Opportunity Information: Apply for ONRBAA13 021
Apply for ONRBAA13 021
- The Office of Naval Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Basic Research in Spatial Sensing Scene Characterization (also known as Imaging) Technology" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.300 Basic and Applied Scientific Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 27, 2013 and posted on Aug 13, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 11, 2013 SEE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WHITE PAPER DUE DATES. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $12,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
- All responsible sources from academia and industry may submit proposals under this BAA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals. However, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation. Federally Funded Research Development Centers (FFRDCs), including Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under this BAA. However, teaming arrangements between FFRDCs and eligible principal bidders are allowed so long as they are permitted under the sponsoring agreement between the Government and the specific FFRDC. Navy laboratories and warfare centers as well as other Department of Defense and civilian agency laboratories are also not eligible to receive awards under this BAA and should not directly submit either white papers or full proposals in response to this BAA. If any such organization is interested in one or more of the programs described herein, the organization should contact an appropriate ONR POC to discuss its area of interest. The various scientific divisions of ONR are identified at http://www.onr.navy.mil/. As with FFRDCs, these types of federal organizations may team with other responsible sources from academia and industry that are submitting proposals under this BAA. University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) are eligible to submit proposals under this BAA unless precluded from doing so by their Department of Defense UARC contracts. Teams are also encouraged and may submit proposals in any and all areas. However, Offerors must be willing to cooperate and exchange software, data and other information in an integrated program with other contractors, as well as with system integrators, selected by ONR. Some topics cover export controlled technologies. Research in these areas is limited to U.S. persons as defined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) 22 CFR 1201.1 et seq.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant opportunity titled Basic Research in Spatial Sensing Scene Characterization (Imaging) Technology (Funding Opportunity Number ONRBAA13-021) funds fundamental research aimed at radically improving how the Navy senses and interprets scenes at long stand-off distances, roughly from hundreds of meters out to tens of kilometers. The core idea is to move beyond the traditional model of building a conventional camera-like imaging system and then relying on heavy computer processing to answer operational questions such as who or what is present, where they are, and what is happening over time. ONR is looking for breakthroughs that rethink scene characterization across multiple parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible, near-, mid-, and long-wave infrared, as well as millimeter wave, with an emphasis not only on spatial detail but also on temporal behavior and material or compositional information.
A central driver for this program is that many past advantages from night vision and infrared imaging have eroded due to widespread proliferation of those technologies. As a result, ONR is emphasizing sensing approaches that perform well in conditions where conventional imaging struggles, particularly severely degraded environments like fog, clouds, rain, dust, smoke, and sea spray. The announcement makes clear that ONR is open to both passive approaches (where illumination is ambient and not under the operator’s control) and active approaches (where the user can shape or control illumination). ONR also signals interest in exploiting a wider set of electromagnetic wave properties than simple intensity, including phase, polarization, spectral content, temporal signatures, statistical properties, angular momentum, and even quantum characteristics such as entanglement. Examples are provided to show the kind of physics-informed innovation they want, such as using spectral effects like the Christensen effect to reduce scattering through dust, leveraging polarization diversity to see better through haze, and combining physical phenomenology with multi-frame computational reconstruction and priors to improve visibility and characterization at range.
The BAA lays out four specific research topic areas. First, it seeks new sensing concepts for high-fidelity perception in degraded environments, supporting navigation, detection, targeting, and situational awareness when aerosols and weather obscure or scatter light. The second topic area targets new transduction mechanisms and sensor architectures: rather than only detecting irradiance, ONR wants sensors that can directly capture or convert other wavefront properties (coherence state, complex wavefront/phase, polarization state, spectral distribution) into usable signals. This could be achieved through new wave-matter interaction understanding or by integrating auxiliary structures into conventional detectors to map those properties into measurable outputs, such as angle-sensing photodetectors or detectors with integrated wire-grid polarizers. The program envisions that pairing such sensor hardware with dynamic front-end optical elements and post-processing could produce flexible, multi-modal sensors optimized for extracting task-relevant information rather than collecting everything indiscriminately.
