NDEP STEM Open NFO

NDEP STEM NFO Revised 20260323

Washington Headquarters Services Acquisition Directorate
FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY:
(WHS/AD)
Department of War (DoW) Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) National Defense
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE:
Education Program (NDEP) Notice of Funding Opportunity
(NFO)
ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial Announcement
NOTICE OF FUNDING
HQ003423NFOEASD01
OPPORTUNITY (NFO) NUMBER:
ASSISTANCE LISTING: 12.006 National Defense Education Program
Posted: 9 February 2023
Amended: 23 March 2026
Closes: 2359 Eastern 8 February 2028
This NFO is a continuously open announcement, with new
KEY DATES:
calls for white papers and applications to be added via
amendments. Amendments to this NFO will be posted to
Grants.gov if they occur. Amendments will detail
requirements for white paper submissions and select white
paper submissions will be invited to submit a full
application.
Jonathan Bertsch
AGENCY CONTACT: Grants Officer, WHS/AD
E-mail: jonathan.e.bertsch.civ@mail.mil
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CONTENTS
I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................................... 4
A. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ........................................................................ 4
B. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................. 5
C. TOPICS OF INTEREST ....................................................................................................................... 5
D. AUTHORIZATION ............................................................................................................................ 13
E. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................. 13
F. PROGRAM-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................................... 13
II. COMPLIANCE WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER 14332
............................................................................................................................................. 13
FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION.................................................................................................. 13
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION .......................................................................................................... 14
A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS .................................................................................................................. 14
B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING ..................................................................................................... 15
C. CONFLICT OF INTEREST ................................................................................................................ 15
D. OTHER ............................................................................................................................................ 15
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION ........................................................................... 16
A. SUBMISSION DATE AND TIME ........................................................................................................ 16
B. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE ......................................................................... 16
C. APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................... 16
D. APPLICATION WITHDRAWAL ........................................................................................................ 18
E. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW ................................................................................................... 18
F. CONTENT AND FORM OF WHITE PAPER AND APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS ............................... 18
G. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS ........................................................................................................... 29
V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION ............................................................................................. 29
A. SELECTION CRITERIA .................................................................................................................... 29
B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS .............................................................................................. 30
C. ANTICIPATED ANNOUNCEMENT AND FEDERAL AWARD DATES ................................................. 31
VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION ................................................................... 31
A. AWARD NOTICES ............................................................................................................................ 31
B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS ...................................................... 32
C. APPROPRIATIONS PROVISIONS ON TAX DELINQUENCY AND FELONY CONVICTIONS ............... 33
D. PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES THAT REQUIRE CERTAIN INTERNAL
CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS ......................................................................................................... 34
VII. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................................................... 34
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A. MONTHLY REPORTS ...................................................................................................................... 35
B. SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS................................................................................................................ 35
C. ANNUAL REPORTS .......................................................................................................................... 35
D. FINAL REPORTS ............................................................................................................................. 36
E. PROPERTY REPORTS ...................................................................................................................... 36
VIII. OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................. 36
IX. FEDERAL CONTACTS ..................................................................................................................... 36
X. OTHER INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................... 37
A. FEDERAL FUNDING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2006 .............................. 37
B. CERTIFICATION REGARDING RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING ...................................................... 37
C. REPRESENTATION REGARDING AN UNPAID DELINQUENT TAX LIABILITY OR A FELONY
CONVICTION UNDER ANY FEDERAL LAW – DOW APPROPRIATIONS ................................................ 38
D. REPRESENTATION REGARDING THE PROHIBITION ON USING FUNDS WITH ENTITIES THAT
REQUIRE CERTAIN INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS ..................................................... 39
E. CODE OF CONDUCT ........................................................................................................................ 39
F. HUMAN SUBJECT RESEARCH ........................................................................................................ 40
G. INSTITUTIONAL DUAL USE RESEARCH OF CONCERN ............................................................. 40
H. DEPARTMENT OF WAR HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING PROGRAM ................................. 41
I. PROJECT MEETINGS AND REVIEWS ............................................................................................. 41
J. NDAA SECTION 889 COMPLIANCE ............................................................................................... 41
K. PROHIBITION OF USE OF HUMAN SUBJECTS ............................................................................ 41
XI. INITIAL WORK PLAN ..................................................................................................................... 43
XII. WHITE PAPER TEMPLATE ............................................................................................................. 45
XIII. APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................... 47
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I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
A. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
The Department of War (DoW) Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research
and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) seeks innovative applications on mechanisms to
implement and research the effectiveness of STEM education, outreach, and/or
workforce initiative programs, here onto referred as STEM activities.
In response to this NFO, the Department intends to release amendments and
solicitations, such as Industry Days, Opportunity Days, etc., detailing funding
opportunities through award(s) in STEM activities. These activities include, but are
not limited to:
1) STEM Education and Outreach
2) Support for STEM Education at Two-Year Institutions/Community Colleges
(2YI/CCs)
3) Manufacturing Engineering Education Program
4) Education and Workforce Development aligned to the DoW Critical
Technology Areas
5) STEM Scholarship Programs
6) Strategic Partnerships
7) Program Evaluations, Assessments, Data Analytics and Visualizations
8) Other NDEP Congressional Initiatives and Programs
As funding becomes available, NFO amendments or Industry Day/Opportunity Day
announcements detailing opening and closing dates for topics of interest will be
posted. In response, applicants may be asked for a mandatory white paper
submission, emailed to osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil. Refer to the amendment for
formatting the email subject line. Use of the white paper is intended to determine
which efforts are of merit preparatory to submission of a full application as described
in Section IV. Applicants will be selected from the white paper submissions to be
invited by the Government via email to submit a full application on Grants.gov for
evaluation and possible award consideration. White papers that fail to address the
areas listed in the Program Description of the NFO amendment or Industry
Day/Opportunity Day announcement will not be evaluated and will not receive an
invitation to submit a full technical application.
White paper submissions will only be accepted in response to active NFO
amendments or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcements. In addition to the
submission requirements outlined in Section IV, all responses should address items in
the specific NFO amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcement.
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B. BACKGROUND
The Department of War (DoW) requires a skilled, agile, and future-ready STEM
workforce with the technical expertise to support the national security mission and
the Warfighters. The National Defense Strategy calls for the DoW to make
significant investments in critical technology areas to meet key capability and
capacity needs, and highly skilled technical talent is essential in completing this
mission. In recognition of these imperatives, the DoW is committed to developing the
Nation’s STEM capacity through investments in near- and long-term STEM. It is a
national security imperative that the Department and the Nation is invested in
developing America’s STEM talent.
The DoW employs a comprehensive approach to address critical STEM education
and talent development challenges across the Pre-K to career continuum, with
opportunities for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (PreK-12), postsecondary,
undergraduate, and graduate students, and workforces within and beyond the DoW,
known as DoW STEM.1 OUSW(R&E) provides policy and oversight for DoW
STEM. DoW STEM encompasses all of the Department-wide efforts that address
near-, mid-, and long-term STEM talent development efforts. DoW STEM activities
are aligned to federal and agency priorities to ensure a highly skilled and agile
STEM talent pool ready to serve the Nation and evolve the DoW’s competitive edge.
This NFO invites applicants to submit innovative ideas to the topics of interest, below
as specified in NFO amendments or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcements.
C. TOPICS OF INTEREST
In accordance with 10 USC §2192, Improvement of education in technical fields:
general authority regarding education in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics, OUSW(R&E) is seeking a broad range of programs to support the
DoW STEM mission to “attract, inspire, and develop exceptional STEM talent
across the education continuum to enrich the current and future DoW workforce to
meet defense technological challenges.” The goal of any proposed effort must
provide solutions that will establish and maintain a STEM talent pool with an
aptitude for innovation and the technical agility to sustain the Department’s
competitive edge.
The Department seeks to complement its portfolio of programs
(https://dodstem.us/participate/opportunities/) while maintaining and/or increasing its
focus on groups of participants that are important to the Department such as military-
connected children and student veterans and their spouses. This announcement
explicitly encourages projects that improve the capacity of education systems and
communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students and
teachers and prepare the 21st century technical workforce. Funding efforts will be
targeted primarily towards programs that are aligned with the Department of War
priorities.
Specific initiatives supported through this NFO include, but are not limited to, topics
outlined in the following sections.
1 http://DoWstem.us/
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1) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education,
Outreach, and Workforce Development
STEM education and workforce development is a priority of the Department, and
the DoW seeks methods in which it can more effectively cultivate an agile and
world-class STEM workforce. Through effective programming, the DoW
supports the transformation of a STEM talent pool that will lead the Department
and the Nation into the future.
The Department fully encourages future workforce development initiatives that
align with the strategic, operational, and tactical needs of our nation’s defense. By
encouraging a broad range of innovative education and workforce development
approaches, the DoW aims to put the 21st century STEM workforce in a position
for success in an ever-changing and increasingly competitive world.
Project scope may range in size and complexity. Projects may have an emphasis
on hands-on – problem-based learning activities, mentor-centered programming,
education outcomes, invention education, Convergence Education,2 (see
Appendix for definition), Computational Literacy (see Appendix for definition),
an awareness of the multiple STEM disciplines, and/or career
pathways/opportunities in the Defense ecosystem to include the DoW research
laboratories and engineering centers, other defense agencies, academia, and the
defense industrial base.
2) Support for STEM Education and Workforce Development at Two-Year
Institutions/Community Colleges (2YI/CCs)
STEM education is expanding beyond traditional engineering and scientific
pathways and it is increasingly critical for industrial skills proficiency. As such,
the Skilled Technical Workforce (STW)3 and 2YI/CCs are vital to the education
and innovation of our Nation. In 2021, 2YI/CCs educated 44% of all
undergraduate students.4 Community colleges in the United States serve a
student body with a wide range of backgrounds. Reports indicate that the student
population at community colleges in the U.S. represents a dynamic mix of
backgrounds and perspectives. Additionally, 2YI/CCs reach other non-
traditional students such as adults,5 students that are also employed part- or full-
time,6 and military veterans.7 However, 2YI/CCs and their students face unique
challenges, including, but not limited to, a lack of work-based and research-based
opportunities tailored to 2YI/CC students, a need for seamless transition of credit
to 4YIs and the workplace, wraparound support services (factors affecting
3 STW is a term for occupations that require a high-level of knowledge in a technical domain but do not require a
bachelor’s degree.
4 Community College Facts at a Glance | U.S. Department of Education
5 https://www.aacc.nche.edu/2021/01/20/42067/
6 https://www.aacc.nche.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/DataPoints_V7_N2.pdf
7 https://www.aacc.nche.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/DataPointsV6N17.pdf
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student engagement and participation, for example, childcare, transportation,
auxiliary costs), administrative support to execute programs, and the need for
mentoring and advising tailored to the unique needs and backgrounds of 2YI/CC
students.
The Department may seek to directly support STEM and STW education at
2YIs/CCs by developing exceptional STEM and STW talent. This may look like a
regional consortium-based model, grant, or other award.
Through grants and/or cooperative agreement awards to regional consortia or
2YI/CCs, DoW STEM aims to foster communication, collaboration, and a STEM
education ecosystem around 2YI/CCs. Two-Year Institutions and Community
Colleges benefit from strong connections to both industry and 4YIs; these
regional ecosystems can ensure their coursework and programs address the
current need for workers and prepares students for future curricula. Awards
should promote the capacity of 2YI/CCs to create impactful STEM and STW
educational experiences for students, including, but not limited to, collaborative
partnerships.
The DoW seeks programs that emphasize areas that support the future mission of
the DoW. These include DoW critical technology areas, such as biotechnology,
cyber, microelectronics, and autonomy, from the research and development phase
through advanced manufacturing.8 The DoW is interested in supporting
placement of qualified students, upon completion of the program, to DoW and
DIB manufacturing, research, and career opportunities, or a pathway to other
educational opportunities. Proposed programs should be able to demonstrate an
understanding of the needs of 2YI/CCs in regard to STEM and STW education,
potential solutions, and outcomes from enhanced quality and effectiveness of
2YI/CC support.
3) Manufacturing Engineering Education Program
Under the statute 10 U.S. Code 4843, the Manufacturing Engineering Education
Program (MEEP), the Department seeks innovative approaches in industry-
relevant, manufacturing-focused, engineering training at United States institutions
of higher education, industry, nonprofit institutions, and consortia of such
institutions or industry to develop the Nation’s robust, highly skilled advanced
manufacturing workforce critical to the national defense. The manufacturing
sector is a critical foundation of our Nation’s workforce prepared to support
defense missions.9 In manufacturing, for every job that requires a master’s degree
or more, two jobs require a four-year degree, and seven jobs require a one- year
certificate or two-year degree.10 However, there is an acute skills gap between
current and future manufacturing jobs and the skilled talent pool capable of filling
8 https://www.cto.mil/modernization-priorities/
9 Pisano, Gary P., and Willy C. Shih. “Does America Really Need Manufacturing?” Harvard Business Review, (March
2012), 90, no. 3
10 “Manufacturing Workforce Development Playbook: Preparing for the manufacturing renaissance in America.” 2014.
Edited by Keith S. Campbell. Published by Summit Media Group
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them; a 2018 study found that a manufacturing skills gap may leave an estimated
2.4 million positions unfilled by 2028.11 Further, less than half of Americans
believe that manufacturing jobs are interesting, rewarding, clean, safe, stable, and
secure, leading to only 27 percent of parents who would encourage their children
to pursue a manufacturing career.12
The Department may seek to further support MEEP through establishing new or
to enhancing existing programs (or collections of programs) to better position the
current and next-generation manufacturing workforce to produce military systems
and components that assure technological superiority for the DoW.
Interested parties should focus programs on manufacturing education to support one
or more distinct manufacturing technologies; e.g. manufacturing of lightweight
structures, systems and materials; robotics for manufacturing; manufacturing to
exploit nanotechnology; manufacturing of components and systems for power
generation, storage, or distribution; manufacturing of multi- functional electronics
and/or optical devices; or other manufacturing technologies of regional or industrial
sector of interest.
Proposed efforts should develop and enhance curricula and programs to
effectively develop skills sets needed for students to operate in multidisciplinary
design and manufacturing environments, including those for which manufacturing
schema are informed by computational tools for modeling and simulation.
Students should be prepared to work effectively in environments where multiple
engineering disciplines are engaged during design, development and
manufacturing, and where the roles of manufacturers and suppliers in businesses
of various sizes, from start-ups to major systems integrators, are optimized.
Any proposed program or collection of programs should be able to demonstrate
the increased understanding of manufacturing engineering challenges and
potential solutions, and the enhanced quality and effectiveness of the instruction
that result from that increased understanding.
4) Education and Workforce Development Aligned to the Critical and Emerging
Technologies.
To ensure enduring US leadership in science and technology, it is critical to
support education and training in DoW critical technology areas13 to develop a
robust technical workforce. The Department seeks to enhance its portfolio of
programs by focusing on activities aligned to critical technology areas by
explicitly encouraging proposals that improve capability of education systems and
communities to create impactful educational experiences for students and teachers
11 “2018 Deloitte skills gap and future of work in manufacturing study.” 2018.
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/us/articles/4736_2018-Deloitte-skills-gap-FoW-
manufacturing/DI_2018-Deloitte-skills-gap-FoW-manufacturing-study.pdf
12 Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, “A look ahead How modern manufacturers can create positive perceptions
with the US public.” 2017, http://www.themanufacturinginstitute.org
13 https://www.cto.mil/usdre-strat-vision-critical-tech-areas/
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and prepare the 21st century technical workforce. Current critical technology
areas include:
• Applied Artificial Intelligence
• Biomanufacturing
• Contested Logistics Technologies
• Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance
• Scaled Hypersonics
• Scaled Directed Energy
Funding efforts will be targeted primarily towards programs, both formal and
informal, with a vision for a future where all Americans will have lifelong access
to high-quality education, and the United States will be the global leader in
innovation, and employment. Applicants should include how proposed efforts
connect to this vision.
5) STEM Scholarship Programs
The DoW may seek applications to fund scholarship programs that support
developing or training scientists and engineers that will be the future of our
Nation’s STEM talent that meets unique defense mission and operational needs.
These scholarship programs may support high school students, two-year
institutions/community colleges students, undergraduate students, graduate
students, student veterans and their spouses pursuing STEM or STW careers in
fields of high priority to the DoW, and/or researchers.
Scholarship programs may include a service requirement associated with the
award. One area that programs could focus on is the reskilling/upskilling of
veterans. Any new scholarship program should complement existing DoW
scholarship funding, rather than duplicate current programs.
6) Strategic Partnerships
The DoW may seek to fund programs and initiatives that support strategic
partnerships with awardees, collaborators, and stakeholders across academia, the
DIB, non-profit industries, the Federal Government, and others, in alignment with
the DoW STEM and Federal priorities. These strategic partnerships may also be
developed and fostered through STEM education ecosystems.14 Through
engaging with and leveraging strategic partnerships, the DoW aims to create more
effective and efficient STEM education and workforce development
interventions, and to amplify awareness of DoW STEM education and career
14 Federal definition for STEM education ecosystems: STEM education ecosystems consist of multi-sector partners
united by a collective vision of supporting participation in STEM through the creation of accessible, inclusive STEM
learning opportunities spanning all education stages and career pathways. A STEM education ecosystem continuously
evaluates its activities and adapts as needed, plans for the long-term, and communicates its work to build broad
support and advance best-practices. (2020 Progress Report on the Implementation of the Federal STEM Education
Strategic Plan (archives.gov))
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opportunities. Benefits of collaborating through strategic partnerships and STEM
education ecosystems includes, but are not limited to, common articulation of
STEM workforce shortfalls, common approach to collecting metrics and
evaluating programs, sharing of best practices, and communicating opportunities
to engage students in pathways to defense careers.
7) Program Evaluations, Assessments, Data Analytics and Visualizations
NDEP may seek to fund evaluation efforts that analyze the outcomes and impacts
of DoW STEM education and outreach programming. Program evaluation results
may be used to assess a program's effectiveness, identify how to improve
performance, or guide resource allocation. All evaluation efforts should
complement and add to current evaluation efforts,15 both at the portfolio and
individual program/Component level.
Evaluation efforts of interest may include, but are not limited to, near term
outcomes (i.e., participant STEM competencies, such as STEM skills, knowledge,
abilities, efficacy; and participant awareness of, and interest in, DoW STEM
research and careers), mid- and long-term outcomes (i.e., sustained student pursuit
and achievement of STEM and DoW STEM careers; and increased student pursuit
of STEM coursework in secondary and post-secondary schooling), and/or system-
level evaluations (i.e., assessments on the health, efficiency, and effectiveness of
STEM education ecosystems).
Additionally, NDEP may fund efforts that support data analytics and visualization
of program evaluation outcomes. These efforts may increase effective
monitoring and reporting on progress towards program objectives, provide
resources that show the availability of STEM education and outreach programs
and resources throughout the nation, and/or communicate and demonstrate the
value of DoW STEM programs.
Through data analytics and visualizations, DoW STEM internal and external
stakeholders may gain a better understanding of the breadth, depth, and reach of
collaborative efforts across the DoW STEM education and workforce
development programs, and DoW STEM may be better positioned at the
forefront of public dissemination efforts for program performance and outcome
data.
8) Other NDEP Congressional Initiatives and Programs
NDEP fosters and enhances the DoW’s ability to develop and access high-
quality STEM talent vital to national defense, now and in the future. Aligned to
the DoW STEM mission and the Department’s priorities, NDEP addresses
critical STEM education and talent development challenges using a continuous
learning structure and evidence-based approaches.
Specifically, NDEP is part of the broader Department-wide effort under DoW
15 https://dodstem.us/about/impact/
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STEM, which works collectively with partners from academia, industry, not-for-
profit organizations, defense laboratories and engineering centers, and other
government entities to: (1) build strong foundations for STEM literacy; (2)
increase participation in STEM; and (3) prepare the STEM workforce of the
future.
Additionally, the DoW may seek to fund additional NDEP congressional
education initiatives, programs, and activities.
D. AUTHORIZATION
The authorization to make awards under this NFO may be found via Assistance
Listing (formerly, the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance [CFDA] Number)
12.006 at https://sam.gov/content/assistance-listings.
E. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
Each grant awarded under this announcement will be governed by the general terms
and conditions in effect at the time of the award that conform to the DoW’s
implementation of OMB guidance applicable to financial assistance in 2 CFR 1100
[Subchapter D – Administrative Requirements Terms and Conditions for Cost-Type
Grants and Cooperative Agreements to Nonprofit and Government Entities] which
are located at https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us/manage-your-award/manage-
grant-award/grants-terms-conditions. These terms and conditions are incorporated by
reference in this announcement.
F. PROGRAM-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
Not applicable.
G. COMPLIANCE WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER 14332, "IMPROVING OVERSIGHT OF FEDERAL
GRANTMAKING"
Grant applications must comply with Executive Order 14332 “Oversight of Federal
Grantmaking” which can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-
actions/2025/08/improving-oversight-of-federal-grantmaking/.
II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION
The Department intends to award multiple grants in the Topics of Interest (Section I.C.)
subject to the availability of funds.
The DoW expects projects to be completed within the performance period of the specified
award. Any requests for no-cost extensions must be fully justified and submitted to the
Grants Officer no later than 60 days before the end of the period of performance.
Submission does not guarantee approval. Per 2 CFR 200.340 (and as incorporated into the
DoW Research and Development Terms and Conditions16,17), an award can be terminated
for several reasons: failure to comply with terms and conditions of the award, for cause
(meaning non-performance), if an award no longer effectuates program goals or agency
16 https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us/manage-your-award/manage-grant-award/grants-terms-conditions
17 https://www.onr.navy.mil/media/document/DoW-research-and-development-rd-general-terms-and-conditions-
march-2025 Section C: Termination
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priorities, by consent of the two parties; and the awardee can likewise initiate a
termination.
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
Applicants are required to submit a white paper no later than the date specified in the
NFO amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcement. White papers
should follow the designated template (Section XII) and include a project summary,
technical concept, rough order of magnitude cost, and relevance to topic(s) of interest
(additional information on white paper content is outlined in Section IV.F.1.). The
white paper should be emailed to osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil with the subject line,
“NFO White Paper Submission.” Applicants will be selected from the white paper
submissions to be invited by the Government via email to submit a full technical
application on Grants.gov for evaluation and possible award consideration.
