Naval Research Laboratory · Department of Defense
NRL Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Basic and Applied Research
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Dec 30, 2026 · 83 days left
- Award size
- Not stated: see the official notice
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Anyone (unrestricted)
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
How this fits you
- Available in Tennessee (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 51
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/890987ab-43f2-4384-8acb-5fcfabb06854 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/c72a24d6-71c2-4ad9-b387-3ea936196329
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
About this grant
Amendment 0008
The purpose of this amendment is to extend the due date for acceptance of White Papers. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.
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Amendment 0007
The purpose of this amendment is to add Summary Topic 61-24-06 - AFFF ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM COMPATIBILITY OF FLUORINE-FREE FOAM (F3) WITH NON-ASPIRATING SPRINKLER NOZZLES to Appendix 1 in it’s entirety. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.
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Amendment 0006
The purpose of this amendment is to extend the due date for acceptance of White Papers. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.
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Amendment 0005
The purpose of this amendment is to provide a searchable list of Summary Topics contained in Appendix 1. Expanded descriptions of each topic can be found in the full announcement pdf.
APPENDIX 1 – RESEARCH DESCRIPTION - SUMMARY TOPICS
II. Detailed information about the funding opportunity
The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the Navy's corporate laboratory. NRL conducts basic and applied research for the Navy in a variety of scientific and technical disciplines. The basic research program is driven by perceptions about future requirements of the Navy.
The Navy's operational effectiveness depends on its ability to keep pace with rapidly developing technologies. NRL contributes to this requirement by conducting research in the following areas, organized into NRL'S three research directorates and Naval Center for Space Technology:
Systems Directorate Code 5000
Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate Code 6000 Ocean and Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate Code 7000 Naval Center for Space Technology Code 8000
A. SYSTEMS DIRECTORATE - CODE 5000
53-24-01 - HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR
53-24-01C - HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR (CLASSIFIED)
53-24-02 - LOW-COST WIDEBAND ANTENNA ARRAY TECHNOLOGIES
53-24-03 - ADVANCED COMPUTATIONAL ELECTROMAGNETICS
55-24-01 - INFORMATION AND DECISION SCIENCES
55-24-02 - MATHEMATICAL FOUNDATIONS OF HIGH ASSURANCE COMPUTING
55-24-03 - HIGH ASSURANCE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
55-24-04 - ADVANCED NAVAL NETWORK SOLUTIONS
55-24-05 - FEDERATED, DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING/NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
56-24-01 - OPTICAL SCIENCES R&D
57-24-01 -...
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 - Dec9
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Dec23
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Dec28
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Dec30
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the official notice FY24_BAA_Announcement_FINAL.pdf (114 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.
Award size and project length
Award amounts here are per year · p. 27
“Recipients that have Federal contract, grant, and cooperative agreement awards wit h a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 must disclose semiannually any information about the criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings. 5.” Open page 27
Project period: 12 months · p. 52
“Technologies of sufficient merit will be advanced to an optional second Tier that engages the offeror in research and development of the technology to meet all needs outlined with a performance period up to 12 months.” Open page 52
Registrations you need first (3)
Grants.gov · p. 11
“Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/) b.” Open page 11
SAM.gov · p. 11
“SAM.gov (https://sam.gov/content/home) c.” Open page 11
Unique Entity ID (UEI) · p. 14
“Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) - All offerors submitting proposals or applications must: a.” Open page 14
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. 20
“For grants, the notification profile will use the email addresses from the Application for Federal Assistance, SF424, to notify the recipient of an award.” Open page 20
Timeline or schedule of completion · p. 44
“Pulse and emitter measurements and derived pulse train measurements tha t provide parameters to improve emitter classification with minimal ambiguities. 2) Electronic Attack (EA) Technique Generation Countering advanced threat systems will require innovative…” Open page 44
Project abstract or summary · p. 84
“Project/Abstract Form (Mandatory) The project summary/abstract must identify the research problem and objectives, technical approaches, anticipated outcome of the research, if successful, and impact on DoD capabilities.” Open page 84
Resumes or bios of key staff · p. 87
“Include resumes or curricula vitae for the Principal Investigator, other key personnel and consultants.” Open page 87
Budget narrative / justification · p. 89
“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.” Open page 89
Organizational chart · p. 106
“(i) Provide organizational charts showing the offeror’s (and, as appropriate, those of its subcontractors, partners, consultants, and affiliates) structure as it relates to performance under the contract awarded under this BAA and all contracts and…” Open page 106
Formatting rules
single-spaced · p. 13
“Spacing –single-spaced 4.” Open page 13
12-point font · p. 13
“Font – Times New Roman, 12 point 5.” Open page 13
double-spaced · p. 101
“Sp acing- single or double spaced” Open page 101
Mistakes that get applications rejected (5)
Could get your application rejected: Evaluation Overview - Proposals will not be evaluated against each other since they are not submitted in... · p. 16
