Writing Proposals to the Department of Defense Proposal

Writing Proposals to the Department of Defense Proposal Development Workshop UT San Antonio April 13, 2015 Lucy Deckard Academic Research Funding Strategies, LLC Ldeckard@academicresearchgrants. com Copyright 2015 Academic Research Funding Strategies. All rights reserved

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Academic Research Funding Strategies, LLC Our goal: To help your institution, faculty and staff to develop the skills they need to compete successfully for research funding. http: //academicresearchgrants. com 3

Lucy Deckard President, Academic Research Funding Strategies 979 -693 -0825 Ldeckard@academicresearchgrants. com Established 2010 Nine years in proposal development at Texas A&M University Junior Faculty Initiative, CAREER, instrumentation, research, education, Center-level proposals NSF, NIH, DOE, Do. D, Do. ED, IMLS, Foundations Research Engineer (16 years in applied research, with extensive proposal writing experience to NSF, DARPA, ONR, AFOSR, ARO, Do. E)

Overview Pursuing funding from mission agencies Do. D agencies that fund research Identifying funding opportunities and getting to know your P. O. Quad charts, white papers and full proposals 5

Mission agencies are different from basic research agencies! 6

Basic vs. Mission Agencies Basic research agencies (NSF, NIH) Relatively stable research agendas Broad goals Agenda relatively unaffected by changes in political leadership Mission agencies (DOE, Do. D, ED, NASA, NOAA, EPA, HUD, NIST, etc. ) Focused mission set by Congress Agendas can change quickly Strongly affected by changes in political leadership Typically strong intramural research 7

Intramural vs. Extramural Research Some agencies fund only research by outside scientists - extramural research NSF and DARPA Some agencies fund research by internal scientists – intramural research NIST and the National Labs Many fund both intramural and extramural research E. g. , NIH, DOE, Do. D, USDA, etc.

If Intramural Research in Your Area Often a good idea to develop relationships and collaborate with internal scientists Some agencies encourage faculty to participate as visiting researchers during the summer

Pursuing Funding at Mission Agencies Step 1: Get to know your agency! Learn the language What are their current priorities? How do they announce funding opportunities? Do they fund unsolicited proposals and what proportion of funded grants are unsolicited? Are there particular organizations within the agency that fund research? Do they have a strong intramural research program in your area? Who reviews proposals? Who is the Program Officer overseeing extramural research in your area? 10

Pursuing Funding at Mission Agencies Step 2: Get to know your Program Officer Talk to her on the phone Visit him at his offices Look for her at conferences Find out what problems and issues the P. O. is tasked with addressing Talk about how your research might help the agency address those issues If your research doesn’t fit, look to another program or agency 11

Pursuing Funding at Mission Agencies Step 3: Get to know intramural researchers in your area (if applicable) What do they see as important issues? Can you collaborate? Do they host academic researchers in their labs in the summer? Do they host students for internships? 12

Pursuing Funding at Mission Agencies Step 4: Understand the proposal process at the agency Do they fund unsolicited proposals? Do you need to submit a white (concept) paper or pre-proposal first? What are the proposal structure and format requirements? What are the review criteria? 13

The Department of Defense

Main Do. D agencies that fund research Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Office of Naval Research (ONR) Army Research Office (ARO) Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) National Security Agency (NSA) US Army Medical Research & Materiel Command, which oversees the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) 15

Missions AFOSR, ONR, ARO – manage research to support the goals and operations of their respective services (Air Force, Navy and Army) DARPA – oversee high risk, high pay-off research that may benefit any of the Do. D branches NSA – information assurance, signals intelligence, network warfare CDMRP – conduct medical research as directed by Congress (not part of Do. D’s core mission) 16

Other Do. D and Similar Agencies United States Strategic Missile Command (USSTRATCOM) Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) & USSTRATCOM Center for Combating WMD Department of Homeland Security Army Corps of Engineers (contract work) Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office Technical Support Working Group (CTTSO) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA) – under Director of National Intelligence 17

Basic vs. Applied Research 6. 1 Research Most basic Usually type funded at universities 6. 2 Research Applied research May be continuation of 6. 1 Often defense company partners with university 6. 3 Research Application research (new technology applied to a defense system and tested) Defense company in partnership with potential user 18

Intramural vs. Extramural Research ARO, AFOSR and ONR fund both Get to know your intramural researcher counterparts Conferences, workshops, publications Visits Summer faculty position DARPA funds only extramural 19

Do. D Organization - Examples 20

Air Force Research Laboratory Air Force Office of Scientific Research Eight technical directorates Human Performance Wing 21

