Defense, Security

Request Ticket // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Primary applicants may submit one application in response to this NOFO.

Executive Summary 
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor, Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a program to provide emergency financial assistance to victims of religious persecution and defenders of religious freedom. 

IRF promotes religious freedom as a core objective of U.S. foreign policy that makes America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. IRF’s mission is guided by its statutory mandate established by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRF Act) and the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016 (Wolf Act). The IRF Act provides that it is the policy of the United States, “standing for liberty and standing with the persecuted, to...promote respect for religious freedom by all governments and peoples.” To that end, the Wolf Act calls for the State Department to issue foreign assistance awards to promote respect for religious freedom and combat religious freedom violations.

As declared in President Trump’s Executive Order 13926, the promotion of international religious freedom is a “national security imperative” and “a foreign policy priority of the United States.” Pursuant to that Executive Order, IRF funds foreign assistance programs to “anticipate, prevent, and respond to attacks against individuals and groups on the basis of their religion, including programs designed to help ensure that such groups can persevere as distinct communities; to promote accountability for the perpetrators of such attacks; to ensure equal rights and legal protections for individuals and groups regardless of belief; to improve the safety and security of houses of worship and public spaces for all faiths; and to protect and preserve the cultural heritages of religious communities.”

Information on religious freedom conditions globally can be found in the State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report.

Applicants will be responsible for ensuring program activities and products are implemented in accordance with the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution.

Request Ticket // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Applicants can submit one application in response to the NOFO.  If more than one application is submitted by an organization, only the final application received, and time stamped by grants.gov will be reviewed for eligibility.  Each application can include multiple projects that will be evaluated independently.  

Executive Summary
Priority of Regions:

1. Western Hemisphere (WHA)
2. East Asia and the Pacific (EAP)
3. South and Central Asian (SCA)
4. Europe and Eurasia (EUR)
5. Middle East and North Africa (NEA)
6. Africa (AF)

The Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) is a key component of the Department’s and ACN’s efforts to advance the Administration’s top national security and foreign policy objectives in a cost-effective and impactful manner.  CTR uses programming and training with foreign partners to advance President Trump’s America First Investment Policy (NSPM-3) and America’s AI Action plan by disrupting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) exploitation of critical U.S. intellectual property (IP) and dual-use technologies, including AI, biotechnologies, quantum, semiconductor, and space technologies, through research security, cybersecurity and IP protection training.  As the programmatic lead for the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor [SMR] Technology (FIRST) program, CTR implements Section 8(e) of EO 14299 on Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security by helping U.S. vendors deploy secure, safe U.S. SMRs to strategic regions, including Latin America, the Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East, to outcompete strategic competitors for decades-long partnerships, generating multi-billion dollar deals for U.S. companies and creating thousands of American jobs.  CTR implements maximum pressure on Iran (NSPM-2), by training foreign partner countries to implement U.S. sanctions on Iran’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, and disrupts proliferation networks tied to the CCP, DPRK, and Russia that undermine U.S. interests.  CTR also advances EO 14292 by preventing U.S. adversaries from advancing biological weapons capabilities through targeted biosecurity, physical security, and cybersecurity trainings and disrupts Iran’s and other U.S. adversary chemical weapons programs through assisting supply chain security of precursor chemicals and equipment. Finally, CTR advances EO 14285 Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals, by training critical mineral holders to derisk from reliance on Chinese and Russian Private Military Companies in favor of U.S. security firms.

Institutionally Coordinated // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 0
H. Budinoff (Systems and Industrial Engineering)
B. Kim (Materials Science and Engineering)

This opportunity is being institutionally coordinated by Research Development Services and the Office of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives. If you are interested, please check your eligibility then contact Riley McIssac. 

Limiting Language
Limit on number of proposals per university: 2

About ASCENDʳ
ASCENDʳ Research is a competitively funded DOD research program that is aligned to the U.S. National Defense Science and Technology Strategy and the DOD Critical Technology Areas and part of the HSRU’s Advancing STEM Careers through Education, Networking, Development + Research (ASCENDʳ) Initiative (for more information about ASCENDʳ visit www.hsru.org) For this opportunity, research priority areas are: Advanced Materials, Human-Machine Interfaces, and Space Technology. Through this competitively funded research program, HSRU Alliance member institutions’ research strengths will be leveraged, faculty leadership development will be provided, and graduate student researchers will be integrated. This research program will have the aims to (1) expose both faculty and students to military operations and defense and national security real-world challenges, (2) deploy and enhance the research environments conducive for the successful progression and participation of the students in the process (e.g. mentoring, professional development, and financial support), and to (3) conduct research and deliver research outcomes to meet DOD technical challenges/gaps.

Eligibility 
The proposal must originate from an HSRU member institution in good standing.