Eligible applicants include: industry, non-profit institutions, institutions of higher
education, state and/or local educational agencies, or consortia of such institutions
and/or industry. Foreign entities will not be considered.
Current and past awardees from this initiative, or previous versions of this initiative,
are eligible to submit white papers/applications under this NFO.
Senior Military Colleges are also eligible to submit white papers/applications under
this NFO. However, DoW laboratories, military universities, and warfare centers, as
well as other DoW and civilian agency laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards
under this NFO. If any such organization is interested in the program described
herein, the organization may contact DoW STEM at osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil to
discuss potential projects. The subject line of the email shall read “NDEP NFO
Potential Project Inquiry.”
Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs), including
Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under
this NFO. However, teaming arrangements between FFRDCs and eligible principal
applicants are allowed so long as they are permitted under the sponsoring agreement
between the Government and the specific FFRDC.
University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) are eligible to submit white papers
and applications under this NFO, unless precluded from doing so by their Department
of War UARC contract.
Religious organizations are entitled to compete on equal footing with secular
organizations for Federal financial assistance as described in Executive Order (EO)
13798, “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.”
To prevent the bias and unfair competitive advantage resulting from conflicting rules,
Applicants must identify in their application any organizational conflict of interests
(OCI) which may exist. If an Applicant has an actual or potential OCI, their
application must identify the OCI and the mitigation plan to address it using ADAP
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Form 209.506-1. Silence on this topic in an application will be understood to mean
there is no OCI with the Applicant.
B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING
The primary basis for selecting applications for award will be technical merit,
relevance to the subject of the solicitation, proposed cost realism and reasonableness,
and the availability of funds to support the effort. If offered, voluntary cost sharing
may be considered as a demonstration of an offeror’s commitment to their proposed
project. Any proposed cost sharing becomes a binding term of any award. WHS/AD
reserves the right to request and require additional supporting information and
documentation after it makes the selection determination. WHS/AD reserves the right
to remove Applicants from award consideration if the parties fail to reach agreement
on award terms, conditions, or cost/price within a reasonable time; or if the
Applicants fail to provide requested or required additional information in a timely
manner.
C. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
1) General Requirement for Disclosure
The Applicant, and any additional partners, must disclose any potential or actual
scientific or nonscientific conflict of interest(s) to the Government. The applicant,
and any partners, must also disclose any potential or actual conflict(s) of interest
for any identified sub recipient included in the application. The Government or
Grants Officer reserves the right to clarify any conflicts of interest, if needed.
At the Government and/or Grants Officer’s discretion, the Government and/or
Grants Officer may ask the Applicant and/or additional partners for a conflict of
interest mitigation plan after submission of the application. The plan is subject to
Government and/or Grants Officer approval.
2) Scientific Conflict of Interest
Scientific collaborations on research and development projects are generally the
result of close collaboration prior to the submission of applications for support.
Accordingly, these collaborations should be considered when considering
potential conflicts of interest. The potential conflict is mitigated by the disclosure
of these collaborations, and the list of current and pending support the applicant
provides for senior and key researchers. Therefore, the applicant must include in
their list of current and pending support all collaborators, even if they did not
formally provide support.
D. OTHER
The Applicant must include the Acknowledgment of Support and Disclaimer on all
materials created or produced under our awards. This language may be found in the
Terms and Conditions included in the award documents.
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To apply for grants and other funding opportunities the applicant entity must have an
active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). Applications will
not be accepted through Grants.gov or other methods unless the entity is registered in
SAM. Registration in SAM now includes the acceptance of Certifications and
Assurances. SAM may be accessed at: https://www.sam.gov. See
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html and
“Attachment A - Registration and Submission Instructions” for details on how to
register in SAM, and Grants.gov.
The Federal Assistance Certifications Report is an attestation that the entity will abide
by the requirements of the various laws and regulations; therefore, as applicable, the
applicant is still required to submit any documentation, including the SF-LLL
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable), and, if applicable, informing the
DoW of unpaid delinquent tax liability or a felony conviction under any Federal law.
For more information, see “Attachment C: Certifications and Representations.”
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
A. SUBMISSION DATE AND TIME
The DoW will only accept applications submitted on or before the date specified in
the NFO amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcement. Read the
instructions in https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-
language.html about registering to apply for DoW funds. If the applicant experiences
difficulties with their submission, Grants.gov provides support via the toll-free
number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. This ticket number will
allow the DoW to verify the issue if it cannot be resolved by the application date.
Applicants are required to submit a white paper no later than the date specified in the
NFO amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcement. The white paper
should be emailed to osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil with the subject line, “NFO White
Paper Submission.” Applicants will be selected from the white paper submissions to be
invited by the Government via email to submit a full technical application on
Grants.gov for evaluation and possible award consideration.
B. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE
The application package for this NFO is available on Grants.gov. Amendments to this
NFO will be posted to the above website when they occur. Interested parties are
encouraged to periodically check the above website for updates and amendments.
C. APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS
This NFO competition is implemented in two stages:
1) Applicants must submit a white paper by the designated deadline specified in the
NFO amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcement.
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2) Based on assessment of the white paper, selected applicants will be invited to
submit an application by the designated deadline.
The Government only seeks white papers that are relevant and responsive to the
Topics of Interest in Section I.C. Applicants MUST submit a separate white paper for
each NFO award consideration. Applications that fail to address the areas listed in the
Topics of Interest will be rejected and not considered further.
As mentioned prior, white papers are a MANDATORY component of a two-part
submission process. White papers must NOT be submitted through Grants.gov.
Instead, white papers are to be submitted via email to DoW STEM at
osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil as a PDF file. The subject line of the email shall read
“NFO White Paper Submission.” There is an email size limit of 5 MB per email. Only
email submissions will be accepted and reviewed.
DO NOT SEND: Hardcopies (including facsimiles)
DO NOT SEND: ZIP files
DO NOT SEND: Password protected files.
White papers received after the due date and time specified in the NFO amendment or
Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcement will not be considered under any
circumstance. Time of receipt will be determined by the date and time the email is
received in the DoW STEM email inbox. Some submitters have experienced
significant transmission delays when submitting white papers. Early submission is
encouraged. Submitters may request verification of receipt.
Applications will only be accepted if submitted through Grants.gov. Organizations
must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), active System for Award Management
(SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants. Please see
“Attachment A - Registration and Submission Instructions” for details on how to go
through this process.
Full application packages must be submitted electronically to Grants.gov no later than
the date specified in the NFO amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day
announcement.
Applicants are responsible for submitting their applications in sufficient time to
allow them to reach Grants.gov by the date and time specified in this announcement.
It is strongly recommended that applications be uploaded at least two days before the
closing date and time. This will help avoid problems caused by high system usage or
any potential technical and/or input problems involving the applicant’s own
equipment. It will also allow any application errors detected by Grants.gov to be
corrected in time for the application to be resubmitted. If the application is received
by Grants.gov after the exact time and date specified as the
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deadline for receipt, it will be considered “late” and may not be considered for
review.
Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt by Grants.gov includes
documentary evidence of receipt maintained by Grants.gov, and Grants.gov e-mails
to the applicant confirming receipt. These e-mails will indicate 1) the application was
received on time, 2) application was rejected due to errors, 3) application was
received after the deadline. Note that this Grants.gov response may occur over several
e-mails, e.g., one acknowledging on-time receipt, and a later e-mail rejecting for
errors the system detected. Applicants can also track the status of their applications at
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html.
D. APPLICATION WITHDRAWAL
An applicant may withdraw an application at any time before award by written notice
or by email. Notice of withdrawal shall be sent to the grants officer identified in this
announcement. Withdrawals are effective upon receipt of notice by the grants officer.
E. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW
Not applicable.
F. CONTENT AND FORM OF WHITE PAPER AND APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS
See https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html for
information on how to complete the application using Workspace on Grants.gov.
Proposals will be evaluated by Government personnel and/or Non-Government
reviewers. Non-Government reviewers may include university faculty and staff
researchers. Each reviewer is required to sign a conflict-of-interest and confidentiality
statement attesting that the reviewer has no known conflicts of interest, and that
application and evaluation information will not be disclosed outside the evaluation
panel. The names and affiliations of reviewers are not disclosed. All submissions will
be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable law and
DoW regulations. Applicants are expected to appropriately mark each page of their
submission that contains proprietary information.
Common formatting requirements across all submitted documents:
• Font: 12 point, Times New Roman
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Paper size: 8 ½ by 11 inches
• Titles given to white papers and full applications should be descriptive of the
proposed work and should not be merely a copy of the title of this announcement.
• Documentation submitted under this NFO are expected to be unclassified;
classified applications are not permitted.
• All documents must be submitted in PDF format.
• Preapplications and proposals will be evaluated by Government personnel and/or
Non-Government reviewers. Non-Government reviewers may include university
faculty and staff researchers. Each reviewer is required to sign a conflict-of-
interest and confidentiality statement attesting that the reviewer has no known
conflicts of interest, and that application and evaluation information will not be
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disclosed outside the evaluation panel. The names and affiliations of reviewers are
not disclosed.
• All submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance
with applicable law and DoW regulations. The applicant is expected to
appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary
information.
• RESUMEResume is required for both white paper and full application
submissions (two (2) page limit, single-sided per applicant). The
resumeRESUME should include relevant experience, publications, and
funding received in the area of interest, and any previous involvement and
experiences with the DoW. List all previous DoW funding including project
titles within the last eight years.
1) White Papers
• The due date for receipt of white papers will be specified in the NFO
amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcement. White papers
received after the published deadline will not be considered under any
circumstance. Early submission of white papers is welcomed and encouraged.
White papers should follow the designated template in Section XII of this
NFO.
• Sections required:
o Cover page (1 page maximum): The Cover Page shall be labeled “White
Paper,” and shall include the Funding Opportunity Number, project title,
applicant’s institution, technical and administrative Points of Contact
(POCs), proposed title, Topic of Interest(s) addressed (as specified in the
NFO amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day announcement), and
estimated total cost of the project.
o Summary (1 page maximum): A summary of the proposed effort.
Proposed public benefit must be expressly addressed.
o Technical Concept (3 page maximum): A description of the proposed
effort and how it advances the DoW STEM mission. The project idea,
technical rationale, and approach must identify a problem(s), arguments to
substantiate the claims made, and proposed approach to address the issue.
The Applicant’s capacities must be discussed as they relate to achieving
success in the project, to include effective program evaluation and
sustainability plans. The project must address the Topic of Interest stated
in Section I.C. and provide answers to the following:
▪ What does the proposed work aim to accomplish or do? If applicable,
how are these goals related to and advancing any current outcomes of
existing programs?
▪ What is the approach to meeting those goals?
▪ What will the impact be if the work is successful?
▪ Discuss how the effort will be evaluated, including what metrics will
be collected and evaluation method(s) used.