“Evaluation Overview - Proposals will not be evaluated against each other since they are not submitted in accordance with a common work statement.” Open page 16
Sent the wrong way or format: Proposals with attachments submitted in word processing, spreadsheet, or any format other than Adobe... · p. 94
“Proposals with attachments submitted in word processing, spreadsheet, or any format other than Adobe Portable Document Format will not be considered for award.” Open page 94
Could get your application rejected: The nondisclosure or misrepresentation of an interest creating an OCI may result in the disqualification... · p. 105
“The nondisclosure or misrepresentation of an interest creating an OCI may result in the disqualification of an offeror for award, or if such nondisclosure or misrepresentation is discovered after award, the Government may terminate the contract for default,…” Open page 105
Could get your application rejected: (1) impose appropriate conditions which avoid such conflict, (2) disqualify the offeror, (3) determine... · p. 107
“(1) impose appropriate conditions which avoid such conflict, (2) disqualify the offeror, (3) determine that it is otherwise in the best interest of the Government to award a contract to the offeror and include app ropriate conditions mitigating such conflict…” Open page 107
Could get your application rejected: An offeror who has refused to disclose the information or make the certification required by this BAA... · p. 107
“An offeror who has refused to disclose the information or make the certification required by this BAA concerning an actual or potential OCI shall be disqualified from consideration for award.” Open page 107
Who in Tennessee has won this program
28 awards to Tennessee groups in 4 counties since 2018. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $7.4M | 2018 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $5.2M | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $5M | 2023 |
| Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation | Knoxville, Knox County | $5M | 2020 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $4.9M spent that year | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | $2.6M spent that year | 2025 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis, Shelby County | $2.2M | 2023 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $1.6M | 2020 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.2M | 2021 |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.2M | 2024 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $1.1M | 2021 |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville, Davidson County | $849K | 2022 |
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. 23 pass-through grants on file. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation | Knoxville, Knox County | Office of Naval Research | $2M spent that year | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation | $732K spent that year | 2024 |
| University of Tennessee | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | $630K | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Precise Systems, Inc | $509K spent that year | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Oregon State University | $397K spent that year | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | The Pennsylvania State University | $291K | 2026 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis, Shelby County | Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | $263K | 2026 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | Regents of the University of Minnesota | $199K | 2026 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Georgia Institute of Technology | $197K spent that year | 2025 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education | $195K spent that year | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | The Pennsylvania State University | $194K | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | University of Kentucky Research Foundation, the | $126K | 2026 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
About the federal program
Basic and Applied Scientific Research
Program number 12.300 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Defense, ONR · Cooperative agreement (a grant with close agency involvement), project grant
How applications are judged
Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of proposals resulting from a scientific and cost review. Evaluations will typically be conducted using the following evaluation criteria: 1. Overall scientific and technical merits of the proposal; 2. Potential Naval relevance and contributions of the effort to the agency's specific mission; 3. The offeror's capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques or unique combinations of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives; 4. The qualifications, capabilities and experience of the proposed Principal Investigator (PI), team leader and key personnel who are critical in achieving the proposal objectives; and 5. The realism of the proposed costs and availability of funds.
Match
None required (federal program listing).
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2018: Properties and Performance of Compositionally Complex AlCrFeMn Alloys for Marine Applications
Fiscal year 2019: Generalized Computations for Learning, Memory, and Decision Making in Artificial and Biological Neural
Networks
Fiscal year 2021: 100 drifting wave buoys were deployed in the Southern Ocean. Storms in the Southern Ocean generate energetic waves that radiate across the Pacific, Atlantic , and Indian ocean. Progress in ocean Internet of Things (IoT) technology enables the grantee to collect unprecedented data densities, which directly improves ocean and wave theories, validate and constrain ocean and atmospheric models, and provide a ground truth for satellite remote sensing data. The technology deployed by the grantee was developed with ONR sponsorship. It represents a shift in global ocean sensing toward a distributed paradigm with massive arrays of low-cost internet-connected nodes.
Fiscal year 2025: Data Fusion and Assimilation for Multiscale 3D Velocity and Wall Stress Reconstructions in a Tip Gap Flow.
The overarching goal of the proposed work is to advance knowledge of flow physics and cavitation inception in tip
gap flow fields through the...