Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU)
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
AI Contract Overview
This solicitation, W911NF26S0085, is a Notice of Funding Opportunity issued by the Department of the Army – Materiel Command under the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering/Assistant Secretary of War (Science and Technology) to support basic research projects at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Tribal Colleges and Universities. The program is designed to advance fundamental scientific understanding in areas critical to national defense, specifically aligned with the USW(R&E) Critical Technology Areas: Applied Artificial Intelligence, Biomanufacturing, Contested Logistics Technologies, Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance, Scaled Directed Energy, and Scaled Hypersonics. Proposals must also contribute to enhancing STEM education by engaging students in cutting-edge research and building institutional capacity to participate competitively in future defense science and technology programs. The research must conform to the Department of War’s definition of basic research — systematic study aimed at expanding knowledge without immediate application toward products or processes — and must be submitted through Grants.gov using the SF-424 (R&R) application package, with mandatory attachments including a one-page project summary, a project narrative, and representations regarding tax delinquency and felony convictions. Applications are limited to 25 pages for the technical portion and must not exceed $2.0 million in total funding per award, with the budget distributed evenly across the 48-month performance period unless justified otherwise. No fees are allowed, and no-cost extensions or renewals are not permitted. All applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management with a valid Unique Entity Identifier and must comply with all federal requirements, including certifications regarding lobbying, civil rights, and prohibitions on internal confidentiality agreements that restrict reporting of fraud or abuse. Key personnel, including the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator, are subject to risk-based security reviews through the SF-424 Senior/Key Person Profile, and institutions must ensure due diligence regarding foreign components and participation in foreign government talent recruitment programs. Evaluation is based on five equal-weighted primary criteria: scientific and technical merit, mission relevance to DoD research priorities, potential to develop or enhance research capabilities, qualifications of the principal investigator, and the project’s capacity to strengthen STEM education and increase student engagement. Additional consideration is given to the realism and reasonableness of proposed costs. The total program funding is approximately $60 million, with awards expected to begin on January 15, 2027. Final reports summarizing project outcomes, tasks, and metrics are
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Full Description
This solicitation invites applications (also referred to as “proposals”) for basic research projects. The proposals must align with the research areas of interest to the DoW (which includes the USW(R&E) and the Agencies) and enhance the education of students in areas of STEM that align with the DoW research interests. Information about these areas of interest (including websites) is discussed below.
The USW(R&E) Critical Technology Area descriptions are at https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/CTA-One-Pager-Option-Nov2025.pdf. The critical technology priorities rely on innovation and workforce talent. The critical technology areas are:
- Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI)
- Biomanufacturing (BIO)
- Contested Logistics Technologies (LOG)
- Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance (Q-BID)
- Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE)
- Scaled Hypersonics (SHY)
Basic research projects in research areas of interest to the Agencies are presented in their respective Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs), which are available as follows:
Army Research Laboratory combined Broad Agency Announcement is available at: https://www.arl.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/opportunity/arl-baa/. This BAA may also be found on Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov) by entering the BAA number, W911NF-23-S-0001, in the “Search Grants” keyword box.
Office of Naval Research: https://www.onr.navy.mil/ Select “Work With Us,” then “Funding Opportunities,” and then “BAAs, FOAs and Special Program Announcements” to see the FY26 Long Range Broad Agency Announcement for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology, BAA N00014-23-S-B001. This BAA may also be found on Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov) by entering the BAA number in the “Search Grants” keyword box.
In addition to providing details about the Agencies’ research interests, the above documents include names and contact information of technical program managers. Principal Investigator and a Co-Principal Investigator (PI/Co-PI) are encouraged to peruse the research interests of each Agency and to contact the respective program managers to discuss mutual research interests. Applications with relevance to the interests of multiple Agencies may receive multiple reviews.
Additional information and questions about the critical technology areas should be directed to Agency Contacts identified in Section II.G. of this NOFO. Other research areas that are not aligned with the (OUSW(R&E)/ASW(S&T) critical technology priorities listed in I.B.7 will be considered. The Agencies’ BAA listed above under I.B.6 provides other research areas of interest to the DoW.
NOTE: Use the above-referenced Agency documents only to identify research areas of interest to the Agencies. Disregard instructions contained therein regarding application preparation, content, and submission requirements. Instead, follow the instructions in this NOFO.
Projects proposed for funding under this NOFO must be for basic research. As defined by DoW, “basic research” is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications toward 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, life sciences, and information sciences related to long-term national security needs.
Principal Investigator and a Co-Principal Investigator (PI/Co-PI) are encouraged to consider innovative approaches for their research projects with a view toward enhancing the ability of their institution to develop stronger science and engineering programs that will enable the institution to participate more competitively in a variety of defense research programs, attract and retain good students by exposing them to state-of-the-art research, and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM disciplines.
Methods through which these goals can be achieved are varied. Factors such as research capabilities, facilities, and equipment are unique to each institution. Therefore, DoW will not prescribe the approach for a research project; instead, it expects applications to reflect the unique needs and capabilities of the applicant institution.