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o Relevance to Topic(s) of Interest specified in the NFO amendment
or Industry Day/Opportunity Day (1 page maximum): A
description of relevance to Topic(s) of Interest. How does it meet
the goals of the Topic of Interest, as outlined in the NFO
Amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day?
o Rough Order of Magnitude Cost (1 page maximum): White papers
shall include a rough order of magnitude cost showing requested
funding per year and total cost, and which suggests spending
priorities to satisfy Section I.C. This includes, but is not limited to,
a rough explanation of anticipated costs including indirect, direct,
administrative, overhead, labor, travel, and sub-contracting costs.
Also describe a strategy for program sustainability, such that
following the completion of DoW STEM’s investment under this
funding opportunity, the effort will have a clear financial path and
leave enduring organization capability.
o Resume and References (2 page maximum for each resume):
The resumeof the lead PI, as well as any accompanying
references, should be included at the end of the document.
The white paper should be emailed to osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil with the
subject line, “NFO White Paper Submission.” Applicants will be selected from
the white paper submissions to be invited by the Government via email to
submit a full technical application on Grants.gov for evaluation and possible
award consideration.
2) Full Applications
Applicants must complete the mandatory forms and any optional forms in
accordance with the instructions on the forms and the additional instructions
below. The required fields should be completed in accordance with the “pop-up”
instructions on the forms. To activate the instructions, turn on the “Help Mode”
(icon with the pointer and question mark at the top of the form). Files that are
attached to the forms must be in PDF format, except for the Initial Work Plan,
and unless otherwise specified in this announcement. The applicant must mark
their application with the announcement number. A summary of what is required
for a complete application is below.
Attachments to Required forms (See Attachment B for detailed instructions
on filling out the SF424 Forms for DoW grants)
The chart below specifies which forms and attachments required and specifies the
maximum page lengths for attachments to be submitted along with the completed
form.
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Form Associated Field Attachment Attachment Maximum
Length (Suggested)
SF424 (R&R) 17 SF LLL Disclosure of As Required
Application for Federal Lobbying Activities
Assistance, including an 18 Representation for Tax As Required
authorized signature Delinquency, Felony
Conviction, and Internal
Confidentiality
Agreements
R&R Other Project 7 Project 1 Page
Information Form Summary/Abstract
8 Project Narrative* See NFO Amendment
or Industry/Opportunity
Day Announcement
9 Bibliography & As Required
References Cited
11 Equipment -
R&R Senior/Key Person Resume Resume 2 Pages
Profile Expanded Current & Pending Current & Pending As Required*
Support Support
R&R Budget Form L – Budget Justification Budget Justification As Required*
R&R Project/Performance Additional Locations Additional Locations As Required (not
Site Locations Form applicable if there are
no additional locations)
R&R Personal Data N/A (No attachments) N/A (No attachments) N/A (No attachments)
(Optional)
* The Project Narrative is broken out as follows and explained below. These
requirements are subject to change, dependent on the NFO Amendment or
Industry Day/Opportunity Day. Additional description of what is to be included in
the Project Narrative and corresponding page limits will be outlined in the NFO
Amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day.
• Cover Page
• Table of Contents
• Technical Approach and Justification
• Management Approach
• Metrics and Evaluation
• Project Schedule and Milestones
• Financial Breakdown
• Reports
• Qualifications
• Responsibility
• Facilities & Equipment
• Initial Work Plan
EXCLUDED from the Project Narrative page limit are: resumes, curricula vitae
(limited to two pages each), references, letters of support, current and pending
projects, and data management plan. These may be included in the same
document as appendices, after the page limit.
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Technical Applications exceeding the page limit may not be evaluated.
** Current and Pending Support (required; no page restrictions; not counted in the
project scope restrictions):
• A list of all current projects the individual is working on, in addition to any
future support the individual has applied to receive, regardless of the source.
• Title and objectives of the other research projects.
• The percentage per year to be devoted to the other projects.
• The total amount of support the individual is receiving in connection to each
of the other research projects or will receive if other applications are awarded.
• Name and address of the agencies and/or other parties supporting the other
research projects.
• Period of performance for the other research projects.
* Submit Budget Justification using the following format:
• Document Size – 8.5 x 11-inch paper
• Margins – 1 inch
• Spacing – single spaced
• Font – Times New Roman, 12 point
• Page limit – There is no page limitation to the Budget
The electronic file name for all documents submitted under this NFO must not
exceed 68 characters in length, including the file name extension.
3) Project Narrative Content
A complete application must include all components in the following section
which will be the criteria for how the application will be evaluated (Section V).
The application must describe the effort by the following:
Cover Page – This must include the words “Grant Application” or “Cooperative
Agreement Application”, as applicable. Using the format below, the following
information must be included:
1. Funding Opportunity Number: HQ003423NFOEASD01;
2. Title of Application;
3. Identity of Lead Organization and complete list of sub-awardees / Consortium
Members;
4. Technical contact (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail address);
5. Administrative/business contact (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail
address);
6. Principle Investigator (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail address);
7. Proposed period of performance (identify both the base period and any
options, if included); and
8. Total proposed budget.
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Table of Contents – A listing of the sections within the application, including
corresponding page numbers.
Technical Approach and Justification – The application must consist of a clear
description of the approach being proposed. The potential DoW STEM relevance
and the focus and impact on the Topic(s) of Interest (Section I.C) must be clearly
identified and explained. The application should expound on the technical concept
and in particular:
1. Discuss scientific and technical merits of the application;
2. Discuss the potential to achieve the objectives of the program, including the
extent to which the proposed effort would enhance current capabilities;
3. Identify proposed efforts for increasing or maintaining the educational
pathway and the potential of the proposed program to educate future scientist
and engineers in STEM disciplines critical to the DoW mission;
4. Discuss increased or enhanced opportunities to disseminate information on
DoW STEM programs and careers;
5. Discuss the potential and extent to which the proposed program could
potentially engage the DoW Research and Engineering enterprise into
the planned activities of the program; and
6. Describe a strategy for program sustainability such that when the period of
performance has ended, the efforts supported under this NDEP award
funding opportunity will have a clear financial path for scalability or for
sustainment.
Management Approach – Describe the overall management approach and
provide rationale for participation of key team members. Describe the planned
relationships with any sub- awardees or collaborators. Clear responsibilities for
each partner should be outlined, and a mechanism for collaboration between
partners should be clearly explained. Discuss how the program and budget will be
executed according to schedule, and how the awardee will monitor the progress of
program and budget execution.
Metrics and Evaluation – Discuss how the program will be evaluated,
specifically what metrics will be collected and evaluation method(s) used. Metrics
and evaluation components must include but not be limited to:
• Logic models or learning agenda, and program operating guidelines.
• Anticipated data collection and results.
• Data instruments as feasible.
Project Schedule and Milestones – A summary of the schedule of events and
milestones.
Financial Breakdown – The application must include a cost proposal detailing
direct labor, administrative and clerical labor, fringe benefits and indirect costs,
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travel, sub-awards, subcontracts, consultants, materials and supplies, recipient
acquired equipment of facilities, and other direct costs.
The cost proposal, which is a narrative explaining and justifying budget figures in
enough detail so the government can determine reasonableness. It must include all
figures, calculations, and supporting documentation for determining cost
allowability, allocability, and reasonableness. Justifications for costs must be
explicitly stated.
Additional information may be requested, if needed. If composite rates are used,
provide the calculations used in deriving the composite rates. A Negotiated
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) may be required in order for an awardee
to invoice for indirect costs. If the Offeror does not currently hold a NICRA,
describe the current status of the organization’s request for such an agreement
with its cognizant agency.
IAW 2 CFR §200.414(f), any non-Federal entity that has never received a
negotiated indirect cost rate, except for those non-Federal entities described in
Appendix VII to 2 CFR §200, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of
modified total direct costs (MTDC) which may be used indefinitely.
If subject to Federal Single Audit coverage requirements, the offeror must submit
the latest Single Audit with the application.
NOTE: Failure to adequately provide detailed cost data will require the Grants
Officer to contact the proposing organization for the requisite information. All
Offerors are required to submit a thoroughly detailed cost breakdown. The
Grants Officer must be able to determine that all proposed costs are allowable
and reasonable. A detailed budget will facilitate this cost analysis.
Reports – The Applicant must acknowledge that the following reports (more
information can be found in Section VII) are required under a DoW funded STEM
effort:
1. Monthly Reports
• Monthly Financial Reports
2. Quarterly Reports
• Interim Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR)
• Interim Federal Financial Report (SF 425)
• Federal Financial Report (SF 425)
3. Annual Reports
• Annual Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR)
• Invention Reports
• Annual DoW STEM Program Data Call Form
4. Final Reports
• Final Report
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• Final Federal Financial Report (SF 425)
• Final Invention Report
Grants do not include the delivery of software, prototypes, and other hardware
deliverables.
Letter(s) of Support – There is no specified format or content required for the
letter(s) of support other than being authored by the appropriate representative
and supporting commitment to the applicant and his or her project. Commitment
may include (but is not limited to) funding, related materials and/or computer
investments, technical advisement, and organizational or infrastructure support.
The letter(s) can include any and all commitments and investments made by the
representative towards the applicant and the overall statement about the relevance
of the project to DoW STEM goals. The letters may also include statements from
schools and other institutions or organizations that will benefit from the proposed
work. Letters of support are required for submission of Technical Application.
References – Literature citations.
Current and Pending Project and Application Submissions – Applicants are
required to provide information on all current and pending support for ongoing
projects and applications, including subsequent funding in the case of continuing
contracts, grants, and other assistance agreements. Concurrent submission of an
application to other organizations will not prejudice its review by the DoW.
Applicants shall provide the following information of any related or
complementary application submissions from whatever sources (e.g., DoW,
Federal, State, local or foreign government agencies, public or private
foundations, industrial or other commercial organizations):
1. Title of Application and Summary;
2. Source and amount of funding (annual direct costs; provide contract and/or
grant numbers for current contracts/grants);
3. Percentage effort devoted to each project;
4. Identity of prime Applicants and complete list of sub-awards, if applicable;
5. Technical contact (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail address);
6. Administrative/business contact (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail
address);
7. Period of performance;
8. The proposed project and all other projects or activities requiring a portion of
time of the Project Director/Principal Investigator and other senior personnel
must be included, even if they receive no salary support from the project(s);
9. The total award amount for the entire award period covered (including
indirect costs) must be shown as well as the number of person-months or labor
hours per year to be devoted to the project, regardless of source of support;
and
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10. State how projects are related to the proposed effort and indicate degree of
overlap.
Principal Investigator Qualifications – A discussion of the qualifications of the
proposed Project Director/Principal Investigator and any other key personnel.
Include resumes or curricula vitae for the Project Director/Principal Investigator
and other key personnel. The resumes shall be attached to the application, and
must be limited to two (2) pages each.
For all personnel proposed as key personnel applicants must submit an
SF424 Research and Related (R&R) 4040-001 Senior/Key Person Profile
(Expanded) form.
Responsibility – Applicants must provide the following information to the DoW
in order to assist in the DoW’s evaluation of the applicant’s responsibility:
1. Describe how you have adequate resources or the ability to obtain such
capability as required to complete the activities proposed;
2. Describe how you have the ability to comply with the grant conditions, taking
into account all existing and currently prospective commitments of the
applicant, nongovernmental and governmental;
3. Describe your performance history; specifically, your record in managing
Federal awards and the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will
be expended prior to future awards;
4. Describe your record of integrity and business ethics;
5. Describe qualifications and eligibility to receive an award under applicable
laws and regulations; and
6. Describe your organization, experience, accounting, and operational controls
and technical skills, or the ability to obtain them (including as appropriate
such elements as property control systems, quality assurance measures, and
safety programs applicable to the services to be performed).
