Information Visualization of NSWC Crane Innovation Ecosystem as part of Naval Science and Technology | CRANBAA18 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for CRANBAA18 005

The Department of Defense, through Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane, issued a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Information Visualization of NSWC Crane Innovation Ecosystem as part of Naval Science and Technology" (Funding Opportunity Number CRANBAA18 005) to support research and development in advanced data mapping and information visualization. The core aim is to generate practical analytical tools and insights that help NSWC Crane make better-informed future science and technology investment decisions by improving how naval research activity, collaboration patterns, and outcomes are understood and communicated.

A central theme of the opportunity is moving beyond traditional scientometrics, meaning the work is not limited to conventional publication and citation analysis or simple bibliometric dashboards. Instead, NSWC Crane is looking for more advanced approaches that can visualize, explain, and ideally help predict which research and development investments are most likely to result in technologies that actually transition into use. The emphasis on "transitioned technologies" signals that the government is not just interested in measuring academic output or research volume, but in understanding pathways from early-stage research through partnerships and development to real adoption within naval programs or operational environments.

The opportunity also highlights the importance of the broader innovation ecosystem around NSWC Crane, described as a dynamic collaborative network that includes academia, industry, and government partners. That framing suggests the funded effort should capture relationships and interactions across organizations rather than treating research as a set of isolated projects. In practical terms, NSWC Crane appears to be seeking methods that can make sense of changing collaboration structures over time, identify influential nodes or communities in the network, detect emerging areas of work, and show how different partner configurations correlate with successful technology transition.

The expected award structure is a single cooperative agreement, with an anticipated total award ceiling of $200,000 and one expected award. A cooperative agreement typically implies substantial involvement by the government in coordinating, guiding, or collaborating on the work compared to a standard grant, so applicants would likely need to plan for iterative engagement with NSWC Crane stakeholders, periodic reviews, and alignment with government-defined needs as the research evolves. The funding activity category is science and technology and other research and development, and the listing is associated with CFDA number 12.300, reflecting its placement within defense-related research support.

Eligibility is broad. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education are explicitly listed, and the opportunity is also described as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any entity type as long as it fits any additional constraints that might have appeared in the full announcement text. In general, this kind of eligibility profile invites proposals from universities, nonprofit research organizations, for-profit firms with relevant analytic and visualization capabilities, and potentially consortia that combine technical data science skills with domain expertise in defense R&D and technology transition.

The opportunity was posted on March 26, 2018, with an original closing date of April 26, 2018, indicating a roughly one-month application window. While the posting itself is dated, the description captures a recurring need across defense research organizations: turning complex and often fragmented information about R&D investments, partnerships, and outcomes into visual and analytical products that support decision-making. The deliverables implied by the description would likely include novel visualization techniques, network-based analytic methods, and evidence-driven ways to evaluate and forecast which investment portfolios or collaboration patterns are most likely to yield operationally transitioned technologies within the naval context.

• The Department of Defense, NSWC - CRANE in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Information Visualization of NSWC Crane Innovation Ecosystem as part of Naval Science and Technology" 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 Mar 26, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 26, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for CRANBAA18 005

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