Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS BAA 15 002
Apply for NPS BAA 15 002
- The Naval Supply Systems Command in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY16 PROJECT ON ADVANCED SYSTEMS AND CONCEPTS FOR COUNTERING WMD (PASCC)" 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 May 11, 2015 and posted on Apr 23, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 31, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- All responsible sources from U.S. academia, U.S. research institutions, laboratories outside the U.S. Federal Government, foreign research institutions and accredited foreign universities may submit proposals under this BAA. Federally Funded Research Development Centers (FFRDCs), including Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under this BAA. U.S. Government schools of higher education, 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 research described herein, the organization should contact the Technical Point of Contact at msmalley@nps.edu or pascc@nps.edu.University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) are eligible to submit proposals under this BAA unless precluded from doing so by their Department of Defense UARC contract.Some topic areas may 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 120.1 et seq.
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Opportunity Summary:
The FY16 Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering WMD (PASCC) is a federal Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) focused on security studies research that strengthens national defense by expanding what is known about countering weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and weapons of mass effect (WME). The program is designed to bring in strong researchers and scholars from a wide range of disciplines to produce policy-relevant insights, frameworks, and analyses that can improve U.S. and international approaches to counterproliferation, nonproliferation, and strategy. While the sponsor is a Department of the Navy organization (Naval Supply Systems Command), the emphasis is not on building hardware or engineering prototypes, but on rigorous research that can inform decision-making, deterrence, resilience, international cooperation, and long-term strategic stability.
The performance window described in the announcement targets work conducted from 01 January 2016 through 30 September 2017, with proposals accepted up to the stated closing date of 31 March 2016 (and the opportunity later archived on 30 April 2016). Awards are anticipated as grants or cooperative agreements under CFDA 12.300 (Basic and Applied Scientific Research), and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. PASCC expects to fund a number of research projects and structured dialogues, with the final count driven by available resources and the overall quality and relevance of submissions.
A central feature of this BAA is its broad definition of "security studies research." PASCC is explicitly open to investigations across essentially any discipline as long as the work expands knowledge relevant to national defense and has plausible pathways to improving policy or international relations for combating WMD/WME. The announcement highlights fields such as political science, sociology, history, biology, chemistry, economics, homeland defense, and public policy, signaling that both social science and technical-domain literacy are welcome, particularly when paired with strategic or policy implications. In other words, the program is looking for research that can explain behaviors and incentives, map threats and pathways, test assumptions, evaluate governance regimes, and propose credible strategies that reduce the likelihood or impact of WMD/WME scenarios.
The research topics are grouped into five broad categories. The first category centers on the proliferation of WMD (nuclear, chemical, and biological) and WME (other high-casualty or high-disruption capabilities with strategic effects). This includes studying the drivers of horizontal proliferation (spread to additional actors) and vertical proliferation (improvements or expansion by existing possessors), and developing strategies that either prevent use or, if prevention fails, reduce consequences and speed recovery. It also covers anticipating emerging threats from both state and non-state actors and includes interest in the safety and stability of existing WMD arsenals, which can involve topics like command-and-control risks, accidental use, theft/diversion concerns, and crisis instability dynamics.
The second category looks forward at "future technologies of mass effect" and the possibility that strategically significant threats may emerge from areas that are often civilian-led. Examples named in the BAA include infectious diseases, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, additive manufacturing, and autonomous systems. PASCC is interested in identifying what could become the next generation of strategic weapons or strategic disruptions, and in understanding less obvious linkages between commercial innovation and potential warfare applications. A recurring theme here is strategic stability: how emerging technologies might change incentives, warning time, attribution, escalation risks, or norms of use, and what strategies could improve U.S. resilience and recovery if novel WMD/WME-like events occur.
The third category focuses on WMD/WME delivery systems, spanning traditional platforms like missiles, aircraft, ships, and submarines, as well as unconventional delivery modes. The program highlights interest in preventing new ways of delivering effects, including novel pathways relevant to biological weapons, and in developing approaches for managing or combating the spread, transfer, or acquisition of existing delivery systems by countries of concern or non-state actors. Research in this area might examine interdiction and enforcement challenges, supply chain and dual-use issues, the role of regional security dynamics, and how delivery innovations change deterrence and defense planning.
The fourth category addresses management and prevention mechanisms, including treaties, regimes, and international organizations that aim to control WMD/WME. PASCC is interested in ideas for improving these structures, strengthening enforcement and compliance, and proposing new international mechanisms where gaps exist, including initiatives related to elimination efforts or global health security. The BAA also signals interest in the human and political dimension: why countries and stakeholders perceive WMD/WME differently, what assumptions drive policy choices, and how divergent threat perceptions can undermine cooperation or compliance. This makes room for work on norms, legitimacy, verification politics, institutional design, and comparative analysis of regime effectiveness.
The fifth category expands the lens to multi-domain threats to strategic stability and hybrid warfare, emphasizing that strategic stability can be affected by actions in domains such as space, cyber, maritime, and other interconnected arenas. PASCC is particularly interested in research on preventing attacks against critical national technical means and other infrastructure tied to strategic stability, as well as the challenges of attribution, situational awareness, and verification in contested or ambiguous environments. Another key thread is measurement: developing tools or approaches that help assess how robust or fragile strategic stability is when influenced by cross-domain activities, gray-zone actions, or hybrid strategies that avoid traditional thresholds of conflict.
The eligibility rules are fairly specific. Proposals may be submitted by "all responsible sources" from U.S. academia, U.S. research institutions, non-federal laboratories, foreign research institutions, and accredited foreign universities. At the same time, several categories are explicitly ineligible to receive awards under this BAA, including Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) such as Department of Energy national laboratories, as well as U.S. Government schools of higher education, Navy laboratories and warfare centers, and other DoD or civilian agency laboratories; those organizations are directed to coordinate interest through the listed technical points of contact instead of submitting directly. University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) may apply unless their specific DoD UARC contract restricts them. The announcement also flags that some topic areas may involve export-controlled technologies, in which case participation may be limited to U.S. persons under ITAR definitions.
Finally, PASCC draws clear boundaries on what it will not fund. It does not support training programs, and it does not fund studies primarily aimed at developing new technologies (so proposals centered on building or engineering new tools, devices, or systems are outside scope). It also notes that conventional terrorism topics are out of scope, and projects whose primary focus is cyber security are excluded, even though cyber can appear as a contributing domain within broader strategic stability questions. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a research and dialogue program for policy-relevant, interdisciplinary analysis that helps the security community understand, prevent, deter, and respond to WMD/WME threats now and in the future.
FAQs: FY16 Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering WMD (PASCC)
What is the FY16 PASCC Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)?
The FY16 Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering WMD (PASCC) is a federal Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for security studies research intended to strengthen national defense. It seeks research that expands what is known about countering weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and weapons of mass effect (WME) and produces policy-relevant insights, frameworks, and analyses.
Who is sponsoring this opportunity?
The sponsor is a Department of the Navy organization: Naval Supply Systems Command. While the sponsor is within the Navy, the emphasis of the BAA is on rigorous policy-relevant research rather than hardware development.
Is this opportunity focused on building hardware, prototypes, or engineering systems?
No. The BAA is not centered on building hardware or engineering prototypes. It is focused on research and structured dialogues that can inform decision-making, deterrence, resilience, international cooperation, and long-term strategic stability related to WMD/WME.
What is the overall goal of PASCC-funded work?
The goal is to bring in strong researchers and scholars from many disciplines to generate knowledge that can improve U.S. and international approaches to counterproliferation, nonproliferation, and strategy for preventing, deterring, and responding to WMD/WME threats.
What kinds of outputs is PASCC looking for?
The BAA emphasizes policy-relevant insights, frameworks, and analyses. It also indicates interest in funding research projects and structured dialogues, with an overall focus on work that has plausible pathways to improving policy or international relations for combating WMD/WME.
What does PASCC mean by "security studies research"?
PASCC uses a broad definition. It is open to investigations across essentially any discipline, as long as the work expands knowledge relevant to national defense and can credibly inform policy or international approaches to combating WMD/WME. The announcement explicitly signals openness to both social science and technical-domain literacy when tied to strategic or policy implications.
Which disciplines does the announcement highlight as relevant?
The BAA highlights fields such as political science, sociology, history, biology, chemistry, economics, homeland defense, and public policy. This indicates an interdisciplinary approach is welcome, including work that explains behaviors and incentives, evaluates governance regimes, tests assumptions, maps threats, and proposes strategies.
What are WMD and WME in the context of this BAA?
WMD includes nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. WME refers to other high-casualty or high-disruption capabilities with strategic effects. The BAA is concerned with both established WMD risks and emerging high-impact threats that could produce WME-like consequences.
What are the main research topic categories?
The BAA groups research topics into five broad categories: (1) WMD/WME proliferation and threat dynamics, (2) future technologies of mass effect, (3) WMD/WME delivery systems, (4) management and prevention mechanisms (treaties, regimes, institutions), and (5) multi-domain threats to strategic stability and hybrid warfare impacts on stability.
What types of research fit under the proliferation category?
This category includes studying drivers of horizontal proliferation (spread to additional actors) and vertical proliferation (improvements or expansion by existing possessors), anticipating emerging threats from state and non-state actors, examining the safety and stability of existing arsenals (including command-and-control risks, accidental use, theft/diversion, and crisis instability), and developing strategies to prevent use or reduce consequences and speed recovery if prevention fails.
What are "future technologies of mass effect" in this announcement?
This category examines how strategically significant threats might emerge from areas that are often civilian-led. Examples named include infectious diseases, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, additive manufacturing, and autonomous systems. The focus is on identifying what could become the next generation of strategic weapons or disruptions and understanding connections between commercial innovation and warfare applications.
How does the BAA connect emerging technologies to strategic stability?
The BAA highlights strategic stability concerns such as changes in incentives, warning time, attribution, escalation risks, and norms of use. It also shows interest in strategies that improve U.S. resilience and recovery if novel WMD/WME-like events occur.
What kinds of delivery system research is of interest?
The delivery systems category spans traditional platforms (missiles, aircraft, ships, submarines) and unconventional delivery modes. It includes preventing new ways of delivering effects (including novel pathways relevant to biological weapons) and developing approaches to manage or combat the spread, transfer, or acquisition of delivery systems by countries of concern or non-state actors.
What issues might delivery system research address?
Examples implied by the announcement include interdiction and enforcement challenges, supply chain and dual-use issues, regional security dynamics, and how innovations in delivery change deterrence and defense planning.
What does the BAA mean by management and prevention mechanisms?
This category covers treaties, regimes, and international organizations intended to control WMD/WME. PASCC is interested in ideas to improve these structures, strengthen enforcement and compliance, and propose new mechanisms where gaps exist, including initiatives connected to elimination efforts or global health security.
Does PASCC support research on the political and human dimensions of WMD/WME governance?
Yes. The BAA explicitly notes interest in why countries and stakeholders perceive WMD/WME differently, what assumptions drive policy choices, and how divergent threat perceptions can undermine cooperation or compliance. This supports work on norms, legitimacy, verification politics, institutional design, and comparative effectiveness of regimes.
What is included in the multi-domain threats and hybrid warfare category?
This category looks at how strategic stability can be affected by actions in domains such as space, cyber, maritime, and other interconnected arenas. It emphasizes preventing attacks against critical national technical means and other infrastructure tied to strategic stability, as well as challenges in attribution, situational awareness, and verification in contested or ambiguous environments.
Does the BAA care about measurement of strategic stability?
Yes. A stated thread is measurement: developing tools or approaches to assess how robust or fragile strategic stability is when influenced by cross-domain activities, gray-zone actions, or hybrid strategies that avoid traditional conflict thresholds.
Who is eligible to submit a proposal?
Proposals may be submitted by "all responsible sources" from U.S. academia, U.S. research institutions, non-federal laboratories, foreign research institutions, and accredited foreign universities.
Which organizations are ineligible to receive awards under this BAA?
Several categories are explicitly ineligible, including Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) such as Department of Energy national laboratories, U.S. Government schools of higher education, Navy laboratories and warfare centers, and other DoD or civilian agency laboratories. Those entities are directed to coordinate through the listed technical points of contact rather than submit directly.
Can University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) apply?
Yes, UARCs may apply unless their specific DoD UARC contract restricts them.
Are foreign institutions allowed to apply?
Yes. The eligibility description includes foreign research institutions and accredited foreign universities among those who may submit proposals.
Are there export-control limitations that could restrict participation?
Potentially. The BAA flags that some topic areas may involve export-controlled technologies. In those cases, participation may be limited to U.S. persons under ITAR definitions.
What is the performance window for work under this announcement?
The performance window described targets work conducted from 01 January 2016 through 30 September 2017.
What were the key dates for submitting under this opportunity?
Proposals were accepted up to the closing date of 31 March 2016, and the opportunity was later archived on 30 April 2016.
What type of funding instrument is expected?
Awards are anticipated as grants or cooperative agreements.
What CFDA program is associated with this opportunity?
The announcement associates awards with CFDA 12.300, Basic and Applied Scientific Research.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
How many awards will be made?
PASCC expects to fund a number of research projects and structured dialogues, but the final count is driven by available resources and the overall quality and relevance of submissions.
What will PASCC not fund?
The BAA draws several boundaries. It does not support training programs. It does not fund studies primarily aimed at developing new technologies (including proposals centered on building or engineering new tools, devices, or systems). It also states that conventional terrorism topics are out of scope, and that projects whose primary focus is cyber security are excluded.
Does that mean cyber-related topics are completely prohibited?
Not entirely. The BAA excludes projects whose primary focus is cyber security, but it also describes strategic stability research across domains (including cyber) when cyber is a contributing domain within broader strategic stability questions.
What is the best way to describe the "fit" for this opportunity?
This opportunity is best understood as a research and dialogue program for interdisciplinary, policy-relevant analysis that helps the security community understand, prevent, deter, and respond to WMD/WME threats, including both current proliferation challenges and future, emerging technologies that could create mass-effect disruptions.
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