Facilities & Equipment – Describe facilities available for performing the
proposed effort and any additional facilities or equipment the organization
proposes to acquire at its own expense. Indicate government-owned facilities or
equipment already possessed that will be used. Justify the need for each
equipment item. (Additional facilities and equipment will not be provided unless
the proposed effort cannot be completed by any other practical means.)
Initial Work Plan – Applicants must submit an Initial Work Plan following the
format in Section XI of this NFO. The Work Plan will become part of the
resulting award if the application is selected to be funded. Please fill in the
information for the blank portions and include all of the verbiage from these
sections: Acknowledgement of Support, Review for Sensitive Information, Copies
for USW(R&E), and Reporting Requirements. A completed Work Plan is
required for selected application to receive funding.
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R&R Form: Research & Related Budget – The applicant must use the
Grants.gov forms from the application package template associated with the NFO
on the Grants.gov web site located at https://www.grants.gov/. If options are
proposed, the budget must provide the pricing information for the option periods;
failure to include the proposed costs for the option periods will result in the
options not being included in the award.
Budget Justification – A separate Adobe .pdf document should be included in
the application that provides appropriate justification and/or supporting
documentation for each element of cost proposed. This document shall be
attached under Section K. “Budget Justification” of the Research and Related
Budget form. Click “Add Attachment” to attach.
The itemized budget should include the following:
Direct Labor – Individual labor categories or persons, with associated labor hours
and unburdened direct labor rates. Provide escalation rates for out years.
Administrative and Clerical Labor – Salaries of administrative and clerical staff
are normally indirect costs (and included in an indirect cost rate). Direct charging
of these costs may be appropriate when a major project requires an extensive
amount of administrative or clerical support significantly greater than normal and
routine levels of support. Budgets proposing direct charging of administrative or
clerical salaries must be supported with a budget justification which adequately
describes the major project and the administrative and/or clerical work to be
performed.
Fringe Benefits and Indirect Costs (F&A, Overhead, G&A, etc.) – The application
should show the rates and calculation of the costs for each rate category. If the
rates have been approved/negotiated by a Government agency, provide a copy of
the memorandum/agreement. If the rates have not been approved/negotiated,
provide sufficient detail to enable a determination of allowability, allocability and
reasonableness of the allocation bases, and how the rates are calculated.
Additional information may be requested, if needed. If composite rates are used,
provide the calculations used in deriving the composite rates.
Travel – The proposed travel costs must include the following for each trip: the
purpose of the trip, origin and destination if known, approximate duration, the
number of travelers, and the estimated cost per trip must be justified based on the
organizations historical average cost per trip or other reasonable basis for
estimation. Such estimates and the resultant costs claimed must conform to the
applicable Federal cost principals.
Sub-awards/Subcontracts – Provide a description of the work to be performed by
the subrecipient/subcontractor. For each sub-award, a detailed budget is required
to be submitted by the subrecipient(s). An application and any supporting
documentation must be received and reviewed before the Government can
complete its cost analysis of the application. The DoW’s preferred method of
receiving subcontract information is for this information to be included with the
Prime’s application. The email should identify the application title, the prime
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Applicant and that the attached application is a subcontract.
Consultants – Provide a breakdown of the consultant’s hours, the hourly rate
proposed, any other proposed consultant costs, a copy of the signed Consulting
Agreement or other documentation supporting the proposed consultant rate/cost,
and a copy of the consultant’s proposed statement of work if it is not already
separately identified in the prime contractor’s application.
Materials & Supplies – Provide an itemized list of all proposed materials and
supplies including quantities, unit prices, and the basis for the estimate (e.g.,
quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists).
Recipient Acquired Equipment or Facilities – Equipment and/or facilities are
normally furnished by the Recipient. If acquisition of equipment and/or facilities
is proposed, a justification for the purchase of the items must be provided.
Provide an itemized list of all equipment and/or facilities costs and the basis for
the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists). Allowable items
normally are limited to research equipment not already available for the project.
General purpose equipment (i.e., equipment not used exclusively for research,
scientific or other technical activities, such as personal computers, laptops, office
equipment) should not be requested unless they will be used primarily or
exclusively for the project. For computer/laptop purchases and other general
purpose equipment, if proposed, include a statement indicating how each item of
equipment will be integrated into the program or used as an integral part of the
research effort.
Other Direct Costs – Provide an itemized list of all other proposed other direct
costs such as Graduate Assistant tuition, laboratory fees, report and publication
costs, and the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price
lists).
Fee/Profit – Fee/profit is unallowable under assistance agreements at either the
prime or sub-award level but may be permitted on subcontracts issued by the
prime awardee.
Data Management Plan – The Data Management Plan will describe the data that
is collected through the course of the proposed research and information on how
the data will be shared, organized, and preserved. In instances where this is not
possible, The Data Management Plan must explain why it is not possible or
scientifically appropriate. The Data Management Plan should not exceed two
pages and included under the generic “Other Attachments”. Information on the
Data Management Plan can be found in DoWI 3200.12, Section 3.c. of Enclosure
3.
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4) Additional Information Required After Selection but Prior to Award
Even if selected, awards are not final until these documents are received and
approved:
• Evidence of compliance with DoW Instruction 3216.02, “Protection of
Human Subjects and Adherence to Ethical Standards in DoW-Conducted and

Supported Research”

G. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS
Per 2 CFR § 200.216, funds may not be used to procure telecommunications
equipment or video surveillance services or equipment produced by:
• Huawei Technologies Company
• ZTE Corporation Hytera Communications Corporation
• Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company
• Dahua Technology Company
• Any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities
Resultant grants will not allow reimbursement of pre-Federal award costs. The DoW
will only fund salary, fringe benefits and indirect costs on awards under the
announcement. Funds from an award may not be used to attain fee or profit.
V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION
A. SELECTION CRITERIA
All information necessary for the review and evaluation of an application must be
contained in the application itself. No other material will be provided to the panel.
Applications should contain sufficient technical detail to allow for in-depth technical
assessment.
An initial review of the applications will be conducted to ensure compliance with the
requirements of this NFO. Failure to comply with the requirements of the NFO may
result in an application receiving no further consideration for award.
Awards under this NFO will be made to Applicants on the basis of the evaluation
criteria listed in the NFO Amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day. Per the
Department of War Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoWGARs), all competitive
research and development awards must use, at a minimum, the following principal
selection criteria: (1)Technical merits of the proposed research and development; and
(2) Potential relationship of the proposed research and development to Department of
War missions. If offered, voluntary cost sharing may be considered as a
demonstration of an offeror’s commitment to their proposed project. Any proposed
cost sharing becomes a binding term of any award. WHS/AD reserves the right to
request and require additional supporting information and documentation after it
makes the selection determination.
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WHS/AD reserves the right to remove Applicants from award consideration if the
parties fail to reach agreement on award terms, conditions, or cost/price within a
reasonable time; or if the Applicants fail to provide requested or required additional
information in a timely manner.
B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS
Each application will be reviewed based on the selection criteria rather than against
other applications submitted under this Announcement.
Applicants are advised that employees of commercial firms under contract to the
government may be used to administratively process applications. By submitting an
application, an applicant consents to allowing access to its application(s) by support
contractors. These support contracts include nondisclosure agreements prohibiting
their contractor employees from disclosing any information submitted by applicants.
In addition to the technical/program review, the DoW completes a budget review and a
risk review as directed by 2 CFR 200.206, including a review of the Federal Awardee
Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). Applicants may review
information in FAPIIS and comment on any information entered into that system.
Comments made by applicants will be taken into account in addition to other
information in considering applicants’ integrity, business ethics, and record of
performance.
At the time of application, there is no additional material to be submitted for this
review. However, there may be additional requests for clarification as these reviews
progress.
Options: The Government will evaluate options for award purposes by adding the
total cost for all options to the total cost for the basic requirement. Evaluation of
options will not obligate the Government to exercise the options during grant
performance. The Government may elect to divide any resulting grant award into
option periods or may elect to combine proposed option periods at the discretion of
the Government.
Evaluation Panel: Technical details and budgets submitted under this NFO will be
protected from unauthorized disclosure. The cognizant Program Officer and other
Government subject matter experts will perform the evaluation of technical
applications. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, one or more support contractors
may be utilized as subject matter expert technical consultants. Each support
contractor employee that has access to technical and cost applications submitted in
response to this NFO will be required to sign a nondisclosure statement prior to
receipt of any application submissions.
Note that collaborative applications will be evaluated and selected for funding based
on the strength of both applications in combination. As such, the most highly rated
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collaborative applications will illustrate the vital nature of the collaboration and its
likelihood to contribute to more novel and potentially impactful work than could be
achieved by a single investigator.
C. ANTICIPATED ANNOUNCEMENT AND FEDERAL AWARD DATES
Decisions are expected to be announced via email. All awards are expected to be in
place by 8 February 2028.
VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
A. AWARD NOTICES
The Applicant whose application is recommended for award may be contacted by a
Grants Officer or his/her representative.
The notification e-mail regarding a selection is not authorization to commit or expend
DoW funds. A DoW grants officer is the only person authorized to obligate and
approve the use of Federal funds. This authorization is in the form of a signed Notice
of Award. Applicants whose applications are recommended will be contacted by a
DoW grants officer to discuss any additional information required for award. This
may include representations and certifications, revised budgets or budget
explanations, or other information as applicable to the proposed award. The award
start date will be determined at this time.
Applicants who did not receive an award are not entitled to a de-brief. WHS/AD
award/modification documents are only available via the DoW Electronic Document
Access System (EDA) within the Wide Area WorkFlow e-Business Suite
(https://wawf.eb.mil/). EDA is a Web-based system that provides secure online
access, storage and retrieval of awards and modifications to DoW employees and
vendors.
If you do not currently have access to EDA, you may complete a self-registration
request as a “Vendor” via https://wawf.eb.mil/ following the steps below:
1. Click “Accept”
2. Click “Register” (top right)
3. Click “Agree”
4. In the “What type of user are you?” drop down, select “Vendor”
5. Select the systems you would like to access (iRAPT at a minimum)
6. Complete the User Profile and follow the site instructions
Allow five business days for your registration to be processed. EDA will notify you
by email when your account is approved.
To access awards after your registration has been approved, log into
https://wawf.eb.mil/, select “EDA”, select either EDA location, Select “Contracts”,
select your search preference, enter the Contract Number (or, if applicable, enter the
Grant Number in the Contract Number field), and select “View”.
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Registration questions may be directed to the EDA help desk toll free at 866-618-
5988, commercial at 801-605-7095, or via email at
disa.ogden.esd.mbx.cscassig@mail.mil (Subject: EDA Assistance).
B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS
1. Each award under this announcement will be governed by the general award
terms and conditions in effect at the time of the award that conform to the DoW’s
implementation of OMB guidance applicable to financial assistance in 2 CFR part
200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit
Requirements for Federal Awards.” The DoW Research and Development
General Terms and Conditions are located at https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-
with- us/manage-your-award/manage-grant-award/grants-terms-conditions.
