DEVCOM ARL Single Investigator (SI) Award

The U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) in partnership with NSA’s Laboratory for Physical Science (LPS) is soliciting Incubator, Collaboration, and Fellowship research proposals for participation in the LPS Qubit Collaboratory (LQC). The mission of the LQC can be captured in three broad goals: 1) pursue disruptive fundamental research and enabling technologies with a focus on qubit development for quantum computing and other applications (such as sensing); 2) grow deep, collaborative partnerships to tackle the most difficult and relevant long-term problems in quantum information science and technology; and 3) build a quantum workforce of tomorrow through research experiences in government at LPS and at LQC partners. The LQC will offer a mechanism for collaborative research between LPS and academia, industry, FFRDCs, and Government Laboratories to advance foundational and transformative research on challenging problems that have hindered progress in quantum information processing and associated technologies.The goal of this BAA is to seek proposals that bring together expertise from the public and private sectors and their respective research infrastructures to advance solutions that may be best approached as a collaborative team. A Collaboratory is “a center without walls, in which the nation’s researchers can perform their research without regard to physical location, interacting with colleagues, accessing instrumentation, sharing data and computational resources, [and] accessing information in digital libraries. This BAA introduces LQC Research Thrusts (A.1.1) which are the technical areas of interest—which will be updated periodically—where partners of the LQC will pursue joint research with LPS through Incubator (A.1.2) and Collaboration (A.1.3) collaborative agreements. The LQC BAA also fulfills the Government’s overarching interest--through the proposed research and on-site research experiences--in creating and training a workforce in quantum science and technology, generating pathways of solutions that feed technology development, establishing partnerships, and creating transition opportunities. In further support of training through research, Section A.1.4 calls for Quantum Computing Research (QuaCR) Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowships for US citizens working in areas of interest.Substantial progress on solving the most difficult and long-term Quantum Information Science & Technology (QIST) research problems that unleash further rapid progress in the field will constitute LQC success. Examples of such research problems include (but are not limited to): limits of performance due to device design, material selection, and/or control, the exploration of alternative qubit physics (e.g., different approaches to qubit encoding or types of gates) and lowering of barriers to such approaches, advances in materials that improve qubit gate fidelity, reducing the overhead of classical components in quantum information technology and optimizing classical performance, and the exploration of applications of quantum technologies to new domains.Three categories of proposals are sought for this BAA:1.Incubator opportunities seek partnership proposals from single investigators and small research groups, including teaching colleges, who may have unique skillsets to contribute toward the pursuit of the research thrusts presented in A.1.1. Incubator proposals may also be the development of concepts into a detailed technical research approach to advance solution of problems of high interest to quantum information science research. Incubator proposals would avail themselves of the collaboration opportunities with LPS research staff and infrastructure made available at the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) to lay the groundwork for concepts that may be suitable for a Collaboratory proposal or responses to other DoD quantum information science research opportunities.2.Collaboratory proposals seek research proposals that bring together a strong significant collaboration--researchers from academia, industry, FFRDCs, and/or Government Laboratories--to pursue long-term projects focused on fundamental problems of interest to qubit development and/or associated science and technology. These collaborative groups will propose to work together in a focused manner for a period of time expected to be one to three years in order to demonstrate a proof-of-concept experiment and/or theory exploration to determine the feasibility of their creative idea.3.QuaCR Research Fellowship proposals seek to support talented U.S. citizen graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the field of quantum information processing (primary interest) and quantum sensing (secondary interest). Applicants with a background from either within or outside QIS are encouraged. The proposed research areas are described in this BAA and must enhance active Quantum Information Science research efforts being supported by the Army Research Office and/or LPS. Research fellows are encouraged to complete an LPS Internship during their graduate career or visit during their postdoctoral fellowship.Funding Opportunity Title: LPS Qubit Collaboratory Special Research Topics Announcement: W911NF21S0009-SPECIALNOTICE-1The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), Army Research Laboratory (ARL)-Army Research Office (ARO) is looking for proposed research and development solutions under the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) W911NF21S0009-2 for Basic and Applied Scientific Research in Quantum Computing. The title for this Special Notice is “LPS Qubit Collaboratory Special Topics.” Upon receipt, compliant proposals will be reviewed through a technical and programmatic process in accordance with the evaluation criteria referenced in the W911NF21S0009-2 LQC BAA to determine which proposal may be awarded Grant, Cooperative Agreement, or Procurement Contract under this topic. Funding Opportunity Number: W911NF21S0009. Assistance Listing: 12.431. Funding Instrument: CA,G,PC. Category: ST.

