Funding Opportunity Announcement ONR STEM Program | N0001424SF005

Opportunity Information: Apply for N0001424SF005

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has released a discretionary grant funding opportunity called the "Funding Opportunity Announcement ONR STEM Program" (Funding Opportunity Number N0001424SF005, CFDA 12.330). It sits in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category and is intended to support ONR STEM-related efforts through grants. The opportunity was created on April 8, 2024, and the listed application closing date is April 4, 2025. The source information provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so applicants should plan for those details to be clarified in the full announcement materials and any associated guidance.

Eligibility is broad for the main applicant: responsible sources from academia, nonprofit organizations, and industry (including for-profit firms) may apply, and foreign entities will also be considered. The announcement places particular emphasis on encouraging applications from institutions that are historically underrepresented or specifically designated in federal statute, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, Native American-serving nontribal institutions, Minority Institutions, and covered educational institutions described in 10 USC 2362. While this encouragement does not change the baseline eligibility rules, it signals that ONR is actively seeking strong proposals from these communities and may be especially receptive to well-justified STEM concepts that build capacity, access, participation, and impact.

Several important restrictions apply. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), including Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards as the prime recipient under this FOA. However, the FOA explicitly allows teaming arrangements in which an eligible prime applicant partners with an FFRDC, as long as that participation is permitted under the specific FFRDC sponsoring agreement with the Government. In addition, Navy laboratories, military universities, and warfare centers, along with other DoD and civilian agency laboratories, are not eligible to submit white papers or full applications and should not respond directly to this FOA. University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) are generally eligible to submit white papers and/or proposals, unless their particular DoD UARC contract prohibits doing so.

A major compliance theme throughout the announcement is transparency and accuracy around disclosures of current and pending support. The FOA warns that disclosures made in the application can render an applicant ineligible for funding, and it also states that the Department of Defense may request updated current, continuing, and pending support information both before award and throughout the period of performance. Those updates will be reviewed and can lead to discontinuation of funding if issues arise. Practically, that means applicants should treat support disclosures as a high-risk compliance area: submissions need to be complete, consistent, and continuously maintained over time, not just correct on the day the proposal is submitted.

• The Office of Naval Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Funding Opportunity Announcement ONR STEM Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.330.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-04-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for N0001424SF005

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