These terms and conditions are incorporated by reference in this announcement.
2. The applicant must comply with all applicable national policy requirements. The
key national policy requirements that may relate to an award under this NFO are
included in the terms and conditions specified in https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-
with-us/manage-your-award/manage-grant-award/grants-terms-conditions.
By electronically signing the SF-424, the applicant affirms its agreement with the
following certification.
Certification Required for Grant and Cooperative Agreement Awards
The certification at Appendix A to 32 CFR Part 28 regarding lobbying is the only
certification required at the time of application submission for a grant or
cooperative agreement award. The certification is as follows:
“By signing and submitting an application that may result in the award of a grant
exceeding $100,000, the prospective awardee is certifying, to the best of his or her
knowledge and belief that:
(1) No federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf
of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an
officer or employee of an agency, a member of Congress in connection with the
awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of
any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the
extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal
contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.
(2) If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be
paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or
employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of
Congress, or an employ of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal
contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete
and submit SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” in accordance with
instructions.
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(3) The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be
included in the award documents for all sub-awards at all tiers (including
subcontracts, sub-grants, and contracts under grants, and loans, or cooperative
agreements) and that all subrecipients shall certify and disclose accordingly.
This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was
placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this
certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed
by section 1352, Title 31, U.S. Code. “Any person who fails the required
certification shall be subject to a civil penalty or not less than $10,000.00 and not
more than $100,000.00 for each failure.”
C. APPROPRIATIONS PROVISIONS ON TAX DELINQUENCY AND FELONY CONVICTIONS
Check either “is” or “is not” for each of these two representations, as appropriate for
the proposing institution, include the AOR signature and point of contact information,
and attach the representation page to Field 12 of the SF-424 Research & Related
Other Project Information form. The page for these representations is provided with
the application materials that are available for download at Grants.gov.
Representations
The applicant is ( ) is not ( ) a “Corporation” meaning any entity, including any
institution of higher education, other nonprofit organization, or for-profit entity that
has filed articles of incorporation. If the applicant is a “Corporation” please complete
the following representations:
1) The applicant represents that it is ( ) or is not ( ) a corporation that has any unpaid
Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and
administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being
paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for
collecting the tax liability.
2) The applicant represents that it is ( ) is not ( ) a corporation that was convicted of
a criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months.
NOTE: If an applicant responds in the affirmative to either of the above
representations, the applicant is ineligible to receive an award unless the agency
suspension and debarment official (SDO) has considered suspension or debarment
and determined that further action is not required to protect the Government’s
interests. The applicant therefore should provide information about its tax liability or
conviction to the agency’s SDO as soon as it can do so, to facilitate completion of the
required considerations before award decisions are made.
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OMB CONTROL NUMBER: 0704-0494
OMB EXPIRATION DATE: 11/30/2019
AGENCY DISCLOSURE NOTICE
The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average
5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching
existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and
reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions
for reducing the burden, to the Department of War, Washington Headquarters
Services, Executive Services Directorate, Directives Division, 4800 Mark Center
Drive, East Tower, Suite 02G09, Alexandria, VA 22350-3100 [0704-0494].
Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no
person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of
information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.
D. PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES THAT REQUIRE CERTAIN
INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS
Agreement with the representation below will be affirmed by checking the “I agree”
box in block 17 of the SF-424 (R&R) as part of the electronic application submitted
via Grants.gov. The representation reads as follows:
By submission of its application, the applicant represents that it does not require any
of its employees, contractors, or subrecipients seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse
to sign or comply with internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting
or otherwise restricting those employees, contractors, subrecipients from lawfully
reporting that waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement
representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such
information.
Note that: (1) the basis for this representation is a prohibition in Section 743 of the
Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2015, Pub. L. 113-
235) on provision of funds through grants and cooperative agreements to entities with
certain internal confidentiality agreements or statements; and (2) Section 743 states
that it does not contravene requirements applicable to SF-312, Form 4414, or any
other form issued by a Federal department or agency governing the nondisclosure of
classified information.
VII. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The terms and conditions of the award will provide the specifics on how to submit the
reports and any required sections for those reports.
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REPORT REQUIREMENTS/FORM FREQUENCY MEANS OF SUBMISSION
Monthly Financial Report Template from DoW Monthly NDEP Portal
STEM
Research Performance Template from DoW Semi-annually (every 6 NDEP Portal
Program Report (RPPR) STEM months)
Invention Reports DD882 Annually NDEP Portal
Federal Financial Report SF-425 Annually NDEP Portal
DoW STEM Program Data Portal Annually EAC Portal
Call Form
Closeout Report Once NDEP Portal
Civil, criminal, or 2 CFR Appendix XII to As applicable Via SAM.gov
administrative proceedings Part 200
in connection with award
Eligibility, conviction, or 2 CFR 180.335 and 2 As applicable, including Email
indictment of principal CFR 180.350 before entering into
agreement
Awardees will need to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR 170: Reporting
Subaward and Executive Compensation Information.
The terms and conditions of the award will provide the specifics on how to submit the
reports and any required sections for those reports. Report details are outlined below:
A. MONTHLY REPORTS
1) Monthly Financial Reports: The Government will provide a template to each
starting grant. This report will include information on current expenses and
invoices for the time period. This report will be submitted 30 days after the
reporting period ends.
B. SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS
1) Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR): The Recipient shall provide
RPPRs to the Government Sponsor and the Government Technical
Representative, no later than 30 calendar days after the end of federal quarter two
(3/31) and federal quarter four (9/30). The Government will provide a template to
each starting grant. These reports shall detail the period’s research activities,
intermediate results, progress toward goals and other specific information and any
issues that may impact completion of the planned work on schedule. If findings or
discoveries are made that the Recipient feels are of sufficient importance that they
would mitigate or impact program operations, USW(R&E) should be notified
immediately. This report will be submitted every 6 months. Recipients will
present their progress at mid-year and annual meetings.
C. ANNUAL REPORTS
1) Invention Reports: Submit interim DD882 at least annually, within 60 calendar
days of the grant anniversary. Negative reports required.
2) Federal Financial Report (SF 425): SF425 is required within 30 calendar days
after the end of quarter 4 (9/30), and must include in the remarks the location of
financial records and a point of contact for the Government to obtain access to
the financial records associated with this Grant. SF425 is required if receiving
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advance payments. The Recipient shall provide forecasts of Federal cash
requirements in the “Remarks” section of the report.
3) Annual DoW STEM Program Data Call Form: The Government will provide a
manual and template to each starting grant. These forms will include information
about the organization and program specifics (overview, metrics, budget
information, accomplishments, etc.).
D. FINAL REPORTS
1) Closeout Report: Using the Research Performance Progress Report template,
detail the full programmatic accomplishments summarized from prior reports and
a forecast for ongoing program sustainability and contribution to DoW STEM
workforce needs as the funding ends. Include, as feasible, examples of
educational materials produced, success stories, accomplishments, links to digital
materials, and other resultant material from the award.
2) Final Federal Financial Report (SF425): SF425 is required within 90 calendar
days of the completion date for the term of this Grant and must include in the
remarks the location of financial records and a point of contact for the
Government to obtain access to the financial records associated with this Grant.
3) Invention Report: Submit final DD882 within 90 calendar days after the
expiration of the grant. Negative reports required.
E. PROPERTY REPORTS
1) Property Reports: The Recipient shall submit annual inventory listing to all
equipment in excess of $5,000 acquired under this grant. Only individual items in
excess of $5,000 should be reported, not an aggregation of small items which may
exceed $5,000 in total cost.
VIII. OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS
Not applicable.
IX. FEDERAL CONTACTS
Questions regarding program policy, program content, or technical issues should be
directed to osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil.
Questions regarding administrative problems or grant administration should be directed
to the Cognizant Procuring Grants Officer (PGO) and Administrative Grants Officer
(AGO).
Questions regarding Grants.gov should be directed to the following:
• The Grants.gov support database at
https://gditshared.servicenowservices.com/hhs_grants.
• The toll-free telephone help desk: 1-800-518-4726 (U.S.) / 1-606-545-5035
(International)
• Email: support@grants.gov
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X. OTHER INFORMATION
The Federal government is not obligated to make any Federal award as a result of the
announcement. Only grants officers can bind the Federal government to the expenditure
of fund.
Applicants are advised to monitor Grants.gov for potential amendments to this Notice of
Funding Opportunity. The applicant can also elect to be automatically notified by
Grants.gov whenever there is a change to the opportunity.
Applications must not include any information that has been identified as classified
national security information under authorities established in Executive Order 12958,
Classified National Security Information.
A. FEDERAL FUNDING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2006
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-
282), as amended by Section 6202 of Public Law 110-252, requires that all agencies
establish requirements for recipients reporting information on sub-awards and
executive total compensation as codified in 2 CFR Part 170. Any company, non-profit
agency or university that applies for financial assistance as either a prime or sub-
recipient under this NOFO must provide information in its application that describes
the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting
requirements identified in 2 CFR Part 170 Appendix A. Entities are required to meet
reporting requirements unless an exception or exemption applies. Refer to 2 CFR Part
170, including Appendix A, for a detailed explanation of the requirements,
exceptions, and exemptions.
B. CERTIFICATION REGARDING RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING
Grant and Cooperative Agreement awards greater than $100,000, as well as OTAs not
under 10 U.S.C. 2371b, require a certification of compliance with a national policy
mandate concerning lobbying. Grant applicants shall provide this certification by
electronic submission of SF424 (R&R) as a part of the electronic application
submitted via Grants.gov (complete Block 17). The following certification applies
likewise to each Cooperative Agreement and normal OTA applicant seeking federal
assistance funds exceeding $100,000:
No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid by or on behalf of the
applicant, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of
an agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a
Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of
any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative
agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal,amendment, or modification of any
Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.
1) If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid
to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee
of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or
an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the Federal contract,
grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the applicant shall complete and submit
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SF-LLL, “Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,” in accordance with its
instructions.
2) The applicant shall require that the language of this certification be included in the
award documents for all sub-awards at all tiers (including subcontracts, sub-grants,
and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all
subrecipients shall certify and disclose accordingly.
This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed
when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a
prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by Section 1352,
title 31, U.S.C. Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject
to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such
failure.
C. REPRESENTATION REGARDING AN UNPAID DELINQUENT TAX LIABILITY OR A
FELONY CONVICTION UNDER ANY FEDERAL LAW – DOW APPROPRIATIONS
All grant applicants are required to complete the “Representation on Tax Delinquency
and Felony Conviction” and attaching the representation to Field 18 of the SF424
(R&R) as part of the electronic application submitted via Grants.gov. The
representation reads as follows:
1) The applicant represents that it ( ) is / is not ( ) a corporation that has any unpaid
Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative
remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in timely
manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax
liability.
2) The applicant represents that it ( )is / is not ( ) a corporation that was convicted of
a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months.