1.  Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator(s) must be a Research Faculty member or Tenure/Tenure Track Faculty member that is early to mid-career, defined as within the first 8 years of their professional career.
2. The Principal Investigator must hire and integrate at least one Graduate Research Assistant for this project. The graduate assistant must be enrolled at the start of the project and maintain enrollment eligibility throughout the proposed project.
3. All PIs, Co-PIs, and the graduate assistant working on this project must be U.S. Persons, defined as U.S. born or U.S. Naturalized Citizen.b.
4. The Principal Investigator and Co-PIs must agree to jointly participate in the ASCENDʳ Leadership Program.

Program Webpage | RFP (box login required) 
 

Institutionally Coordinated // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 2

This opportunity is being institutionally coordinated by Research Development Services and the Office of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives. If you are interested, please contact Riley McIssac and Cody Nicholls.

Limiting Language
Limit on number of proposals per university: 2

About ASCENDR
ASCENDR Research is a competitively funded DOD research program that is aligned to the U.S. National Defense Science and Technology Strategy and the DOD Critical Technology Areas and part of the HSRU’s Advancing STEM Careers through Education, Networking, Development + Research (ASCENDR) Initiative (for more information about ASCENDR visit www.hsru.org) For this opportunity, research priority areas are: Advanced Materials, Human-Machine Interfaces, and Space Technology. Through this competitively funded research program, HSRU Alliance member institutions’ research strengths will be leveraged, faculty leadership development will be provided, and graduate student researchers will be integrated. This research program will have the aims to (1) expose both faculty and students to military operations and defense and national security real-world challenges, (2) deploy and enhance the research environments conducive for the successful progression and participation of the students in the process (e.g. mentoring, professional development, and financial support), and to (3) conduct research and deliver research outcomes to meet DOD technical challenges/gaps.

Limit: 25* // Tickets Available: 10

* RTX has invited the University of Arizona to participate in submission to five (5) topic areas (listed below) for funding of up to $100,000/project. Each institution is limited to five (5) submissions per topic area and each tenure track faculty member may request one limited submissions ticket for one topic area. 

Autonomy // Limit: 5 // Tickets Available: 0
H. Rastgoftar (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)
M. Chertkov (Applied Mathematics)
J. Thanga (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)
E. Azimi (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
N. Risso  (Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources)

Advanced Materials and Manufacturing // Limit: 5 // Tickets Available: 1
P. Deymier (Materials Science and Engineering) 
E. Madenci (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)
V. Yurkiv (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)
B. Chalifoux (Optical Sciences)

Microelectronics // Limit: 5 // Tickets Available: 5

Digital Lifecycle // Limit: 5 // Tickets Available: 3
A. Salado (Systems and Industrial Engineering)
H. Budinoff (Systems and Industrial Engineering)

Integrated Battlespace // Limit: 5 // Tickets Available: 4
B. Bash (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Program and Submission Details:
For more information on each of these topics of interest, login to box and click here. Please note technical data is strictly prohibited. 

The full submissions consists of: 

• Acknowledgement of Terms of Use and agreement that no Technical Data is included.
• 700 Word Description including: relevance of your proposed project to the specific technology needs; how the work will advance the field of research; how the deliverables and outcomes would lead to a continued and deeper research partnership with RTX businesses; opportunities for future collaborations with institutions, organizations, or experts; follow-on funding opportunities and specific funding agencies who would have interest in the technology, and the outcomes necessary to stimulate that interest.
• Scope of Work (SOW) that breaks down the proposed project into tasks explaining in brief terms how you would secure and allocate resources; how you address any risks, including delays; defined tasks and their associated milestones, schedule, and deliverables.
• Budget Form 

Topics of Interest: 

1. Autonomy
2. Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
3. Microelectronics
4. Digital Lifecycle
5. Integrated Battlespace

Upcoming Informational Webinars
Please note that webinars will not be recorded. If you are unable to attend and have questions, please contact Christine Gemelli, Director for University Relations and Technical Learning at RTX, at christine.gemelli2@rtx.com. 

