The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is interested in receiving proposals for the Minerva Research Initiative (http://minerva.defense.gov), a university-led defense social science program seeking fundamental understanding of the social and cultural forces shaping U.S. strategic interests globally.
OSD is particularly interested in projects that align with and support the National Defense Strategy, found at:
https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf
Opportunity
The Minerva program aims to promote research in specific areas of social science and to promote a candid and constructive relationship between Department of Defense (DoD) and the social science academic community.
The Minerva Research Initiative competition is for research related to the eight (8) topics below.
Topic 1: Sociopolitical (In)Stability, Resilience, and Recovery
Topic 2: Economic Interdependence and Security
Topic 3: Alliances and Burden Sharing
Topic 4: Fundamental Dynamics of Scientific Discovery
Topic 5: Adversarial Information Campaigns
Topic 6: Automated Cyber Vulnerability Analysis
Topic 7: Power, Deterrence, Influence, and Escalation Management for Shaping Operations
Topic 8: Security Risks in Ungoverned & Semi-Governed Spaces
Innovative white papers and proposals related to these research areas are highly encouraged. See the full Minerva funding opportunity posted under the Related Documents section of this opportunity for details.
Eligibility
All responsible sources from academia, including DoD institutions of higher education and foreign universities, may submit proposals under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).
Teams are encouraged and may submit proposals in any and all areas. Non-profit institutions and commercial entities may be included on a university-led team as subawardees only, receiving funding for their efforts accordingly. Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs), including Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under this FOA. However, teaming arrangements between FFRDCs and eligible principal applicants are allowed provided they are permitted under the sponsoring agreement between the Government and the specific FFRDC. Grants to a university may be terminated if the Principal Investigator (PI) severs connections with the university or is unable to continue active participation in the research.Grants to a university may also be terminated if the university severs connections with the PI.
Funding Available
Total Amount of Funding Available: $15.0M over 3 years.
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 10–12
- Anticipated Range of Individual Award Amounts: $150 K/year to $1.0 M/year
- Previous Years’ Average Individual Award Amounts: $440 K/year
- Anticipated Period of Performance: 3-5 years
DoD anticipates that awards will be made in the form of grants to U.S. institutions of higher education (universities).
There is no guarantee that any of the proposals submitted in a particular category will be recommended for funding. More than one proposal may be recommended for funding for a particular category. The Government reserves the right to select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement.
Useful Links
- For further details about the opportunity, click here.
Deadlines
| CORIS Internal Review | Please contact Heloise Emdon |
| White Paper Submission | June 19, 2018, 3 pm EDT |
| cuResearch Checklist | August 7, 2018 |
| Submission to Sponsor | August 14, 2018, 3 pm EDT |
Submitting Your Application
- Applications must be submitted via cuResearch, through which Departmental and Associate Dean’s approval must be provided to complete the online application process.
- More information on cuResearch can be found here.
Internal Contacts
If you would like assistance with proposal development and/or a substantive review of your proposal, please contact Heloise Emdon.