NOTE: If an applicant responds in the affirmative to either of the above
representations, the applicant is ineligible to receive an award unless the agency
suspension and debarment official (SDO) has considered suspension or debarment
and determined that further action is not required to protect the Government’s
interests. The applicant therefore must provide information about its tax liability or
conviction to the agency’s SDO as soon as it can do so, to facilitate completion of the
required consideration before award decisions are made.
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D. REPRESENTATION REGARDING THE PROHIBITION ON USING FUNDS WITH ENTITIES
THAT REQUIRE CERTAIN INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS
Agreement with the representation below will be affirmed by checking the “I agree”
box in Field 17 of the SF424 (R&R) as part of the electronic application submitted
via Grants.gov. The representation reads as follows:
By submission of its application or application, the applicant represents that it does
not require any of its employees, contractors, or subrecipients seeking to report fraud,
waste, or abuse to sign or comply with internal confidentiality agreements or
statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting those employees, contractors,
subrecipients from lawfully reporting that waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated
investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency
authorized to receive such information.
Note that, as applicable, the bases for this representation are the prohibition(s) as
follow:
1) Section 743 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriation
Act, 2015 (Division E of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations
Act, 2015, Pub. L. 113-235).
2) Section 101(a) of the Continuing Appropriation Act, 2016 (Pub. L. 114-53) and
any subsequent FY2016 appropriations act that extends to FY2016 the same
restrictions as are contained in section 743 of Division E, title VII of the Consolidated
and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub L. 113- 235).
3) Pub. L. 114-223, Continuing Appropriations Act, 2017, or any other Act that
extends to fiscal year 2017 funds the same prohibitions as contained in section 743,
Division E, title VII, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Pub. L. 114-113).
4) Any successor provision of law on making funds available through grants and
cooperative agreements to entities with certain internal confidentiality agreements or
statements.
The prohibitions stated above do not contravene requirements applicable to Standard
Form 312, Form 4414, or any other form issued by a Federal department or agency
governing the nondisclosure of classified information.
E. CODE OF CONDUCT
Applicants for grants, cooperative agreements, or other transaction agreements as
applicable are required to comply with 2 CFR 200.318(c), Codes of Conduct, to
prevent real or apparent conflicts of interest in the award and administration of any
contracts supported by federal funds. This provision will be incorporated into all
assistance instruments awarded under this NFO.
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F. HUMAN SUBJECT RESEARCH
1) The applicant must protect the rights and welfare of individuals who participate as
human subjects in research under this award, and comply with the requirements of the
DoW Instruction 3216.02, Protection of Human Subjects and Adherence to Ethical
Standards in DoW- Supported Research (2020).
2) For proposals containing activities that include research involving human subjects
as defined in DoWI 3216.02, after award, the Applicant must submit documentation
as requested by a DoW Human Research Protection Official (HRPO), outlined in the
DoWI 3216.02.
3) Research involving human subjects must not commence until a HRPO has
reviewed and approved the proposed human subject research. *NOTE: Institutional
Review Board (IRB) approval isn’t required for the Technical Application. However,
upon notification of the award, applicants should start the process for IRB approval.
Applicants selected for award must obtain an approved IRB 90 days after the start of
the award and submit the IRB to HRPO. This includes IRB approved Human
Research exemptions.
4) The following forms are required by HRPO and located under the “Related
Documents” tab of this solicitation on Grants.gov:
• The Human Research Protocol Submission Form
• ORP Form
Non-approval of an IRB will be subject to the Prohibition of Use of Human Subjects
(see Section K, page 43) which will delay the start of the grant.
5) Animal Use Research and other activities
Research or other activities involving animals must comply with DoWI 3216.01, “Use
of Animals in DoW-Conducted and DoW-Supported Research and Training”, all
Federal Regulations, National Policy Requirements. Animal use activities must not
commence until an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and
appropriate DoW Component oversight office has reviewed and approved the
proposed protocol articulating the animal use activity.
6) Use of Recombinant DNA or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules
Proposals which call for experiments using recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid
molecules must include documentation of compliance with NIH Guidelines for
Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH
Guidelines), approval from the local registered Institutional Biosafety Committee
(IBC), and copies of the DHHS Approval of the IBC letter.
G. INSTITUTIONAL DUAL USE RESEARCH OF CONCERN
As of September 24, 2015, all institutions and United States Government (USG)
funding agencies subject to the United States Government Policy for Institutional
Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern must comply with all the
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requirements listed therein. If the applicant’s research application directly involves
certain biological agents or toxins, contact the cognizant Technical Point of Contact.
U.S. Government Science, Safety, Security (S3) guidance may be found at
https://www.phe.gov/s3/dualuse.
H. DEPARTMENT OF WAR HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING PROGRAM
The DoW High Performance Computing Program (HPCMP) furnishes the DoW S&T
and RDT&E communities with use-access to very powerful high performance
computing systems. Awardees of WHS/AD contracts, grants, and other assistance
instruments may be eligible to use HPCMP assets in support of their funded activities
if WHS/AD Program Officer approval is obtained and if security/screening
requirements are favorably completed. Additional information and an application may
be found at https://www.hpcmo.hpc.mil/.
I. PROJECT MEETINGS AND REVIEWS
Individual program reviews between Program Office, DoW STEM, and the performer
may be held as necessary. Department of War colleagues may participate in these
reviews.
Program status reviews may also be held to provide a forum for reviews of the latest
results from programs and any other incremental progress towards the major
demonstrations. These meetings will typically be held at the Applicant’s facility or in
Alexandria, VA. Interim meetings are likely, but these will be accomplished via video
telephone conferences, telephone conferences, or via web-based collaboration tools.
J. NDAA SECTION 889 COMPLIANCE
See the DoW R&D General Terms and Conditions, Part 8, NP Article IV, Section A
for compliance requirements regarding Section 889 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year
2019 (Public Law 115-232).
K. PROHIBITION OF USE OF HUMAN SUBJECTS
Research under this award involving the use of human subjects, to include research
involving the use of human biospecimens22 and/or human data, cannot begin until the
USAMRDC’s Office of Research Protections (ORP) provides authorization that the
research may proceed. The USAMRDC ORP will issue written approval to begin
research under separate notification. Written approval to proceed from the
USAMRDC ORP is also required for any subrecipient that will use funds from this
award to conduct research involving human subjects, human biospecimens, and/or
human data.
The USAMRDC ORP conducts site visits as part of its responsibility for compliance
oversight. Recipients and subrecipients must comply with all applicable human
research protections requirements. Accurate and complete study records must be
22 This prohibition does not apply to research under this award that solely uses only one or both of the following
types of human biospecimens to accomplish its aims: (1) established/existing commercially available human cell
lines; (2) established/existing patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models.
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maintained and made available to representatives of the USAMRDC as a part of their
responsibility to protect human subjects in research.
Research records must be stored in a confidential manner so as to protect the
confidentiality of subject information.
The recipient (and subrecipients) must adhere to the following reporting
requirements:
Submission of study documents to the USAMRDC ORP for review and approval and
provide the following reports: substantive modifications to the approved protocol,
continuing review documentation (if applicable), and the final report as outlined in
the USAMRDC ORP approval memorandum.
Prompt reporting of the following study events to the USAMRDC ORP HRPO.
1) All unanticipated problems involving risk to subjects or others.
2) Suspensions, clinical holds (voluntary or involuntary), or terminations of this
research by the IRB, the institution, the sponsor, or regulatory agencies.
3) Any instances of serious or continuing noncompliance with the federal regulations
or IRB requirements.
4) The knowledge of any pending compliance inspection/visit by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), Office for Human Research Protections, or other government
agency concerning this clinical investigation or research.
5) The issuance of inspection reports, FDA Form 483, warning letters, or actions
taken by any government regulatory agencies.
6) Change in subject status when a previously enrolled human subject becomes a
prisoner must be promptly reported to the USAMRDC ORP HRPO. The report must
include actions taken by the institution and the IRB.
Non-compliance with these terms and conditions may result in withholding of funds
and/or the termination of the award.
Submission instructions and investigator guidance on DoW requirements for human
subjects research, including 32 CFR Part 219, DoW Instruction 3216.02, and
USAMRDC ORP Human Research Protection Office submission instructions can be
accessed at
https://mrdc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm?pageid=research_protections.hrpo.
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XI. INITIAL WORK PLAN
An Initial Work Plan (IWP), no longer than six (6) pages in length, must be submitted as
part of this Application following the outline below:
Initial Work Plan
For Application Submitted in Response to NFO HQ003423NFOEASD01
Grant #:
Offeror:
Principal Investigator:
Project Title:
Proposed Period of Performance:
Public Benefit:
Project Abstract:
Proposed Research:
Research Scope:
Research Questions and Objectives:
Technical Approach (Methodology):
Applying the Approach:
Acknowledgement of Support: The Recipient is responsible for assuring that an
acknowledgment of National Defense Education Program (NDEP) for Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education, Outreach, and
Workforce Initiative Programs support is made in any publication (including World Wide
Web pages) of any material based on or developed under this project, in the following
terms: “This material is based upon work supported by the National Defense Education
Program (NDEP) for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Education, Outreach, and Workforce Initiative Programs under Grant No. <Insert Grant
No.>. The views expressed in written materials or publications, and/or made by speakers,
moderators, and presenters, do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the
Department of War nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or
organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.”
Review for Sensitive Information: Prior to the public release of these materials, the
Recipient is responsible for assuring that the Technical Representative is provided access
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to an electronic version of every publication of material based on or developed under this
award, clearly labeled with the award number and other appropriate identifying
information, so that the content can be assessed for proper release of sensitive
information.
Copies for USW(R&E): Promptly after publication, the Recipient will provide the
Technical Representative access to an electronic version of every publication of material
based on or developed under this award, clearly labeled with the award number and
acknowledgement of support (see above).
Reporting Requirements
(1) Monthly Reports
• Monthly Financial Reports: The Government will provide a template to each
starting grant. This report will include information on current expenses and
invoices for the time period. This report will be submitted 30 days after the
reporting period ends.
(2) Semi-Annual Reports
• Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR): The Recipient shall provide
RPPRs to the Government Sponsor and the Government Technical
Representative, no later than 30 calendar days after the end of federal quarter
two (3/31) and federal quarter four (9/30). The Government will provide a
template to each starting grant. These reports shall detail the period’s research
activities, intermediate results, progress toward goals and other specific
information and any issues that may impact completion of the planned work on
schedule. If findings or discoveries are made that the Recipient feels are of
sufficient importance that they would mitigate or impact naval operations,
USW(R&E) should be notified immediately. This report will be submitted every
6 months.
(3) Annual Reports
• Federal Financial Report (SF425): SF425 is required within 30 calendar days
after the end of quarter 4 (9/30), and must include in the remarks the location of
financial records and a point of contact for the Government to obtain access to the
financial records associated with this Grant. SF425 is required if receiving
advance payments. The Recipient shall provide forecasts of Federal cash
requirements in the “Remarks” section of the report.
• Annual Invention Reports: Submit interim DD882 at least annually, within 60
calendar days of the grant anniversary. Negative reports required.
• Annual DoW STEM Program Data Call Form: A manual and templates will
be provided to each starting grant. These forms will include information about
the organization and program specifics (overview, metrics, budget
information, accomplishments, etc).