The third research area is about reducing size, weight, power, and complexity in high-resolution, wide-field systems by building a theoretical foundation for what is fundamentally necessary. ONR is asking for analysis that establishes lower bounds on front-end optics complexity as a function of the information actually required, taking into account prior information from scene and target models and context from other sensing modalities. The BAA explicitly frames sensing as task-specific: for some missions (like obstacle avoidance), fine texture or identity details might be irrelevant compared with estimating obstacle location and size. ONR is interested in frameworks that quantify total resource requirements for such task-specific sensors, helping identify where additional complexity stops producing meaningful operational benefit and where the highest-payoff research directions lie.
The fourth area pushes for adaptive, reconfigurable sensing concepts that avoid the fixed, data-heavy nature of mainstream imaging systems. Traditional sensors may add spectral or polarization subsystems, but they often generate large volumes of data, much of which is operationally unnecessary, and they tend to be locked into hardware choices with only minor mechanical adjustments (focus, pan/tilt/zoom via gimbals, motors, or scanning mirrors). ONR is seeking “Field Programmable Sensing Systems†(FPSS), meaning sensing systems whose operational characteristics can be readily adapted to different environments and mission tasks to minimize resources without sacrificing performance. The desired outcome includes not just a single device concept but also a broader framework for designing and fabricating such programmable sensing systems.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category (CFDA 12.300). ONR anticipated about three awards with an estimated total funding level of $12,000,000, and it does not require cost sharing or matching. Eligibility is broadly open to responsible sources in academia and industry, with encouragement for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) to participate, though no funding is specifically set aside for them. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and government labs (including Navy labs and warfare centers) are not eligible to receive awards directly, but they may participate through teaming arrangements with eligible lead organizations if allowed by their sponsoring agreements. University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) may apply unless restricted by their Department of Defense contracts. Teams are encouraged, and ONR expects performers to cooperate in an integrated program environment, including exchanging software, data, and other information with other contractors and ONR-selected integrators. The announcement also notes that some topics may involve export-controlled technology, in which case participation can be limited to U.S. persons under ITAR definitions. The opportunity was originally posted August 13, 2013, with a closing date of December 11, 2013 (with white paper due dates referenced in the full announcement), and it was archived January 10, 2014.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Basic Research in Spatial Sensing Scene Characterization (Imaging) Technology.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is ONRBAA13-021.
Which agency is offering this grant?
The grant is offered by the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
What type of work is ONR trying to fund under this program?
ONR is funding fundamental/basic research aimed at radically improving how the Navy senses and interprets scenes at long stand-off distances. The intent is to enable better answers to operational questions such as who or what is present, where they are, and what is happening over time.
What stand-off ranges are relevant for this program?
The program targets long-range sensing roughly from hundreds of meters out to tens of kilometers.
What is the main technical idea or philosophy behind the program?
The core idea is to move beyond the traditional pattern of building a conventional camera-like imaging system and then relying on heavy computer processing to extract meaning. ONR is seeking breakthroughs that rethink scene characterization by combining new sensing concepts, wavefront/phenomenology-aware approaches, and task-focused designs.
Which parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are of interest?
The announcement emphasizes approaches spanning multiple parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible, near-, mid-, and long-wave infrared, and millimeter wave.
What kinds of scene information matter most to ONR in this program?
ONR is emphasizing not only spatial detail (resolution/structure) but also temporal behavior (how things change over time) and material or compositional information (what things are made of).
Why is ONR pursuing new approaches instead of relying on conventional night vision/IR imaging?
The BAA notes that many past advantages from night vision and infrared imaging have eroded due to widespread proliferation of those technologies, driving interest in approaches that offer new advantages and improved performance in challenging conditions.
What operating environments are especially important for this program?
ONR is particularly interested in sensing that performs well when conventional imaging struggles, including severely degraded environments such as fog, clouds, rain, dust, smoke, and sea spray.
Are passive sensing approaches allowed, or does ONR only want active illumination?
Both are in scope. ONR is open to passive approaches (ambient illumination not controlled by the operator) and active approaches (where the user can shape or control illumination).
Beyond intensity images, what wave properties does ONR want researchers to exploit?
The BAA signals interest in using a broader set of electromagnetic wave properties than intensity alone, including phase, polarization, spectral content, temporal signatures, statistical properties, angular momentum, and even quantum characteristics such as entanglement.
Does the BAA give examples of the types of physics-informed innovations ONR wants?
