Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command · Department of Defense
Staff Research Program
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Jun 2, 2030 · 1333 days left
- Award size
- $200K – $10M
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Set by the official notice: see Who can apply below
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
How this fits you
- Available in Rhea County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 60
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/faafd0c3-eeda-4f0a-8e81-58cff40c38f4 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/2ada0b09-b8ae-4928-8b69-b1b6c6c89c8c
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
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About this grant
The ARO is soliciting proposals for Staff Research Program opportunities. The purpose of the program is to enable ARO scientific staff to maintain and expand professional competence in support of fulfilling the ARO mission through the conduct of hands-on, basic research. The staff research will be performed collaboratively with institutions external to ARO. Staff research efforts will involve scientific study directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge and scientific understanding in engineering, physical, life and information sciences, when there is an intersection with the interests and capabilities of the participating external institutions in these basic research areas.
Protection of Mission Integrity: The primary role of the ARO scientific staff is to objectively assess and fund extramural research at numerous institutions across the U.S. and throughout the world. Since it is vitally important that the ARO be impartial in its actions, ARO scientists cannot engage in activities that could compromise the perceived objectivity of that scientist with respect to the institution, or with respect to the areas of science/engineering that they are responsible for as Program Managers. Consequently, ARO Program Managers will be disqualified from taking official actions regarding any institution at which that PM conducts Staff Research.
Staff research will be conducted, directed and managed by an ARO scientist at the institution's laboratory facilities or field research sites, in collaboration with a PI designated by the institution. ARO scientists will not be named as a PI on any proposal or resulting award. Results of the Staff Research Program may include publication or co-authorship of research results and presentation at scientific forums, and contribute to the education and training of students, in accordance with the terms of the cooperative agreement.
NOTE: ARO scientific staff will seek out a collaborating institution to engage in staff research as opportunities arise and at the discretion of ARO.
Who can apply, from the official notice
Eligible applicants under this FOA include institutions of higher education with recognized capability for scientific research in mechanical sciences, mathematical sciences, electronics, computing science, physics, chemistry, life sciences, materials science, network science, and environmental sciences.
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct8
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - May12
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - May27
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - May31
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Jun2
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Writing the need statement? Rhea County facts with citations.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the official notice W911NF25S0007_Staff_Research_Program.pdf (28 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words. Open the page to read it in context.
Registrations you need first (2)
Grants.gov · p. 3
“Amendments to this FOA will posted to Grants.gov if they occur.” Open page 3
SAM.gov, Unique Entity ID (UEI) · p. 6
“Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants.” Open page 6
Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist
What to submit
Form SF-424 · p. 8
“These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application. 3) Complete SF-424 Fields First:” Open page 8
Form SF-LLL · p. 10
“Applicants must complete all mandatory forms and any optional forms (e.g., SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities) in accordance with the instructions on the forms and the additional instructions below.” Open page 10
Project abstract or summary · p. 11
“Project Summary/Abstract (Field 7 on the form) (Mandatory) – The Project Summary/Abstract must be no longer than a single page.” Open page 11
Budget narrative / justification · p. 11
“SF-424 (R&R) Research & Related Budget (Mandatory) – Complete Sections A through H and attach a budget justification in Section L.” Open page 11
Length limits
Page limit (see quote): 25 pages max · p. 10
“The 25-page limit applies to the technical portion of the application, which consists of the following:” Open page 10
Formatting rules
12-point font · p. 10
“Font – No smaller than Times New Ro man, 12-point font (excluding mandatory forms, which may have other font requirements)” Open page 10
Mistakes that get applications rejected (4)
Could get your application rejected: Consequently, ARO Program Managers will be disqualified from taking official actions regarding any... · p. 4
“Consequently, ARO Program Managers will be disqualified from taking official actions regarding any institution at which that PM conducts Staff Research.” Open page 4
Late or not validated: Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late... · p. 9
“Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by DoD.” Open page 9
Over the length limit: Pages exceeding this limit will not be considered in the application evaluation. · p. 10
“Pages exceeding this limit will not be considered in the application evaluation.” Open page 10
Late or not validated: If the application is received by Grants.gov after the exact time and date specified as the deadline for... · p. 12
“If the application is received by Grants.gov after the exact time and date specified as the deadline for receipt, it will be considered “late” and will not be considered for” Open page 12
Who in Tennessee has won this program
28 awards to Tennessee groups in 5 counties since 2019 · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $25.8M | 2021 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $18.8M | 2022 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $16.1M | 2026 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $16M spent that year | 2025 |
| Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Incorporated | Oak Ridge | $11.7M spent that year | 2025 |
| Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Incorporated | Oak Ridge, Anderson County | $4M | 2026 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis, Shelby County | $3.8M | 2022 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $3.4M | 2026 |
| Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Incorporated | Oak Ridge, Anderson County | $3.2M | 2022 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $3M | 2026 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $2.4M | 2021 |
| Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Incorporated | Oak Ridge, Anderson County | $984K | 2020 |
Source: USAspending.gov; Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 32 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of California, Los Angeles | $400K | 2026 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | President and Fellows of Harvard College | $320K | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | Pennsylvania State University, the | $310K | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Civil-Military Innovation Institute, Inc | $310K spent that year | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | University of Oklahoma | $300K | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | Michigan Technological University | $234K | 2026 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | Iowa State University of Science and Technology | $225K | 2026 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis, Shelby County | President&Fellows of Harvard College | $188K | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | University of Arizona | $169K spent that year | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | Pennsylvania State University, the | $147K | 2025 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | University of Central Florida | $140K spent that year | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Harvard University | $133K spent that year | 2025 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
About the federal program
Basic Scientific Research
Program number 12.431 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Army · Project grant
How applications are judged
i. The overall scientific and/or technical merits of the proposal.
ii. The potential contributions of the effort to the Army mission and the extent to which the research effort will contribute to balancing the overall Army research program.
iii. The qualifications, capabilities, and experience of the proposed PI, team leader, or other key personnel who are critical to achievement of the proposed objectives.
Match
Match: none required (federal program listing). This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. Not Applicable
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2018: INTERNET OF BATTLEFIELD THINGS - The overall objective is to develop the fundamental understanding of dynamically-composable, adaptive, goal-driven Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBTs) to enable predictive analytics for intelligent command and control and battlefield services.
DCIST -Develop the underpinning science to extend the reach, situational awareness, and operational effectiveness of Intelligent System/Soldier teams against dynamic threats in complex and contested environments and provide technical and operational superiority through fast, intelligent, resilient and collaborative behaviors.
Fiscal year 2021: Develop Protein Crystal Polymer Hybrids; Listening to the Bioelectronic Signature of Cells; Corrosion Investigation and Modeling; Decoding Multisensory Information at Different Spatiotemporal Scales of Neuronal Resolution; Social Intelligent Agents; and Experimental Strain-Based Tissue Damage Analysis to Model Impact and Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury Scenarios.
Fiscal year 2023: Example 1: Texas Tech University was awarded a grant W911NF2410035 for effort titled �Using fNIRS to Predict and Diagnose the Cause of Performance Decrements in...