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AFOSR 23

Army Research Lab Army Research Office (ARO) Six Directorates Computational and Information Sciences Human Research and Engineering Sensors and Electron Devices Survivability/Lethality Analysis Vehicle Technology Weapons and Materials Research 24

Army Research Office Engineering Sciences Mechanical Sciences Materials Sciences Electronics Environmental Sciences Information Sciences Computing Sciences Mathematical Sciences Network Sciences Physical Sciences Physics Chemical Sciences Life Sciences 25

Navy Research Lab Directorates Divisions Branches Sections 26

Navy Research Lab Directorates http: //www. nrl. navy. mil/research/directorates-divisions/ Systems Radar, IT, Optical Sciences, Tactical Electronic Warfare Materials Science & Component Technology Chemistry, Material Sci & Tech, Lab for Computational Physics & Fluid Dynamics, Plasma Physics, Electronics Sci & Tech, Center for Biomolecular Sci & Eng Ocean & Atmospheric Sci & Tech Acoustics, Remote Sensing, Oceanography, Marine Geosciences, Marine Meterology, Space Science Naval Center for Space Technology Space Systems Development, Spacecraft Engineering 27

Office of Naval Research Directorates Office of Innovation Office of Transition Office of Research Education and Outreach Laboratory Research National Naval Responsibility Sponsored Research 28

DARPA All extramural research Program Officers have a lot of discretion Looking for high payoff Expect results (e. g. , a “feelie”) Can cut your funding in the middle of a project if progress is not satisfactory 29

DARPA Technology, Adaptability & Transfer (AEO) Basic, Materials & Biological Science (DSO) Information, Innovation & Cyber (I 20) Electronics, Photonics & MEMS (MTO) Sensors, Communications & Energy (STO) Weapons, Platforms & Space (TTO) See http: //www. darpa. mil/our_work/ 30

Funding Opportunities Long range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Outlines research interests and priorities of agency over a several-year range Provides guidance for investigator-initiated proposals Targeted BAAs Specific competitions Other Targeted Solicitations (RFPs) Address specific need or priority 31

Programs for Universities Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) Young Investigator Programs ONR Young Investigator Program (YIP) AFOSR Young Investigator Program DARPA Young Faculty Award Program (YFA) Faculty Exchanges and Summer Facility Positions in Do. D Labs Summer Faculty Research Program (ONR) University Resident Research Program (AFOSR) Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCo. R) – California not eligible Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program Other programs that may include industry/university partnerships: SBIR, STTR 32

Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs) You can find a list here FFRDCs sponsored by Do. D include Centers administered by MITRE, Aerospace Corporation, MIT (Lincoln Labs), RAND, and others Have a close relationship with their sponsoring agency Often collaborate with academia Sponsor workshops and conferences 33

Finding BAAs Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Office of Naval Research (ONR) Army Research Lab – All BAAs Army Research Office (ARO) – Core BAA Army Research Lab (ARL) – Core BAA (collab. with intramural researchers) Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA) National Security Agency (NSA) Standard solicitation (Mathematical Sciences) Unsolicited Proposals 34

Working with Do. D: General Considerations Do. D funds research not just for the research, but also to produce the next generation of Do. D researchers (your students) Be sure to understand your PO’s expectations regarding scheduling and outcomes Check if there any classification or ITAR restrictions Do. D usually requires review before publicly presenting or publishing results 35

Unsolicited Proposals Understand the specific needs and interests of the agency/service Get to know the program officer (PO) Get to know the intramural scientists Consider partnering with a defense company or a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) Discuss your idea with the PO May ask for a white paper or quad chart Will tell you whether to submit a full proposal 36

Targeted BAAs/RFPs Look for pre-release workshops or conferences Get to know the program officer and intramural scientists in your area If BAA is out and you didn’t know about it already it’s probably too late 37

Resources Online Defense Innovation Marketplace (portal) Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Homepage Organization Funding Opportunity Websites: Broad Agency Announcement Office of Naval Research (ONR) Homepage Funding Opportunity Websites: Current BAAs Long range BAA 38 Army Research Office (ARO) Homepage Organization Funding Opportunity Website: • Current BAAs • ARO Core BAA • ARL Core BAA Defense Advanced Research Projects Office (DARPA) Homepage Organization Funding Opportunities

NSA and CDMRP National Security Agency (NSA) Homepage Unsolicited Proposals Congressionally Mandated Medical Research Program (CDMRP) Home page Mission Organization Awards Search 39