Yes. Examples include using spectral effects such as the Christensen effect to reduce scattering through dust, using polarization diversity to improve visibility through haze, and combining physical phenomenology with multi-frame computational reconstruction and priors to improve characterization at range.
How many research topic areas are described in the BAA?
The BAA lays out four specific research topic areas.
What is Topic Area 1 about?
Topic Area 1 seeks new sensing concepts for high-fidelity perception in degraded environments, supporting tasks like navigation, detection, targeting, and situational awareness when aerosols and weather obscure or scatter light.
What is Topic Area 2 about?
Topic Area 2 targets new transduction mechanisms and sensor architectures. Instead of only detecting irradiance, ONR wants sensors that can directly capture or convert other wavefront properties (for example, coherence state, complex wavefront/phase, polarization state, spectral distribution) into usable signals.
What kinds of sensor hardware concepts are mentioned under Topic Area 2?
The BAA mentions approaches such as developing new understanding of wave-matter interactions, or integrating auxiliary structures into conventional detectors to map those properties into measurable outputs. Examples include angle-sensing photodetectors and detectors with integrated wire-grid polarizers.
Does ONR expect hardware-only solutions, or are optics and processing part of the picture?
The program vision includes pairing sensor hardware with dynamic front-end optical elements and post-processing to create flexible, multi-modal sensors optimized for extracting task-relevant information rather than collecting everything indiscriminately.
What is Topic Area 3 about?
Topic Area 3 focuses on reducing size, weight, power, and complexity (SWaP-C) in high-resolution, wide-field systems by building a theoretical foundation for what is fundamentally necessary to accomplish a task.
What does ONR mean by “task-specific†sensing in Topic Area 3?
The BAA frames sensing as task-specific because some missions do not need full image detail. For example, in obstacle avoidance, fine texture or identity details may be less important than estimating obstacle location and size. ONR is interested in methods that quantify what information is truly required for a given operational objective.
What kinds of outputs is Topic Area 3 seeking from researchers?
ONR is asking for analysis that establishes lower bounds on the complexity of front-end optics as a function of the information actually required, taking into account prior information from scene/target models and context from other sensing modalities.
What is Topic Area 4 about?
Topic Area 4 seeks adaptive, reconfigurable sensing concepts that avoid the fixed, data-heavy nature of mainstream imaging systems. The goal is to reduce operationally unnecessary data and avoid being locked into hardware choices that only allow minor mechanical adjustments.
What is a “Field Programmable Sensing System†(FPSS) in this BAA?
FPSS refers to sensing systems whose operational characteristics can be readily adapted to different environments and mission tasks to minimize resources without sacrificing performance. The desired outcome includes both device concepts and a broader framework for designing and fabricating such programmable sensing systems.
What is the CFDA number and category for this grant?
The program is listed under CFDA 12.300 in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category.
How many awards did ONR anticipate making, and what was the total funding level?
ONR anticipated about three awards, with an estimated total funding level of $12,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states that cost sharing or matching is not required.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broadly open to responsible sources in academia and industry.
Are HBCUs and Minority Institutions encouraged to participate?
Yes. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to participate, but the announcement states that no funding is specifically set aside for them.
Can FFRDCs or government labs apply as the direct award recipient?
No. FFRDCs and government labs (including Navy labs and warfare centers) are not eligible to receive awards directly.
Can FFRDCs or government labs participate in some other way?
Yes. They may participate through teaming arrangements with eligible lead organizations, if allowed by their sponsoring agreements.
Are University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) eligible?
UARCs may apply unless restricted by their Department of Defense contracts.
Are team proposals encouraged?
Yes. Teams are encouraged, and ONR expects performers to cooperate in an integrated program environment.
What does ONR mean by an “integrated program environment†for performers?
The BAA indicates performers should cooperate by exchanging software, data, and other information with other contractors and ONR-selected integrators.
Does the opportunity mention export control restrictions?
Yes. The announcement notes that some topics may involve export-controlled technology, in which case participation can be limited to U.S. persons under ITAR definitions.
When was this opportunity originally posted?
The opportunity was originally posted on August 13, 2013.
What was the closing date?
The closing date listed is December 11, 2013. The notice also references white paper due dates in the full announcement.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. It was archived on January 10, 2014.
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