DEVCOM ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
AI Contract Overview
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) has issued a combined Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) under FAR Part 35 and 2 CFR 200.204, soliciting foundational research proposals to advance the Army’s scientific and technological capabilities through basic research (6.1), applied research (6.2), and occasionally advanced technology development (6.3) and component prototyping (6.4). This announcement, designated W911NF-23-S-0001, supersedes two prior BAAs and serves as a continuously open solicitation from November 21, 2022, through November 20, 2027, with proposals accepted at any time during that period. The BAA supports ARL’s mission to operationalize science for overmatch in future multidomain conflicts by funding innovative, high-risk, high-reward research aligned with published topics listed on the ARL BAA website. Proposals must demonstrate substantial scientific and technical merit, direct relevance to the Army mission, and the qualifications of the proposed lead researchers, with selections made through a merit-based review process conducted by government scientists and external evaluators under nondisclosure and conflict-of-interest restrictions. Award instruments may include procurement contracts, grants, or other transactions, each governed by specific regulatory frameworks including FAR, DFARS, AFARS, or the OSD Other Transaction Guide, with cost principles governed by 2 CFR Part 200 and FAR Part 31. Offerors must comply with extensive disclosure requirements regarding conflicts of interest and commitment under the FY21 NDAA Section 223, including reporting all current and pending research support for key personnel, which must be updated annually. Full proposals require ARO Form 51 for email submissions or SF 424 (R&R) for Grants.gov, and must be accompanied by biographical sketches for key personnel and a publicly releasable abstract. For the specific QuantumEAGLe opportunity in quantum computing, submissions must be made as a single 5-page PDF by September 30, 2026, and adhere to strict formatting guidelines. Proposals may be preceded by a whitepaper submitted to a technical point of contact for feedback, though this is not required for consideration. Institutions must be registered in SAM.gov with current representations and certifications, and must comply with CUI and export control laws, particularly if involving non-U.S. participants. Cost-re
General Info
Agency
NAICS
Place of Performance
Durham, NC, 27707, USASet-Aside
Timeline
Response Deadline
Organization & Contact Information
Full Description
The purpose of this combined Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 35 and Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.204 (henceforth referred to as “BAA”) is to solicit research proposals for submission to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) for funding consideration.
Prior to this announcement, ARL announced two separate BAAs to support the mission: 1) W911NF-17-S-0002 titled “Army Research Laboratory Army Research Office Broad Agency Announcement for Fundamental Research”; and 2) W911NF-17-S-0003 titled “Army Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research”. This announcement succeeds BAA W911NF-17-S-0002 and BAA W911NF-17-S-0003 combining the opportunities into a single announcement.
ARL’s mission as the Army’s foundational research laboratory is to Operationalize Science to ensure overmatch in any future conflict. ARL’s foundational research mission spans basic research (budget activity 6.1) and applied research (budget activity 6.2) as defined by 32 CFR 22.105 but may include advanced technology development (budget activity 6.3) and advanced component development and prototypes (budget activity 6.4) when opportunities arise to directly or indirectly help achieve ARL’s mission. ARL partners across the national security enterprise to deliver fundamentally advantageous change that is rooted in the creation and exploitation of scientific knowledge.
This publication constitutes a BAA for awards as contemplated in FAR 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016 as well as a merit-based, competitive procedure in accordance with the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARS) at 32 CFR 22.315(a) and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Other Transaction Guide version 2.0 dated July 2023.
This BAA document, and the online list of research topics found on the ARL BAA topics website at https://www.arl.devcom.army.mil/opportunities/arl-baa/, sets forth ARL’s research topics of interest for whitepapers and proposals. This BAA is issued under FAR 6.102(d)(2), which provides for the competitive selection of basic and applied research proposals, and 10 U.S.C. 4001, 10 U.S.C. 4021, and 10 U.S.C. 4022, which provide the authorities for issuing awards under this announcement for basic and applied research. The definitions of basic and applied research may be found at 32 CFR 22.105.
Proposals submitted in response to this BAA and selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provision of Public Law 98-369, “The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984” and subsequent amendments.
Amendment 01 (posted 15 February 2023):
The purpose of this amendment is to provide additional information in the following areas of the BAA: 1) Army Research Risk Assessment and the ARRP Risk Matrix, 2) Inclusion of the “Privacy Act Statement” consent form, and 3) Attach the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) relating to ARRP
Amendment 02 (posted 1 April 2023):
The purpose of this amendment is to provide a change to the Privacy Act Statement in the word "Sponsor" to "Institution’s Authorized Representative". The change is reflected on page 26 of the BAA.
Special Notice (posted 8 February 2024)
Synopsis 5 is being published to notify about the Special Notice “Call for literature review on information architectures in sensor networks for decision making in coalition operations”, uploaded to the Related Documents section of BAA W911NF23S0001. If interested in this special notice, please download the special notice and review the eligibility requirements and due dates included in the notice.
Amendment 03 (posted 16 July 2024):
The purpose of this amendment is to provide updated weblinks; additional opportunities under Army Research Office Targeted Opportunities; updated policy for property management plan (contracts only) and other updates.
Amendment 04 (posted 08 January 2025):
The purpose of this amendment is to include additional Army Research Office (ARO) Targeted Opportunity "Visiting Scientist Program (VSP)" .
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Special Notice W911NF23S0001-SPECIALNOTICE- QuantumEAGLe (posted 22 June 2026):
The Army Research Office (ARO), in partnership with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS), is seeking proposed research and development solutions under the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) W911NF23S0001 for Basic and Applied Scientific Research in Quantum Computing. The topic for this Special Notice is “Quantum Ecosystem Advancement, Growth & Leadership (QuantumEAGLe).”
Please see the document titled "W911NF23S0001-SPECIALNOTICE- QuantumEAGLe" for further details.