FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) FY2020 VANNEVAR BUSH FACULTY FELLOWSHIP | N00014 19 S F010

Opportunity Information: Apply for N00014 19 S F010

The FY2020 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is a Department of Defense (DoD) research funding opportunity administered by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). It is framed as a high-level announcement rather than a traditional procurement-style solicitation, and it supports science and technology research and development through the use of grant awards. The program is named in honor of Dr. Vannevar Bush, a major figure in US wartime science leadership and postwar science policy, who argued in his 1945 report "Science, The Endless Frontier" that sustained federal investment in basic research is essential because foundational discoveries drive long-term technological progress. The FOA uses that historical context to reinforce the program's emphasis on basic research and transformative, principle-driven scientific work.

Structurally, this announcement is explicitly designated as an FOA under the Department of Defense Grants and Agreements Regulations (DoDGARS), specifically 32 CFR 22.315(a). A key practical point is that ONR states there will be no separate, later Request for Proposals (RFP) or additional solicitation document released to supplement it. In other words, applicants are expected to rely on the FOA itself as the governing public announcement for submission and evaluation, rather than waiting for a follow-on package of instructions. ONR also notes it will not provide paper copies, which signals that the process is intended to be handled electronically.

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, using a grant as the funding instrument, and it falls under the broad activity area of science and technology and other research and development. The CFDA number listed is 12.300, which corresponds to DoD research and development assistance. Eligibility is described as "unrestricted," meaning it is open to any type of entity, subject to any clarifications that may appear in the FOA's eligibility text. That phrasing typically indicates broad eligibility across academic, nonprofit, and potentially other organizational types, with the expectation that any limitations would be spelled out in the official eligibility section rather than implied by the headline category.

The FOA sets basic expectations and administrative boundaries for applicants. ONR reserves the right to make awards to all, some, or none of the proposals received, which is standard language emphasizing that submission does not guarantee funding and that the agency can adjust selections based on merit, funding availability, or program priorities. It also states that ONR and other participating DoD agencies will not pay for proposal preparation costs, so applicants should not expect reimbursement for the time, labor, or expenses involved in developing the submission. In addition, proposals and other submitted materials will not be returned, reinforcing that applicants should retain their own copies and not submit originals that they need back.

Confidentiality and handling of submissions are addressed as well. ONR states that it treats proposals as sensitive competitive information and will disclose their contents only for evaluation purposes. That is intended to reassure applicants, particularly those proposing cutting-edge or potentially proprietary research concepts, that the review process will limit exposure of their ideas to the evaluation context.

On the award administration side, the FOA makes clear that any resulting assistance instrument will follow DoD terms and conditions implementing applicable Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. It specifically references the Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR Part 200, which governs administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for federal awards. This matters for prospective recipients because it signals compliance obligations around allowable costs, documentation, reporting, financial controls, and audit readiness. The FOA also notes that awards made after December 26, 2014, incorporate revisions reflecting DoD implementation of that OMB guidance, which situates the grant terms within the modern federal assistance framework.

The listing details include the funding opportunity number N00014-19-S-F010, an agency identification of Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research, and a creation date of June 18, 2019. The original closing date is January 17, 2020. The FOA lists an expected number of awards as 99, while the award ceiling is shown as 0, which often indicates that a specific maximum dollar amount per award is not provided in the summarized metadata (or is defined elsewhere in the full announcement materials). Taken together, the summary portrays a competitive, research-focused fellowship-style program aimed at supporting foundational scientific work aligned with DoD interests, run through ONR, and governed by standard federal grant rules and the DoD assistance framework.

• The Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) FY2020 VANNEVAR BUSH FACULTY FELLOWSHIP" 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 Jun 18, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 17, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 99 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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