DEVCOM ANALYSIS CENTER BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR APPLIED RESEARCH | W911NF 23 S 0003

Opportunity Information: Apply for W911NF 23 S 0003

The DEVCOM Analysis Center (DAC) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), Funding Opportunity Number W911NF-23-S-0003, is a long-running Army research solicitation designed to bring in new applied research ideas that help the U.S. Army make better, faster, and more objective decisions across the full system lifecycle. In plain terms, DAC positions itself as the Army's hub for data-driven analysis that supports both modernization and readiness, with an emphasis on maintaining technical and operational overmatch. The opportunity is structured to fund scientific and technical work that strengthens analysis methods, builds or improves analytical tools, and advances data curation practices so Army decision-makers can rely on higher-quality evidence when evaluating technologies, concepts, and capabilities.

This BAA is issued under two main frameworks: FAR Part 35 (used for research and development contracting) and 2 CFR 200.204 (used for federal financial assistance such as grants and cooperative agreements). Because of that hybrid setup, DAC can award multiple kinds of instruments depending on the project and the government's intended level of involvement, including procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and other arrangements. The activity area is broadly categorized as science and technology and research and development, with CFDA/Assistance Listing 12.431. The BAA is open for several years, with a creation date of January 5, 2023 and an original closing date of January 4, 2028, which signals an ongoing pipeline rather than a single one-time deadline.

From a research maturity standpoint, DAC indicates it funds efforts across several Department of Defense budget activities: applied research (6.2), advanced technology development (6.3), and advanced component development and prototypes (6.4). That range matters because it shows the government is interested not only in early applied concepts, but also in maturing ideas toward demonstrable technologies and prototype-level outcomes when appropriate. The overall expectation is that submissions are innovative and "cutting-edge," with the potential to create discoveries or advances that translate into improved Army technologies, operational capabilities, or supporting analytical infrastructure.

The submission pathway is typically staged. DAC invites white papers for initial concept review and also accepts full proposals, which allows organizations to float a promising idea early and get feedback or encouragement before investing in a full technical and cost proposal. Eligibility is broad and includes universities and other institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, for-profit businesses (both large and small), and even foreign organizations and foreign public entities, reflecting DAC's interest in tapping a wide technical base. DAC notes that it performs substantial in-house research, but uses this BAA to supplement that work with select extramural projects in specific areas.

A key feature of this opportunity is that DAC manages its current topic list on a public-facing "DAC BAA topics" web page hosted on Army.mil (https://www.army.mil/article/261533). That site is where applicants are expected to look for the most current research interests and topic descriptions. Importantly, DAC distinguishes between changes to the website and formal amendments to the BAA document itself. Updates to the topic website can happen as needed and are not treated as official BAA amendments, meaning they will not necessarily be posted to Grants.gov or SAM.gov. Formal changes to the BAA document, by contrast, will be posted on Grants.gov and SAM.gov. To manage fairness and clarity, DAC also states it maintains a daily static snapshot of the topics website so proposals can be checked against the topics that were in place on the actual day of submission.

While DAC encourages applicants to track the posted topics closely, it also makes clear the topics are "suggestive rather than limiting." In practice, that means the best fit proposals will clearly map to DAC's mission and analytical needs, but DAC remains open to other strong research concepts if they are genuinely relevant to Army analysis, modernization, or readiness and align with the organization's focus on analysis, tooling, and data. Applicants are therefore encouraged to routinely monitor the topics website for shifts in emphasis, and also to consult the latest BAA version on Grants.gov and SAM.gov for the definitive submission instructions, required proposal content, and any updated administrative requirements.

Finally, the scale of the solicitation is meant to support many actions over time rather than a small set of large awards. The notice lists an expected 1000 awards and provides an award ceiling of 0, which typically indicates the government is not committing to a single maximum award size in the public synopsis and that funding levels may vary widely by topic, phase, and instrument type. Overall, this BAA is best understood as an open door for rigorous, mission-aligned applied research and technology maturation efforts that improve how the Army analyzes options, curates and exploits data, and builds analytical tools that drive better capability decisions.

• The Department of Defense, Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DEVCOM ANALYSIS CENTER BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR APPLIED RESEARCH" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.431.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 05, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 04, 2028.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1,000 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W911NF 23 S 0003

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