New Date:  Microelectronics
Monday November 10, 10 to 11:00 am (Arizona time)
https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16124740608?pwd=Vkk3ZWFSM25COUJMeTRNdU83cktNUT09&omn=1600648772&from=addon
Meeting ID: 161 2474 0608 | Passcode: 615506


Integrated Battlespace
Friday November 7, 1:30 to 2:30 pm (Arizona time)
https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16124740608?pwd=Vkk3ZWFSM25COUJMeTRNdU83cktNUT09&omn=1618313830&from=addon 
Meeting ID: 161 2474 0608 | Passcode: 615506

Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
Monday November 17 1pm to 2 pm (Arizona time)
https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16124740608?pwd=Vkk3ZWFSM25COUJMeTRNdU83cktNUT09&omn=1613346598&from=addon 
Meeting ID: 161 2474 0608 | Passcode: 615506

Digital Lifecycle
Friday, November 7, 8 am to 9 am (Arizona time)
https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16124740608?pwd=Vkk3ZWFSM25COUJMeTRNdU83cktNUT09&omn=1608750769&from=addon
Meeting ID: 161 2474 0608
Passcode: 615506

Autonomy
Friday, November 7, 9 am to 10 am (Arizona time)
https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16124740608?pwd=Vkk3ZWFSM25COUJMeTRNdU83cktNUT09&omn=1609280784&from=addon
Meeting ID: 161 2474 0608
Passcode: 615506
 

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 1

A. Sachdeva (Management Information Systems)

Limiting Language 
Up to two (2) preliminary proposals per lead organization are allowed. NSF will review the preliminary proposals and provide a binding "Invite" or "Do Not Invite" response for each preliminary proposal. Invited organizations will be allowed to submit a full proposal on the project described in the preliminary proposal by the full proposal submission deadline.

Description
Vulnerabilities in an open-source product and/or its continuous development, integration and deployment infrastructure can potentially be exploited to attack any user (human, organization, and/or another product/entity) of the product. To respond to the growing threats to the safety, security, and privacy of open-source ecosystems (OSEs), NSF is launching the Safety, Security, and Privacy for Open-Source Ecosystems (Safe-OSE) program. This program solicits proposals from OSEs, including those not originally funded by NSF’s Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) program, to address significant safety, security, and/or privacy vulnerabilities, both technical (e.g., vulnerabilities in code and side-channels) and socio-technical (e.g., supply chain, insider threats, and social engineering). 

Although most open-source products are software-based, it is important to note that Safe-OSE applies to any type of OSE, including those based on scientific methodologies, models, and processes; manufacturing processes and process specifications; materials formulations; programming languages and formats; hardware instruction sets; system designs or specifications; and data platforms. The goal of the Safe-OSE program is to catalyze meaningful improvements in the safety, security, and privacy of the targeted OSE that the OSE does not currently have the resources to undertake. Funds from this program should be directed toward efforts to enhance the safety, security, and privacy characteristics of the open-source product and its supply chain as well as to bolster the ecosystem’s capabilities for managing current and future risks, attacks, breaches, and responses.

Limit: 2* // Tickets Available: 1

Category I: Tickets Available: 1
Category II: T. Swetnam (CAIO Institute) 

Limiting Language*
An organization may submit only one proposal as lead institution for each of Category I and Category II for each solicitation deadline but may be a subawardee on other Category I and II proposals responding to this solicitation. The restriction to no more than one submitted proposal as lead institution is to help ensure that there is appropriate institutional commitment necessary for responsible oversight, by the potential recipient institution, of a national data infrastructure resource. This restriction does not apply to Category III proposals. 

Program Synopsis
The Integrated Data Systems and Services (IDSS) program supports operations-level national-scale cyberinfrastructure systems and services that broadly advance and facilitate open, data-intensive and artificial intelligence-driven science and engineering research, innovation, and education.

Through this solicitation, the IDSS program is accepting proposals for three categories of projects:

• Category I. Development, deployment, and operation of novel national-scale integrated data systems and services, which may include interfacing with or leveraging other existing capabilities, systems and services, as appropriate to the project;
• Category II.  Transition of established smaller scale, regional, pilot, or prototype data-focused systems and services to national-scale production/operational quality/level. This may also include enhancement and expansion of existing national-scale data-focused operational systems and services; and
• Category III. Planning grants for future potential development/deployment or transition/enhancement IDSS projects. 

NSF and the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) have long supported the development of innovative foundational and application-specific cyberinfrastructure resources and systems to address data-intensive research needs at the campus, regional, and community scales, through programs such as Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation (CSSI), Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*), and other investments. The primary goal of the IDSS program is to support national-scale foundational data cyberinfrastructure that broadly enables data- and artificial intelligence-driven research for many communities. The IDSS program supports foundational transdisciplinary and demonstrably multi-disciplinary projects aimed to broadly impact the science and engineering research and education community. Projects that aim to primarily benefit a single science discipline, domain, project, or application are not supported.

It is recommended that prospective PIs contact program officer(s) from the list of Cognizant Program Officers to gain insight about alignment of their project ideas with the priorities of the IDSS program and Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. As part of contacting Cognizant Program Officers, prospective PIs are also encouraged to ascertain that the focus and budget of their proposed work are appropriate for this solicitation.

