FY2019 VANNEVAR BUSH FACULTY FELLOWSHIP (VBFF) | N00014 18 S F008

Opportunity Information: Apply for N00014 18 S F008

The FY2019 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) is a Department of Defense basic research grant program meant for top-tier academic researchers who want to pursue bold, high-risk, high-reward "blue sky" research that could eventually reshape fields and, over the long run, underpin new national security capabilities. The program is sponsored by the Basic Research Office under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)), and it is administered for the DoD by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) through this funding opportunity announcement (FOA). The emphasis is explicitly on unclassified basic research, defined by DoD as fundamental, systematic study aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding without a specific product or application as the immediate goal, but with clear relevance to long-term defense needs across the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences.

At its core, VBFF is designed to identify distinguished, highly accomplished investigators and give them support to pursue ambitious ideas that might be too early-stage, too unconventional, or too disruptive for more narrowly scoped programs. The DoD frames this as research that can deliver extraordinary outcomes: revolutionizing disciplines, opening entirely new fields, or challenging accepted theories. Beyond the research itself, VBFF is also a workforce and relationship-building program. A major goal is to educate and train graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who may become part of the future defense science and engineering workforce, while also building durable, long-term connections between the Fellow (and their research group) and DoD science and technology leaders.

Awardees receive both a research grant and the designation/title of VBFF Fellow, and they are expected to participate in program engagement activities throughout the year. These activities are meant to expose Fellows and their students to DoD challenges and connect them with senior DoD S&T leadership. Typical elements include an orientation, visits to DoD laboratories, technical workshops, and an annual meeting where Fellows report progress on VBFF-supported work. Fellows may also be encouraged to contribute to the broader defense research enterprise by serving on DoD advisory boards, panels, or similar groups. In other words, the program is structured not only to fund research but also to build a sustained community and dialogue between leading university scientists and engineers and the DoD.

The FOA calls for single-investigator proposals in one or more DoD technical subject categories (the specific list is in the full FOA). The single-investigator structure is important: only one principal investigator (PI) may be listed and co-PIs are not permitted, even though collaboration is encouraged. Collaboration can still happen through the PI's institution or through subawards/subcontracts, but the application must clearly explain how any team-based work will function under a single-PI leadership model, with the lead investigator directing the research.

Eligibility is tightly defined. On the institutional side, only accredited U.S. universities with doctoral degree-granting programs may apply, and DoD institutions are not eligible to apply. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to apply, but there is no set-aside reserved for them under this FOA. Non-profit and for-profit organizations are allowed to collaborate and may receive VBFF funds through a subaward or subcontract, but the program is primarily aimed at supporting research performed at universities; the university must conduct the majority of the work and receive the majority of the funding. Government agencies, DoD labs (including DoD laboratory universities), and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) may collaborate scientifically, but they may not receive VBFF funds either directly or indirectly via subaward.

On the individual side, the PI must be a tenured faculty member or full-time research staff member with the expertise and resources to lead the proposed effort, and applicants are expected to have a strong record of substantial scientific contributions. Citizenship/residency is also required: the PI must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. The FOA limits submissions so that each PI may submit only one application, while there is no limit on how many different applications a single institution can submit (as long as they are from different PIs). The FOA also notes continuity expectations tied to the PI's institutional affiliation: because the fellowship is fundamentally linked to the PI, a university award can be terminated if the PI leaves the institution or cannot continue active participation, and likewise if the institution severs ties with the PI.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant for science and technology and other research and development, managed by ONR, with CFDA number 12.300. The funding opportunity number is N00014-18-S-F008. The FOA was created on June 25, 2018, and the original closing date for submissions was January 18, 2019. The FOA also highlights a resubmission-related requirement tied to recommendation letters: if an applicant is invited to submit a full proposal and had submitted recommendation letters in a prior year, they must obtain and submit new letters, and older letters (including any dated before the FOA posting date) will not be accepted or retrieved.

• The Office of Naval Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2019 VANNEVAR BUSH FACULTY FELLOWSHIP (VBFF)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.300.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-06-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-01-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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