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(4) Final Reports
• Final Report: Using the Research Performance Progress Report template, detail
the full programmatic accomplishments summarized from prior reports and a
forecast for ongoing program sustainability and contribution to DoW STEM,
Biotech, or Enhanced Civics education and workforce needs as the funding ends.
Include, as feasible, examples of educational materials produced, success stories,
accomplishments, links to digital materials, and other resultant material from the
award.
• Final Federal Financial Report (SF 425): SF425 is required within 90 calendar
days of the completion date for the term of this Grant and must include in the
remarks the location of financial records and a point of contact for the
Government to obtain access to the financial records associated with this Grant.
• Final Invention Report: Submit final DD882 within 90 calendar days
after the expiration of the grant. Negative reports required.
(5) Property Rights
• The Recipient shall submit annual inventory listing to all equipment in excess of
$5,000 acquired under this grant. Only individual items in excess of $5,000
should be reported, not an aggregation of small items which may exceed $5,000
in total cost.
(6) Document Submission
• All reporting requirements above shall be sent via email to the Grants Officer and
the Government Technical Representative.
(7) Other Points of Contact
• Technical Representative – Mr. Louie Lopez osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil
• Grants Office (Grantor) - Mr. Jonathan Bertsch at jonathan.e.bertsch.civ@mail.mil
XII. WHITE PAPER TEMPLATE
Use of this template is mandatory for all white paper submissions to this NFO.
HQ003423NFOEASD01 DoW NDEP STEM NFO
White Paper
Title
Institution
Announcement Type Amendment #:
Amendment Topic:
Technical Point of Contact (POC) Name:
Telephone:
Email:
Administrative POC Name:
Telephone:
Email:
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Other Team Members (subrecipients and Technical POC Name:
consultants), if known/applicable Organization:
Technical POC Name:
Organization:
Estimated Total Cost (Base + Options) $
White Paper Format
• Document Size – 8.5 x 11 inch paper
• Margins – 1 inch
• Spacing – single spaced
• Font – Times New Roman, 12 point
• Page limit – 7 pages. A 2-page Curricula Vitae (RESUME) and References are not included
in the total page limit. Only include the RESUME of the lead PI.
• Submitted files must be in a .pdf format.
White Paper Sections
Summary (1 Page Maximum)
[A summary of the proposed effort. Proposed public benefit must be expressly addressed.]
Technical Concept (3 Page Maximum)
[A description of the proposed effort and how it advances the DoW STEM mission. The project
idea, technical rationale, and approach must identify a problem(s), arguments to substantiate the
claims made, and proposed approach to address the issue. The Applicant’s capacities must be
discussed as they relate to achieving success in the project, to include effective program
evaluation and sustainability plans. The project must address the Topic of Interest stated in
Section I.C. and provide answers to the following:
• What does the proposed work aim to accomplish or do? If applicable, how are these goals
related to and advancing any current outcomes of existing programs?
• What is the approach to meeting those goals?
• What will the impact be if the work is successful?
• Discuss how the effort will be evaluated, including what metrics will be collected and
evaluation method(s) used.]
Relevance to Topic(s) of Interest specified in the NFO amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity
Day (1 Page Maximum)
[A description of relevance to Topic(s) of Interest. How does it meet the goals of the Topic of
Interest, as outlined in the NFO Amendment or Industry Day/Opportunity Day?]
Rough Order of Magnitude Cost (1 Page Maximum)
[White papers shall include a rough order of magnitude cost showing requested funding per year
and total cost, and which suggests spending priorities to satisfy Section I.C. This includes, but is
not limited to, a rough explanation of anticipated costs including indirect, direct, administrative,
overhead, labor, travel, and sub-contracting costs. Also describe a strategy for program
sustainability, such that following the completion of DoW STEM’s investment under this
funding opportunity, the effort will have a clear financial path and leave enduring organization
capability.]
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Resume and References (2 Page Maximum)
[The RESUME of the lead PI, as well as any accompanying references, should be included at the
end of the document.]
XIII. APPENDIX
Convergence Education is driven by compelling or complex socio-scientific problems
or topics, where learners apply knowledge and skills using a blended approach across
multiple disciplines (i.e., transdisciplinary) to create and innovate new solutions.
(A) Computational Literacy is the ability to use information, information processing
agents, digital assets, networking components, and applications and systems that,
combined, allow people and organizations to interact in a digital world to solve
problems, either individually or with a team; to draw meaning and reasonable
conclusions from digital information in both personal and professional contexts; to
safely, ethically, and securely use networks (wired and wireless) and data; and to
understand how computing, data, and connectivity affects society.
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NDEP STEM NFO Amendment 5 Manufacturing Engineering Education Program

FEDERAL AWARDING Washington Headquarters Services Acquisition
AGENCY: Directorate (WHS/AD)
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY Department of War (DoW) Science, Technology,
TITLE: Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) National Defense
Education Program (NDEP) Notice of Funding
Opportunity (NFO)
ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Amendment 05: Manufacturing Engineering Education
Program (MEEP) - Optics Education and Workforce
Development
NOTICE OF FUNDING HQ003423NFOEASD01
OPPORTUNITY (NFO)
NUMBER:
ASSISTANCE LISTING: 12.006 National Defense Education Program
KEY DATES: Amendment Posted: 23 March 2026
White Papers Due: 13 April 2026, 23:59 Eastern
Invitation for Full Technical Applications: 11 May 2026
Technical Applications Due: 15 June 2026, 23:59 Eastern
Notification of Award (Tentative): 13 July 2026
Award Finalized (Tentative): 10 August 2026
AGENCY CONTACTS: Jonathan Bertsch
Grants Officer, WHS/AD
E-mail: jonathan.e.bertsch.civ@mail.mil
Fedline Crowell
Grants Specialist, WHS/AD
E-mail: fedline.crowell.civ@mail.mil

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I. Program Description
The DoW National Defense Education Program (NDEP) is seeking to establish new or to
enhance existing programs (or collections of programs) to better position the current and
next-generation manufacturing workforce to produce military systems and components that
assure technological superiority for the DoW. Proposed programs must support innovative
approaches in optics education and workforce development.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 established the
“Manufacturing Engineering Education Program,” (MEEP) (10 U.S.C. § 4843) which
authorizes the Department of War (DoW) to support industry-relevant, manufacturing-
focused, engineering training at United States institutions of higher education, industry,
nonprofit institutions, and consortia of such institutions or industry.
DoW seeks a broad range of consolidated and integrated multidisciplinary programs of
education with an emphasis on the following components:
(1) Multidisciplinary instruction that encompasses the total manufacturing engineering
enterprise and that may include—
a. manufacturing engineering education and training through classroom activities,
laboratory activities, thesis projects, individual or team projects, internships,
cooperative work-study programs, and interactions with industrial facilities,
consortia, or such other activities and organizations in the United States and foreign
countries as the Secretary considers appropriate;
b. faculty development programs;
c. recruitment of educators highly qualified in manufacturing engineering to teach or
develop manufacturing engineering courses;
d. presentation of seminars, workshops, and training for the development of specific
manufacturing engineering skills;
e. activities involving interaction between students and industry, including programs for
visiting scholars, personnel exchange, or industry executives;
f. development of new, or updating and modification of existing, manufacturing
curriculum, course offerings, and education programs;
g. establishment of programs in manufacturing workforce training;
h. establishment of joint manufacturing engineering programs with defense laboratories
and depots; and
i. expansion of manufacturing training and education programs and outreach for
members of the armed forces, dependents and children of such members, veterans,
and employees of the Department of War.
(2) Opportunities for students to obtain work experience in optics manufacturing through
such activities as internships, summer job placements, or cooperative work-study
programs.
(3) Faculty and student engagement with industry that is directly related to, and supportive
of, the education of students in optics manufacturing engineering because of—
a. the increased understanding of manufacturing engineering challenges and potential
solutions; and

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b. the enhanced quality and effectiveness of the instruction that result from that
increased understanding.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to clearly articulate how their proposed MEEP effort
builds upon or complements the existing ecosystem of optics education and workforce
development or demonstrate how the proposal will address specific regional or national
needs without duplicating existing initiatives. Further, applications should outline how the
proposed initiatives directly engage and attract future generations of talent to support
manufacturing defense missions, and thus supporting the U.S. military in strengthening its
technical advantage over strategic competitors.
Interested parties should submit a white paper in response to this amendment no later
than 13 April 2026 at 23:59pm ET, following the instructions and template outlined in
Sections III.A., IV, and XII of the NFO.
The white paper should be emailed to osd.ndep.dodstem@mail.mil with the subject line,
“NFO White Paper Submission, Amendment 05: MEEP.” Applications will undergo a merit-
based review, and selected applicants will be invited by the Government via email to submit
a full technical application on Grants.gov for evaluation and possible award consideration.
At a minimum, selection criteria will be evaluated per 10 U.S.C. § 4843, item (g).
II. Federal Award Information
The Department intends to award multiple grants with a maximum grant award of up to
$3.5M for a period of up to three (3) years, subject to the availability of funds. Applications
with a proposed budget exceeding maximum grant may be considered, subject to the overall
merit and impact of proposed activity, and availability of funds. However, this does not bind
the Government to award grants beyond the maximum grant award described above.
III. Technical Application Requirements
Technical applications are accepted by invitation only and must adhere to all application
guidelines and page limits, found in NFO Section IV. Note the turnaround time between
invitations sent by the Government to submit full technical applications and when
technical applications are due. Refer to timeline on the cover page.
The Project Narrative page limit is 25 pages, and is broken out as follows. Descriptions of
each section are outlined in the NFO (Section IV.F.b.).
• Cover Page – 1 page
• Table of Contents – 1 page
• Technical Approach and Justification – no more than 7 pages
• Project Schedule and Milestones – no more than 2 pages
• Financial Breakdown – no more than 2 pages
• Reports – no more than 1 page
• Management Approach – no more than 1 page
• Metrics and Evaluation – no more than 2 pages
• Qualifications – no more than 1 page

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• Responsibility – no more than 1 pages
• Facilities & Equipment – 1 page
• Work Plan – no more than 5 pages
IV. Evaluation Criteria
Awards under this NFO Amendment will be made to applicants on the basis of the evaluation
criteria listed below. The weight or relative importance of each criterion is included in
parentheses.
1) Overall technical merits (60%):
Overall technical merits of the applicant’s proposal shall clearly describe its creativity,
innovation, feasibility, and efficacy to achieve the NFO objectives. Also considered is:
a) The quality of the program’s plan to execute proposed activity and assess
effectiveness of the program and participant outcomes;
b) The Applicant’s capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques or unique
combinations of these which are integral factors for achieving the application
objectives; and
c) The qualifications, capabilities and experience of the proposed Project Director /
Principal Investigator, team leader and key personnel who are critical to achieving the
application objectives.
2) Relevance and Alignment (20%):
Application must address programs and capabilities listed in this Amendment specifically
as it pertains to optics education and workforce development. Manufacturing activities,
industrial sectors, or regional interests should be relevant to national security and
economic competitiveness.
3) Cost Analysis (20%):
A cost analysis will be performed to determine reasonableness of the proposed budget.
Long-term sustainability plan will also be evaluated under this criterion. The availability
of funds to support the effort and long-term sustainability of the project will also be
considered.