Do. D Step by Step Read the BAAs and identify possible programs that fit your research. (Look for Technical Point of Contact, Program Officer or similar. ) Use the web to investigate the programs in the labs (through the web) and identify researchers doing similar research. Look for conference presentations, workshops, publications, roadmaps, etc. Email or meet Program Officer and/or intramural researchers in your area. Pitch your idea to the P. O. If she likes it she will ask you for a white paper or quad chart for an unsolicited proposal, or she will encourage you to submit for a particular BAA Listen closely to feedback. If they like your white paper, you’ll be invited to submit a full proposal 40

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Planning Your Project Start with your great idea Translate it into a project What will your outputs be? How long will it take? What will your approach be? What have you done so far? How will the outcomes advance Do. D program goals and Do. D mission? 42

Define Your Project Story The Need/Motivation Goals Gaps in Knowledge/Capabilities New Knowledge/Capabilities Innovations Hypotheses/Research Questions Approach Objectives How it’s Different Significance Outcomes How they support Do. D mission 43

Put Your Project in Context Preliminary Work Funded project 1 Further work Project Goals/Specific Aims Ø Outcomes The Big Question or The Big Need

Quad Chart Example (Format varies by agency and program) Project Title 45 TOP LEFT QUADRANT The Objectives TOP Right QUADRANT Illustration WHAT you will do using bullet format. A representative illustration BOTTOM LEFT QUADRANT Approach BOTTOM RIGHT QUADRANT Key Milestones and Cost How the task will be accomplished using bullet format. This quadrant also lists any Co-Pis/Partners When the key milestones of the project will be accomplished How much it will cost

So what is a white paper? Also called a “concept paper” Provides critical info to help P. O. determine fit for agency and program Usually very brief P. O. provides guidance

Example White Paper Format (AFOSR) White paper directions in BAA (your P. O. may ask for something different) Max. 2 pages – 6 pages, depending on program Objective General approach Impact on Do. D and civilian technology Unique capabilities or experience you have (e. g. , collaborative research with Do. D labs) Approximate yearly cost for a 3 – 5 year effort 47

Writing a Compelling White Paper Focus on the outcomes and benefits of your research to the funder Describe the problem clearly Place your research in context of the state of the art Explain why your approach is different Provide a concise overview of what you will do Not “We will explore phenomenon x” – too vague Instead, “In Task 1 we will measure x; in Task 2 we will develop y; in Task 3 we will evaluate z…” 48

AFOSR Unsolicited Full Proposal Format Margins: 1 inch Spacing: single or double spaced Font: Times New Roman, 10 or 12 pt Submit using SF 424 form Abstract (300 words) Project Narrative (no page limit) Statement of Objectives Research Effort PI Time Facilities Special Test Equipment High Performance Computing Availability Budget Form Other SF 424 forms: Key Person Profile, Project/Performance Site Locations, Human Subject, Animal Use, Environmental Compliance 49

ONR Young Investigator Proposal Elements Project Summary/Abstract Project Narrative (25 pages) Cover Page Table of Contents Technical Approach Project Schedule, Milestones and Deliverables Management approach Bibliography and References Cited Research and Related Budget 50

Cut to the Chase! Reviewer’s Attention Level 14 12 Get to the exciting Concise background stuff here! Strong, that provides context Unique Intro 10 8 6 4 2 0 Generic Intro Long, scholarly background First Paragraph Zzzzzzz Get to the exciting stuff here!

Heilmeier Catechism

Have a clear structure For example… Project Goals Objectives Research Questions/Hypotheses Phases Tasks Subtasks

Schedule and Milestones What do you expect to have accomplished after 6 months? After 1 year? After 18 months? Etc. Provides easy-to-find synopsis of your approach for reviewers Demonstrates that your project is properly scoped Shows that your project is well thought out

Example Flow Charts and Schedules Year 1 Objective 1: Development of the hoosits Integration and calibration Optimization of frumpits measurement methodology Objective 2: Assess XYZ spectroscopy MOA microscopy ABC testing Pandax studies Objective 3: Integrate hoosits with XYZ Instrument integration Instrument testing Demonstration Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Review Criteria Primary criteria Technical merits of the proposed research and development Potential relationship of the proposed research and development to Do. D missions Other evaluation criteria Likelihood of the proposed effort to develop new research capabilities and broaden the research base in support of US national defense Proposers capabilities integral to achieving ASAF objectives (PI’s and team’s qualifications, facilities, etc. ) Overall realism and reasonableness of the proposed costs 56

Common Mistakes to Avoid Failure to connect research to outcomes of interest to Do. D Long, wordy academic introduction Vague plan Unclear outcomes and deliverables 57

Questions? 58