Funder: Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command
Due Dates: November 20, 2027 (BAA closing) | January 12, 2024 (HBCU/MI ECP) | March 15, 2024 (Sensor Networks Literature Review) | September 30, 2026 (QuantumEAGLe white paper)
Funding Amounts: Typical awards vary: Single Investigator ~$150–$250K/year (3 yrs); Early Career up to $120K/year (3 yrs); Special Notices range from $100K (short-term) to multi-million (QuantumEAGLe, up to $15M/year for Accelerators).
Summary: Solicits innovative basic and applied research proposals across science and engineering fields to advance Army capabilities and foundational knowledge.
Key Information: Wide eligibility, rolling submissions until Nov 2027; targeted opportunities and special notices have distinct deadlines and requirements.
Description
The U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a major open funding mechanism for foundational research supporting Army priorities in science, technology, and engineering. It covers a broad spectrum of topics—from basic science to applied research and select advanced technology development—intended to generate transformative knowledge and solutions for future Army operational advantages. The BAA encompasses numerous targeted opportunities (e.g., Early Career, Instrumentation, Special Notices) and supports a wide variety of disciplines including physical sciences, engineering, computer science, materials, environmental science, and more. Researchers are encouraged to propose novel, high-impact ideas that align with ARL’s research competencies and modernization goals.
Due Dates
- November 20, 2027: Final closing date for all submissions to the main DEVCOM ARL BAA W911NF-23-S-0001.
- January 12, 2024: HBCU/MI Early Career Program (ECP) full proposal deadline.
- March 15, 2024: Special Notice: Literature Review on Information Architectures in Sensor Networks — full proposal deadline.
- September 30, 2026: QuantumEAGLe Special Notice — white paper due date (required for full proposal invitation).
All dates are projected based on the annual cycle; check the program page for updates.
Funding Amount
- Single Investigator (SI) Awards: Typically support ~$150,000–$250,000 per year for 3 years, covering PI, graduate students, and/or postdocs.
- Early Career Program (ECP): Up to $120,000 per year for 3 years (standard); HBCU/MI ECP: up to $990,000 total over 5 years.
- Short-Term Innovative Research (STIR): Up to $60,000 for up to 9 months.
- Special Notices: Variable (e.g., Sensor Networks Literature Review: up to $100,000 for 9 months; QuantumEAGLe: up to $15M/year for Accelerators, $8M/year for Incubators, multi-year).
- Instrumentation: Funding level varies; contact TPOC for guidance.
- Number of Awards: Up to 2,000 awards anticipated across all mechanisms.
Funding levels depend on proposal type, research scope, and topic area. See the ARL BAA topics website for specifics.
Eligibility
- General BAA: Open to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, for-profit organizations (large/small businesses), and foreign organizations/entities.
- Targeted Opportunities: May have additional criteria (e.g., Early Career: U.S. citizens/permanent residents, <5 years in tenure-track; HBCU/MI ECP: only eligible HBCU/MIs).
- Special Notices: Some may encourage/require U.K. or specific international collaboration (see notice).
- Other Transactions (OTs): May have cost-sharing or non-traditional defense contractor requirements.
- FFRDCs/UARCs: Allowed with sponsor approval and compliance documentation.
Application Process
- Review Current Topics: Visit the ARL BAA topics website for current research areas and TPOC contacts.
- Preliminary Inquiry (recommended): Contact the relevant Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to discuss alignment and funding interest.
- White Paper Submission (optional but encouraged): Submit a brief (≤5 pages) white paper to the TPOC for feedback before preparing a full proposal.
- Full Proposal Submission:
- Grants/Cooperative Agreements: Submit via Grants.gov (SF-424 and required attachments).
- Contracts/Other Transactions: Submit via Grants.gov or email (usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.baa@army.mil).
- Special Notices: Follow instructions in the specific notice (may require email submission).
- Proposal Review: Proposals are evaluated for scientific/technical merit, relevance to Army mission, and PI/team qualifications.
- Award Negotiation and Administration: Awards may be made as grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, or other transactions depending on project and eligibility.
Additional Information
- Research Topics: Spans a wide range of Army-relevant science and engineering areas. Full topic list and updates are on the ARL BAA topics website.
- Targeted Opportunities: Includes Early Career, Short-Term Innovative Research, Instrumentation, Conference Grants, and more.
- Special Notices: Periodically issued for focused research calls—each has its own requirements and deadlines.
- Risk Assessment: All proposals are subject to Army Research Risk Assessment Program (ARRP) for research security and compliance with NSPM-33.
- Cost Sharing: Generally not required except for some Other Transactions.
- Foreign Participation: Permitted with compliance to export control and security requirements.
- Reporting: Standard federal reporting requirements apply.
External Links
Contact Information