The Army Research Office (ARO) and National Security Agency (NSA) released a broad agency announcement (BAA) for the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Department of Defense (DOD) Advanced Computing Initiative (ACI). ACI, which originates from the 2015 government-wide National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI), intends to expand the Army’s and NSA’s outreach to the computing research community to strengthen DOD’s intellectual capital in computing systems research to enhance computing capabilities and address future challenges facing U.S. national security.
The ACI aims to explore new ideas and make foundational advances in computing systems in light of the end of transistor scaling under Moore’s law and the emergence of new computing architectures. The funding opportunity seeks innovative proposals to address four research thrusts, noting that research into quantum computing does not fall under the scope of this BAA:
- Novel Methods of Computing
- Hardware and Software Systems Components
- Exploration of System Concepts
- Algorithms and Architectures
Interested applicants are required to submit a two-page concept paper and will be notified by April 25, 2019 whether they have been selected to submit a full proposal or a short-term proposal for a smaller award. ARO will accept proposals from individual investigators or teams of faculty.
Deadline: Concept papers should be submitted via email to [email protected] no later than March 25, 2019 at 4:00 PM ET. Further instructions are available in the BAA. Invited full proposals are due May 31, 2019 at 4:00 PM EDT.
Award Information: ARO estimates that $400,000 will be available for short term awards, which will range from $5,000 - $50,000 per individual award for a base period of six months. ARO may invite performers to submit a full proposal after the six-month period. ARO anticipates a total funding of $5 million per year for full award proposals, depending on the availability of funds in future appropriations. All full awards will have a base performance period of 12 months, with the possibility of extending a grant for up to two additional 12-month periods.
- For individual investigators or small team awards, ARO anticipates funding awards between $30,000 and $500,000 per year.
- For large team awards, funding is anticipated between $500,000 and $2 million per year.
ARO may award funding through grants, procurement contracts, and cooperative agreements.
Eligibility: The solicitation is open to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, public entities, and industry from the U.S., United Kingdom (U.K.), Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Sources and Additional Information:
- More information is available in the full BAA, located at www.grants.gov under solicitation number “W911NF-19-S-0007.
- More Information on the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) can be found at https://www.nitrd.gov/nsci/
— Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC