Opportunity Information: Apply for BAA RQPKC 13 08
Apply for BAA RQPKC 13 08
- The Air Force Research Lab in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Optimized Integrated Multidisciplinary Systems (OPTIMUS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.800 Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 11, 2013 and posted on Jul 23, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 26, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,850,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Optimized Integrated Multidisciplinary Systems (OPTIMUS) opportunity is an Air Force Research Laboratory research solicitation focused on improving how early-stage aircraft concepts are designed, especially for high-speed military aircraft in the Future Air Dominance and next-generation air dominance category. The core idea is to push conceptual design beyond traditional airframe and aerodynamics trade studies by explicitly bringing tightly coupled onboard systems into the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) environment much earlier than is typical. In practice, that means treating actuation, electrical power, thermal management, and propulsion/engine-related considerations as first-class design drivers during concept exploration, rather than items that are only refined later once a configuration is mostly set.
A major objective of OPTIMUS is to advance MDO methods so they better reflect real-world aircraft integration problems. Many performance and feasibility constraints in advanced aircraft are dominated by interactions among subsystems: power generation affects thermal loads, thermal management influences packaging and drag, actuation and electrical architectures change mass and reliability, and propulsion integration affects mission performance and cooling needs. OPTIMUS is intended to develop modeling and optimization approaches that can capture those cross-domain effects and use them to guide design decisions at the conceptual level, when changes are cheaper and the design space is still wide.
The program also emphasizes mission-focused analysis rather than optimization in a vacuum. Proposers are expected to connect optimization parameters and trade variables to operational or mission-level assessment methods. In other words, the program is looking for design approaches where subsystem choices and integrated architecture decisions can be evaluated in terms of how they affect mission outcomes, operational effectiveness, and system-level performance measures that matter for an air dominance concept, not just isolated component metrics.
Another key theme is getting the right level of model fidelity at the right time. OPTIMUS calls out the need to define what fidelity is required at various milestones in the design process. Conceptual design cannot afford the computational or data burden of full-detail models everywhere, but overly simplified models can miss the very coupling effects the program is trying to capture. The work is therefore expected to address fidelity management: deciding which physics, subsystem behaviors, and integration effects must be represented early; where surrogates, reduced-order models, or parametric relationships are appropriate; and how fidelity should increase as the design matures.
OPTIMUS further expects development of geographically distributed co-design and simulation. This points to collaborative design environments where different teams or tools (possibly at different organizations or locations) can contribute subsystem and discipline analyses into a coordinated optimization workflow. The intent is to enable integrated design studies that reflect how real multidisciplinary programs operate, with distributed subject matter expertise and heterogeneous toolchains, while still producing coherent, optimized concept results.
Demonstration is an explicit requirement. The solicitation indicates that the improved methods and integrated analyses should be demonstrated on a Future Air Dominance conceptual design. That implies the expected deliverable is not only new methodology or software capability, but also a credible, end-to-end example showing that the approach can be applied to an air dominance-relevant concept and that it yields insight into coupled system trades earlier in the design lifecycle.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) run by the Air Force Research Laboratory under the Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (CFDA 12.800). The funding opportunity number is BAA RQPKC 13 08, and the opportunity is categorized under science and technology and other research and development. The expected number of awards is one, with an estimated total funding amount of $2,850,000. The opportunity lists multiple instrument types (cooperative agreement, grant, procurement contract), indicating AFRL may choose the most suitable mechanism based on the proposal approach and the level of government involvement anticipated.
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the competition is generally open to any type of applicant, subject to any additional constraints that may appear in the full announcement text. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement specified. The process is described as a two-step BAA: the first step cannot be submitted through Grants.gov, while the second step (the full proposal) may be submitted through Grants.gov. Key dates provided include an original closing date of September 5, 2013, a current closing date of November 26, 2013, and an archive date of December 26, 2013, indicating this posting reflects a specific historical solicitation window.
For access issues or questions, the point of contact listed is Steven Brumfield, Contracting Officer, at phone number 937-255-5091.
OPTIMUS (Optimized Integrated Multidisciplinary Systems) Grant Opportunity FAQs
What is the OPTIMUS opportunity?
OPTIMUS (Optimized Integrated Multidisciplinary Systems) is an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) research solicitation focused on improving early-stage (conceptual) aircraft design methods, particularly for high-speed military aircraft concepts in the Future Air Dominance (FAD) and next-generation air dominance space.
What problem is OPTIMUS trying to solve?
The opportunity targets a common conceptual design gap: early trade studies often focus heavily on airframe and aerodynamics while treating tightly coupled onboard systems as items to refine later. OPTIMUS aims to bring those integrated subsystems into the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) environment much earlier, when design changes are less costly and the design space is still wide.
