A -- MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROGRAM OF THE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE

Notice Date

May 23, 2001

Contracting Office

Office of Naval Research, 800 North Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22217-5660

ZIP Code

22217-5660

Solicitation Number

01-018

Response Due

October 24, 2001

Point of Contact

Contracting Officer Point of Contact: Vera M. Duberry, ONR 253, (703) 696-2610: Technical Point of Contact: Dr. Clifford Lau, ONR 363, (703) 696-0431, lauc@onr.navy.mil

Description

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the Fiscal Year 2002 competition for the Multidisciplinary Research Program, one element of the University Research Initiative (URI). The URI is a Department of Defense initiative sponsored by the Director of Basic Research, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology (DUSD(S&T)) to enhance the capabilities of U.S. institutions of higher education (hereafter referred to as universities) to perform basic science and engineering research and related education in science and engineering areas critical to national defense. The Multidisciplinary Research Program of the URI (MURI) supports university teams whose efforts intersect more than one traditional science and engineering discipline. Multidisciplinary team effort can accelerate research progress in areas particularly suited to this approach by cross-fertilization of ideas and also can help to hasten the transition of basic research findings to practical applications and to train students in science and/or engineering. The DoD expects the MURI program will promote basic science and engineering research, primarily for defense but also for civilian applications. Proposals may be submitted only by U.S. universities with degree granting programs in science and/or engineering. Eligible universities may submit proposals either individually or collectively, as consortia. This MURI competition is specifically for the nineteen research topics listed as follows: Topic #1 Adaptive Coordinated Control in the Multi-Agent 3D Dynamic Battlefield Topic #2 Energetic Materials Design for Improved Performance/Low Life Cycle Cost Topic #3 Modular Design of Cost Effective Multifunction Designer Materials: A Revolutionary Approach Topic #4 Flexible Membranes Exploiting Selective Active Transport Topic #5 Real-Time, Explosive Specific Chemical Sensors Topic #6 The Science of Land Target Spectral Signatures Topic #7 Control for Adaptive and Cooperative Systems Topic #8 Enabling Technologies for Optical Clocks Topic #9 Renewable Logistic Fuels for Fuel Cell Power Sources Topic #10 Adaptive System Interoperability Topic #11 Adaptive Materials for Energy Absorbing Structures Topic #12 Scalability of Networked Systems Topic #13 Design of Multifunctional Materials Topic #14 Integrated Nanosensors Topic #15 Multidimensional Sensing and Spectroscopy Topic #16 Biomolecular, Sub-cellular RF Sensing Topic #17 Complex Adaptive Networks for Cooperative Control Topic #18 Biosynthetic Methodologies for Energetic Ingredients and Other High Nitrogen-Containing Compounds Topic #19 Detection, Classification Algorithms for Multi-Modal Inverse Problems This notice constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement as contemplated in FAR 6:102(d)(2)(i). The agencies expect that typically each award will be: (1) for a period of three years (funded incrementally or as options) with two additional years possible as options to bring the total award to five years, subject to the availability of appropriations; and (2) at a funding level commensurate with the fields and breadth of research included in the details of each specific proposal, ranging from half a million dollars to about a million dollars per year. More than one award, or no award, may be made for an individual topic. A full description of the program is accessible on the World Wide Web at http://www.onr.navy.mil in "URI/Education/HBCU/MI" Programs. The DoD will not issue paper copies of this program announcement. The program description on the Web provides general information, eligibility, relevant dates, instructions for submitting letters of intent and proposals, detailed description of each of the nineteen research topics and points of contact, and evaluation criteria. The reason for requesting letters of intent is to minimize the labor and costs associated with the production of detailed proposals that have little chance of being selected for funding. The responsible program manager will provide informal feedback after examining the letters to encourage or discourage the submission of full proposals. Interested proposers, therefore, are encouraged to submit letters of intent. However, all proposals submitted under the terms and conditions cited herein will be reviewed, regardless of the disposition (or lack) of letters of intent. The proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria. Primary evaluation criteria, of equal weight, are: (1) Scientific and technical merits of the proposed basic science and/or engineering research; (2) Relevance and potential contributions of the research to defense missions; and, (3) Impact of plans to enhance the institution's ability to perform defense-relevant research and to train, through the proposed research, students in science and/or engineering (for example, by acquiring or refurbishing equipment that can support DoD research and research-related educational objectives). Other evaluation criteria, of lesser importance than (1), (2), and (3) but equal to each other, are: (4) The qualifications and availability of the principal investigator and other key research personnel; (5) The adequacy of current or planned facilities and equipment to accomplish the research objectives; (6) The impact of interactions with other organizations engaged in related research and development, in particular industrial organizations, DoD laboratories and other organizations that perform research and development for defense applications; and (7) The realism and reasonableness of cost. Cost sharing is not a factor in the evaluation. The awards will be made on behalf of the DUSD(S&T) Basic Research Office in these nineteen specific research topics under the supervision of the Research Topic Chiefs in the following four agencies: the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Letters of intent and proposals addressing topics numbered 1 to 6 should be sent to the ARO; topics numbered 7 to 11 to the ONR; topics numbered 12 to 16 to the AFOSR; and topics numbered 17 to 19 to the DARPA at the addresses provided in the program description on the Web. Letters of intent are due at the addresses shown for each topic by 15 August 2001. Proposals are due at the addresses shown for each topic by 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday, 24 October 2001. Sponsor: Office of Naval Research, 800 North Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22217-5660

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010525/ASOL004.HTM (W-143 SN50M8W2)