This is the workhorse vehicle for getting Army basic research money into AI and autonomy work, and its distinguishing feature is duration: BAA W911NF-23-S-0001, the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement for Foundational Research, remains open until November 20, 2027, accepting proposals on a rolling basis rather than through an annual competition. That makes it structurally different from the deadline-driven solicitations that dominate this space - a team can approach ARL when the science is ready rather than when the calendar says so. The AI and autonomy content is concentrated in several named research programs and Collaborative Research Alliances that proposals can align to: Human Autonomy Teaming, which addresses human-machine collaboration; the Distributed and Collaborative Intelligent Systems and Technology CRA, covering collaborative autonomous systems and multi-agent coordination; the Scalable, Adaptive and Resilient Autonomy CRA, focused on autonomy that holds up under degradation and adversarial conditions; Tactical Behaviors for Autonomous Maneuver, targeting autonomous tactical operations; and the Army AI Innovations Institute CRA, ARL's dedicated AI research initiative. ARL frames the whole thing as seeking cutting-edge innovative research across multiple disciplines to produce discoveries benefiting Army capabilities, which in practice means basic and applied research rather than prototype delivery. The eligibility breadth is unusual and worth noting: institutions of higher education, nonprofit organisations, state and local governments, foreign organisations, foreign public entities, and for-profit organisations including both large and small businesses can all submit. Foreign organisation eligibility in particular is rare among DoD research vehicles. Submission runs through Grants.gov.

The purpose of this combined Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 35 and Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.204 (henceforth referred to as “BAA”) is to solicit research proposals for submission to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) for funding consideration. Prior to this announcement, ARL announced two separate BAAs to support the mission: 1) W911NF-17-S-0002 titled “Army Research Laboratory Army Research Office Broad Agency Announcement for Fundamental Research”; and 2) W911NF-17-S-0003 titled “Army Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research”. This announcement succeeds BAA W911NF-17-S-0002 and BAA W911NF-17-S-0003 combining the opportunities into a single announcement. ARL’s mission as the Army’s foundational research laboratory is to Operationalize Science to ensure overmatch in any future conflict. ARL’s foundational research mission spans basic research (budget activity 6.1) and applied research (budget activity 6.2) as defined by 32 CFR 22.105 but may include advanced technology development (budget activity 6.3) and advanced component development and prototypes (budget activity 6.4) when opportunities arise to directly or indirectly help achieve ARL’s mission. ARL partners across the national security enterprise to deliver fundamentally advantageous change that is rooted in the creation and exploitation of scientific knowledge. This publication constitutes a BAA for awards as contemplated in FAR 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016 as well as a merit-based, competitive procedure in accordance with the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARS) at 32 CFR 22.315(a) and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Other Transaction Guide version 2.0 dated July 2023. This BAA document, and the online list of research topics found on the ARL BAA topics website at https://www.arl.devcom.army.mil/opportunities/arl-baa/, sets forth ARL’s research topics of interest for whitepapers and proposals. This BAA is issued under FAR 6.102(d)(2), which provides for the competitive selection of basic and applied research proposals, and 10 U.S.C. 4001, 10 U.S.C. 4021, and 10 U.S.C. 4022, which provide the authorities for issuing awards under this announcement for basic and applied research. The definitions of basic and applied research may be found at 32 CFR 22.105. Proposals submitted in response to this BAA and selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provision of Public Law 98-369, “The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984” and subsequent amendments. Funding Opportunity Number: W911NF-23-S-0001. Assistance Listing: 12.431. Funding Instrument: CA,G,O,PC. Category: ST.