What types of aircraft concepts are in scope?
The solicitation highlights high-speed military aircraft concepts associated with Future Air Dominance and next-generation air dominance categories, and it calls for demonstration on a Future Air Dominance conceptual design.
What does OPTIMUS mean by bringing onboard systems in earlier?
It means treating key onboard systems as first-class design drivers during concept exploration rather than deferring them until later phases. The solicitation explicitly mentions actuation, electrical power, thermal management, and propulsion/engine-related considerations as areas that should be tightly integrated into early MDO studies.
Which subsystems are specifically called out as important to integrate into MDO?
The provided description explicitly calls out actuation, electrical power, thermal management, and propulsion/engine-related considerations as subsystems that should be represented early and integrated into the conceptual design optimization environment.
Why is subsystem coupling a major theme in this opportunity?
OPTIMUS emphasizes that feasibility and performance constraints in advanced aircraft are often dominated by interactions among subsystems. Examples described include power generation affecting thermal loads, thermal management influencing packaging and drag, actuation and electrical architectures changing mass and reliability, and propulsion integration affecting mission performance and cooling needs.
What is the core technical objective of the OPTIMUS program?
A major objective is to advance MDO methods so they better reflect real-world aircraft integration problems by capturing cross-domain effects among subsystems and using those effects to guide conceptual design decisions.
Is OPTIMUS focused only on optimization, or also on mission outcomes?
The program emphasizes mission-focused analysis, not optimization in isolation. Proposers are expected to connect optimization parameters and trade variables to operational or mission-level assessment methods so that subsystem and architecture decisions can be evaluated in terms of mission outcomes, operational effectiveness, and system-level performance measures relevant to air dominance concepts.
What does the solicitation say about model fidelity?
OPTIMUS highlights the need to use the right level of model fidelity at the right time. Conceptual design cannot support full-detail models everywhere, but models that are too simple can miss the coupling effects the program is targeting. The work is expected to address fidelity management across milestones, including when surrogates, reduced-order models, or parametric relationships are appropriate, and how fidelity should increase as the design matures.
What is meant by "fidelity management" in this context?
Based on the description provided, fidelity management refers to defining what physics, subsystem behaviors, and integration effects must be represented early in conceptual design, where simplified models are acceptable, and how/when to increase model fidelity as the design progresses through milestones.
Does OPTIMUS require collaboration across teams or tools?
Yes. The program expects development of geographically distributed co-design and simulation. This implies collaborative design environments where different teams or tools, potentially at different organizations or locations, contribute discipline and subsystem analyses into a coordinated optimization workflow.
What does "geographically distributed co-design and simulation" imply for the work?
It points to integrated design studies that reflect how multidisciplinary programs operate in practice: distributed subject matter expertise, heterogeneous toolchains, and coordinated analysis/optimization workflows that still produce coherent conceptual design results.
Is a demonstration required, or is methodology alone sufficient?
Demonstration is explicitly required. The solicitation indicates the improved methods and integrated analyses should be demonstrated on a Future Air Dominance conceptual design. This implies deliverables should include a credible end-to-end example, not only new methodology or software capability.
What is the funding opportunity type and sponsoring organization?
This is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) run by the Air Force Research Laboratory under the Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (CFDA 12.800).
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is BAA RQPKC 13 08.
How is the opportunity categorized?
It is categorized under science and technology and other research and development.
How many awards are expected?
The opportunity indicates an expected number of awards of one.
What is the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount is $2,850,000.
What award instruments might AFRL use for this opportunity?
The posting lists multiple instrument types: cooperative agreement, grant, and procurement contract. This indicates AFRL may choose the mechanism that best fits the proposal approach and the level of government involvement anticipated.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the competition is generally open to any type of applicant, subject to any additional constraints that may appear in the full announcement text.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement is specified in the provided information.
How does the submission process work?
The opportunity is described as a two-step BAA. The first step cannot be submitted through Grants.gov, while the second step (the full proposal) may be submitted through Grants.gov.
Can the first step be submitted through Grants.gov?
No. The provided information states the first step cannot be submitted through Grants.gov.
Can the second step be submitted through Grants.gov?
Yes. The second step (the full proposal) may be submitted through Grants.gov.
What are the key dates for this opportunity?
Key dates listed include an original closing date of September 5, 2013, a current closing date of November 26, 2013, and an archive date of December 26, 2013.
Is this a current open opportunity or a historical posting?
The dates provided indicate a specific historical solicitation window (2013), and the posting includes an archive date of December 26, 2013.
Who is the point of contact for questions or access issues?
The point of contact listed is Steven Brumfield, Contracting Officer.
How can the point of contact be reached?
The phone number provided for Steven Brumfield is 937-255-5091.
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