Special Program Announcement for 2019 Office of Naval Research | N00014 19 S SN06

Opportunity Information: Apply for N00014 19 S SN06

The Department of Defense, through the Office of Naval Research (ONR), issued the "Special Program Announcement for 2019 Office of Naval Research" (Funding Opportunity Number N00014-19-S-SN06) as a discretionary grant opportunity focused on science and technology research and development. The announcement is rooted in the Navy's concept for Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) described in "A Design for Maritime Superiority (2018)," which emphasizes the need to deliver accurate, timely, and analyzed information across units, warfighting groups, and entire fleets. A central idea in the opportunity is the "tactical grid," meaning the communications and networking fabric that links distributed platforms and formations together so they can coordinate, share data, and make decisions effectively in contested or degraded environments.

The core problem the opportunity is trying to solve is that future naval operations depend on reliable connectivity even when traditional infrastructure is unavailable or under attack. ONR highlights that the needed communications and networking technologies must work across a wide mix of platforms, including both manned and unmanned systems, and across multiple domains and environments: land, maritime (including surface and undersea), and space. The program is explicitly concerned with real-world battlefield constraints that commonly break or degrade networks, such as high mobility, limited spectrum availability, adversary interference and jamming, multipath effects, atmospheric impacts on propagation, and strict size, weight, and power limits on tactical platforms. In practice, the solicitation signals interest in research that can maintain robust links and usable network performance despite these limitations, rather than solutions that only perform well in controlled settings.

From a mission and outcomes perspective, the opportunity sits within ONR's Communications and Networking Program (ONR 311) and aligns with the Navy's broader Information Warfare vision. The intent is to produce measurable technology advances that directly improve end-to-end connectivity and quality of service for mission-critical information exchange. That includes not just raw communications links, but the networking and system-level capabilities that allow data to move reliably among widely dispersed naval, joint, and coalition forces. The ultimate aim is operationally relevant throughput and resilience so that commanders and operators at every level, from operational command elements down to the tactical edge, can access the information and decision support they need to carry out assigned tasks under pressure.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as a grant under a discretionary funding instrument, with an activity category of science and technology and other research and development, and it is associated with CFDA number 12.300. The posting lists an expected 99 awards, indicating a broad programmatic portfolio rather than a single winner-take-all project, and the award ceiling is shown as 0, which typically suggests that funding levels are not capped in the synopsis and may vary by topic area, proposal scope, or negotiated program needs. The opportunity was created on May 3, 2019, with an original closing date of September 27, 2019. Eligibility is labeled as "Others," with further clarification referenced in an additional eligibility information field (not included in the text provided), implying that the applicant pool may extend beyond standard categories depending on ONR's stated rules for this announcement.

Overall, the announcement can be read as ONR soliciting research that strengthens the tactical grid for distributed naval warfare: resilient, high-throughput communications; adaptive, interference-tolerant networking; and end-to-end performance mechanisms that keep mission-critical information flowing across heterogeneous, resource-constrained platforms operating in contested environments. The emphasis is less on a single specific gadget and more on technologies and approaches that translate into practical, measurable improvements in connectivity and decision support across the full range of DMO operations.

• 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 "Special Program Announcement for 2019 Office of Naval Research" 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 May 03, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 27, 2019. (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: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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