EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE C4 TECHNOLOGIES | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE C4 TECHNOLOGIES opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number ONRBAA12-015) is a Broad Agency Announcement from the Office of Naval Research focused on advancing Command, Control, Computers, and Communications capabilities for Naval Expeditionary forces. ONR is looking for innovative research and development ideas that can improve how expeditionary units communicate, authenticate users, and operate across challenging tactical environments where connectivity is unreliable, bandwidth is limited, and equipment must remain portable while still delivering strong performance. The solicitation spans early basic science through applied prototyping, with topic areas mapped to Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) ranging from 1 to 6, and anticipates making about four awards. The activity is categorized under CFDA 12.300 (Basic and Applied Scientific Research), does not require cost sharing, and supports awards through grants and, where appropriate, procurement contracts.

On the basic research side (phenomenology, TRL 1-2), ONR is interested in Mathematical Trust Models aimed at solving a real tactical networking problem: centrally managed, certificate-based authentication is often impractical when users are mobile, networks are disconnected from central authorities, throughput is constrained, and sessions can drop due to poor links. The goal is to develop fundamental, broadly applicable mathematical representations of trust that could support decentralized and efficient authentication in wireless networks, even when there is little or no prior knowledge about a user attempting to join. Work that draws from attribute-based encryption or similar approaches is viewed as promising, especially if it produces methods that are generalizable, provable, and defensible to accreditation authorities, recognizing that future operational use cases may not be fully known at the time the research is performed.

In applied research (proof of concept, TRL 2-4), the focus shifts to electrically small HF antennas operating in the 2 to 30 MHz range, a long-standing challenge for both vehicles and small units. ONR wants antenna concepts and feeding techniques suitable for vehicular and/or manpack systems that can support next-generation HF waveforms, including wider instantaneous bandwidths (expanding from roughly 3 kHz up to 24 kHz) and potentially noncontiguous channel operation. Desired capabilities include dual polarization to support multiple propagation modes (NVIS, skywave, and ground wave) or beam steering to align with the direction of propagation. Power handling targets are also clearly stated: up to 400 Watts for vehicular antennas and about 20 Watts for manpack antennas. The announcement highlights possible enabling approaches such as slow-wave miniaturization, electromagnetic band-gap or high-impedance surfaces, and material loading, while remaining open to other credible technical paths.

For advanced technology development (military utility demonstration and prototyping, TRL 4-6), ONR identifies two handheld-focused RF hardware needs. The first is broadband amplifiers: the Navy wants linear, efficient 5-Watt power amplifiers capable of covering a very wide frequency range (225 to 5000 MHz) to support modern complex waveforms that involve both envelope and phase modulation. Because handheld devices are typically limited by battery life and power amplifier inefficiency, solutions that improve efficiency without sacrificing linearity are a central objective. Suggested enabling technologies include tunable power amplifiers, wide band-gap semiconductor devices, LINC architectures (linear amplification using non-linear techniques), and Class J amplifier approaches. The second ATD topic is adaptable antennas for the same wideband range (225 to 5000 MHz), with an emphasis on reducing size and practical integration constraints, such as tighter inter-element spacing (down to lambda/10 at low frequency) or reduced electrical height. ONR is specifically looking for antennas that can adapt to the RF environment to achieve high directionality and that can plausibly move toward low-cost manufacturing for handheld applications. A key expectation is that proponents demonstrate measurable performance improvement attributable to the antenna adaptability, with potential enabling methods including reconfigurable or tunable antennas and electronically steerable parasitic radiator concepts.

Eligibility is broadly open to responsible sources from academia and industry, with explicit encouragement for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions to participate, though no set-aside funding is reserved for them. Certain federal research organizations are restricted from applying directly: Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (including DOE national labs), Navy laboratories, warfare centers, and other DoD or civilian agency laboratories are generally not eligible to receive awards as direct proposers under this BAA. However, they may participate through teaming arrangements with eligible prime offerors if permitted by their governing agreements, and interested government labs are directed to coordinate with the relevant ONR point of contact. University Affiliated Research Centers may apply unless their DoD UARC contracts prohibit it. The solicitation also emphasizes collaboration expectations: teams are encouraged, and awardees must be willing to cooperate and exchange software, data, and other information as part of an integrated program with other contractors and ONR-selected system integrators. Some topics may involve export-controlled technology, which can restrict participation to U.S. persons as defined under ITAR.

Administrative details in the synopsis indicate it was posted August 1, 2012, with a closing timeframe in November 2012 and an archive date in December 2012. The full announcement was made available through Grants.gov via the "FULL ANNOUNCEMENT" link on the synopsis page, and the contracting point of contact listed is Peter (Desmond) Donaghue, Contract Specialist at the Office of Naval Research (desmond.donaghue@navy.mil, 703-696-0694).

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: Office of Naval Research

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Next opportunity: Integrated Communications Plan and Creative for the Youth and Young Adult Market 18 24 year olds

Previous opportunity: Land Trust Rally 2012

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for ONRBAA12 015

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (ONRBAA12 015) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "ONRBAA12 015", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.