No Applicants // Limit: 2 (1 per country of implementation: DRC or Indonesia) // Tickets Available: 2

Limiting Language
Multiple applications from an organization are allowed. Applicants can submit up to one application per country. If multiple applications for one country are received, the most recent application submitted by the deadline will be accepted. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, USDOL will not replace it with an earlier application. Applicant entities are not precluded from participating as partners on another entity’s application.

Executive Summary 
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL, or the Department), announces the availability of approximately $9 million total costs (subject to the availability of Federal funds) for 2 cooperative agreements aimed at securing fair and reliable critical mineral supply chains free of child labor (CL) and forced labor (FL). ILAB intends to fund one cooperative agreement of up to $5 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and one cooperative agreement of up to $4 million in Indonesia. The duration of each project will be 54 months from the award date. Applicants may propose a shorter period of performance in line with their proposed strategy. Applicants may choose to apply for one or both cooperative agreements. Applicants that wish to apply for both Cooperative Agreements must submit two distinct applications.

The cooperative agreements will be focused on the supply chains of critical minerals identified in the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, published by the Department of Labor as required under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 and subsequent reauthorizations (TVPRA List). Applications must propose a strategy to address CL and/or FL in the supply chains of at least one (1) of the following minerals in one (1) of the following countries:
• DRC: Cobalt, copper, tantalum, tin, and/or tungsten.
• Indonesia: Nickel, with the option to also include tin.

Applicants must propose to work with key stakeholders to identify and address child labor and/or forced labor, and related labor abuses in their proposed country of implementation. Applicants must propose a strategy to conduct activities under each of the following two focus areas:

Focus Area 1: Policy and Legal Frameworks. Applicants will propose a strategy to assist partner governments and supply chain actors to bring their mining, labor, procurement, trade rules, and other relevant policy frameworks into full alignment with international standards,
particularly U.S. forced-labor import requirements, International Labor Organization
conventions, and other due diligence guidelines and best practices

Focus Area 2: Capacity Building for Monitoring, Identification, Enforcement, and
Remediation. Applicants will propose a strategy to improve national and local systems for monitoring and identifying child labor and/or forced labor in critical mineral supply chains. Applicants must also propose a strategy to strengthen public and private sector entities responsible for addressing child labor and/or forced labor in critical mineral supply chains through enforcement actions and through remediation measures for children and individuals placed in conditions of child labor and/or forced labor.

In addition to work under the two Focus Areas outlined above, applicants must propose a strategy to conduct a supply chain research study and produce a final report in close coordination with ILAB. Applicants should plan to produce a final research product within the first three years of the project period of performance.

Eligible applicants include any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit
organizations, including any faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, or public international organizations (PIOs). Please see section III of this funding opportunity announcement for complete eligibility requirements. Faith-based organizations are encouraged to apply, as are all organizations. Those that meet the eligibility requirements may receive awards under this funding opportunity. DOL will not, in the selection of recipients and administration of the grant, discriminate on the basis of an

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Langauge: 
OVW will consider only one application for this program per institution. If an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, OVW will review only the most recent system-validated version submitted before the deadline. 

Executive Summary:
The Addressing Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking at HSIs, HBCUs,  and TCUs Initiative (Campus Set Aside Initiative) uses set aside funding (34 U.S.C. § 20125) from the OVW Campus Program to support Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in strengthening their institutional response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The Campus Set Aside Initiative will support activities focused on building the capacity of HSIs, HBCUs, and TCUs to develop and implement strategies to prevent and address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking that meets the needs of its students, including effective response protocols and prevention programming.  

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

Limiting Language:
Applicants can submit one application in response to the NOFO. If more than one application is submitted by an organization, only the final application received, and time stamped by grants.gov will be reviewed for eligibility.

Executive Summary
While global in scope, engagements with the following countries will be prioritized but not limited to: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore. Thailand, and Vietnam.  These funds will be used to support activities related to national implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). This includes support to build countries’ capabilities to implement their BWC obligations, including improving the safety and security of biological research through national policies and other measures – a priority outlined in the recent Executive Order 14292, “Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research”. This work will advance the safety and security of the United States and Americans at home and abroad by promoting effective implementation of nonproliferation measures to prevent the acquisition, development, and use of biological weapons.

Funds will strengthen the BWC and advance biosafety and biosecurity globally to protect Americans at home and abroad from the development and use of biological weapons and to prevent laboratory accidents that could have harmful consequences for the United States.

In order to safeguard the United States and Americans at home and abroad from biological accidents and biological weapons acquisition, development, and use, these funds will advance BWC implementation in other countries, including support for developing national level policies and practices to ensure the safe and secure operation of high-containment laboratory facilities, strengthening oversight to ensure responsible conduct of research, and implementing data-informed best practices for biological risk management. Activities undertaken will be in the form of workshops and trainings.