THE NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND SECURITY CONSORTIUM | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) funding opportunity run through the Office of Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development (NA-22). The core purpose is to fund and organize a nationwide, university-led consortium that can receive federal dollars and then distribute and manage them as research fellowships, scholarships, and related support for students, faculty, and early-career researchers working in nuclear science, nuclear engineering, nuclear security, and nonproliferation. The award is structured as a five-year cooperative agreement, meaning the government expects active involvement and coordination with the recipient rather than a hands-off grant.

The program is designed to strengthen the national pipeline of highly trained experts needed for critical nonproliferation missions, especially in areas where the U.S. faces workforce shortfalls, such as nuclear forensics and international safeguards. NA-22 frames the consortium as part of a broader strategy to advance new technologies and methods that support U.S. nonproliferation goals. Universities are expected to tackle challenging foundational research problems and develop new approaches aligned with national roadmaps and priorities. After concepts are proven in academic settings, the National Laboratories are positioned to carry out mission-specific development, maturation, and eventual transition to operational use or commercial deployment. A major theme of the opportunity is building an efficient, transparent bridge between university research strengths and the applied, capability-driven work of the labs.

Structurally, the consortium must be made up of accredited U.S. colleges and universities, with National Laboratories participating either as formal team members/consortium participants or as subcontractors. The lead institution selected for award carries responsibility for managing the full scope, schedule, budget, and reporting requirements on behalf of the entire consortium. Member universities are expected to have defined roles, make specific contributions to the overall program, and receive specified portions of the funding. The long-term vision is not just to sponsor isolated research projects, but to build durable national expertise and training capacity in nuclear security and nonproliferation, and to ensure research outcomes feed back into university curricula so educational programs evolve alongside the research.

Another important operational expectation is mobility and collaboration across institutional boundaries. The FOA emphasizes that students, faculty, and researchers should be able to move and collaborate across academic institutions and government facilities with fewer administrative and bureaucratic barriers, while still maintaining appropriate protection of sensitive information and materials. The consortium is also expected to set up reciprocal arrangements among participating degree-granting institutions, as well as strong working relationships with relevant National Laboratories, so students and researchers can access specialized facilities, mentorship, and mission-relevant problem sets.

This opportunity is tied to the Integrated University Program (IUP) created by Section 313 of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (H.R. 1105, Public Law 111-8). Under the FOA, eligibility is restricted consistent with 10 CFR 600.6(b), meaning only universities authorized under that statute can serve as recipients. In addition, there is a citizenship restriction: individuals whose services and/or positions are directly supported by NSSC funds (described as "end users" in the announcement) must be U.S. citizens. Practically, that requirement applies to the people paid or directly supported through the program funding, such as fellowship and scholarship recipients and other directly funded roles.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant in the Science and Technology / Research and Development category, with CFDA number 81.113 (Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research). NNSA expected to make one award, with an estimated total funding level of $25,000,000 and an award ceiling of $25,000,000, and no cost sharing or matching requirement. Eligible applicants include both public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, provided they meet the statutory and regulatory eligibility conditions. The FOA number is DE-FOA-0000365, it was posted September 23, 2010, and applications were due November 29, 2010 by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, with late submissions not accepted.

In plain terms, the NSSC opportunity is essentially a large, single-award, five-year university consortium grant meant to create an integrated national training and research engine for nuclear security and nonproliferation. It funds people (students and early-career researchers) and research, requires tight coordination among universities and national labs, aims for real mission impact through technology and methods development, and expects the educational side (courses and curricula) to improve alongside the research so the workforce pipeline becomes stronger and more sustainable over time.

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