDF).
- Proposals for grants/cooperative agreements: submit via Grants.gov
- Proposals for contracts or Other Transactions: submit via Grants.gov or email (see BAA for address)
- Required documents: Cover page, project abstract, technical proposal, biographical sketches, current/pending support, budget, facilities/resources, and other supporting materials.
- Compliance: All proposals are subject to Army Research Risk Assessment (ARRP) for conflicts of interest/commitment and foreign influence.
Additional Information
- Research topics: Updated frequently; see ARL BAA topics website or latest topics PDF.
- Targeted opportunities: Early Career, STIR, Instrumentation, Conference Grants, HBCU/MI programs, and more.
- Evaluation criteria: Scientific/technical merit, potential Army impact, and qualifications of the PI/team. Early Career proposals also require evidence of institutional commitment.
- Risk assessment: All awards undergo ARRP review for research security; see ARRP FAQ.
- No cost sharing required unless specified for certain award types.
- No fixed limit on number of proposals per institution (except for some special programs).
External Links
Contact Information
Example Research Areas
- Materials Science: Extreme materials, metamaterials, polymers, additive manufacturing, invincible/invisible materials
- Information Sciences: AI/ML, cyber security, network science, data fusion, knowledge systems
- Quantum Sciences: Quantum information, quantum sensing, quantum networking, quantum materials
- Biotechnology: Biochemistry, biomathematics, microbiology, genetics, bionic electronics
- Human Systems: Human performance, cognition, human-system teaming, social networks
- Engineering: Fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, platform design, power electronics, advanced manufacturing
- Sensing & Electronics: RF sensing, optoelectronics, electronic sensing, antenna design
See the ARL BAA topics website for the full, up-to-date list.
Notes
- Whitepaper submission is strongly encouraged before a full proposal to ensure alignment and competitiveness.
- Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis until the BAA closing date.
- International applicants are eligible; collaboration is encouraged.
- All proposals are subject to research security review (ARRP).
- Special programs (e.g., Early Career, HBCU/MI) may have additional requirements or deadlines—check the relevant notices.