DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) | W911NF 17 S 0010

Opportunity Information: Apply for W911NF 17 S 0010

The Department of Defense (DoD) Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W911NF-17-S-0010; CFDA 12.630) intended to strengthen defense-relevant research and STEM education capacity at eligible minority-serving institutions. The program is authorized under 10 U.S.C. 2362 (referenced in the announcement) and is contingent on the availability of Fiscal Year 2018 funds. Policy oversight comes from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and the program is administered through the three primary DoD basic research agencies: the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). In practical terms, the FOA is designed to connect eligible institutions with DoD research priorities and help them build sustainable research programs, infrastructure, and pipelines of trained graduates aligned with national security needs.

The FOA highlights three core goals. First, it seeks to enhance research programs and technical capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines that matter to DoD missions and national security functions. That means proposed projects are expected to sit within STEM areas relevant to defense research and development, rather than purely local or general-interest topics. Second, it aims to increase the capacity of HBCU/MIs to compete for and participate in broader DoD research programs and activities, which often implies building faculty research strength, developing labs and research management practices, forming collaborations, and creating the kind of track record that leads to future DoD awards. Third, it emphasizes workforce outcomes by increasing the number of graduates (including students from underrepresented groups) in STEM fields that are important to the defense mission, tying research investments to education, training, mentorship, and longer-term talent development.

Eligibility is tightly restricted to what the statute calls "covered educational institutions." Under the FOA, this includes (a) institutions of higher education that are eligible for assistance under Title III or Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, or (b) accredited postsecondary minority institutions. The announcement stresses that eligibility can change from year to year based on factors like enrollment and accreditation status. A key administrative requirement is that, except for HBCUs and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), an institution relying on Title III or Title V status must apply to the Department of Education annually to be certified as eligible. To be considered under this FOA, applicants must include a Department of Education eligibility letter dated November 2016 or later that confirms Title III or Title V eligibility. Importantly, if that current eligibility letter is missing, the application is automatically deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed. The FOA also notes that the eligibility letter does not count against the proposal page limit, which is a practical detail intended to remove any incentive to omit it.

On compliance and participant selection, the FOA explicitly reminds applicants that any student recruitment or selection practices connected to an award must comply with federal nondiscrimination requirements under 42 U.S.C. 2000d (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act). The standard is straightforward: no person in the United States may be excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any federally assisted program based on race, color, or national origin. This matters because the program is designed to expand opportunity and representation in defense-relevant STEM, but it must do so through lawful, non-discriminatory procedures in federally funded activities.

From the administrative details provided, the opportunity is listed under the Department of the Army, Army Materiel Command, with a posted creation date of June 13, 2017, and an original closing date of August 10, 2017. The funding instrument type is a grant, the activity category is science and technology and other research and development, and the opportunity category is discretionary. The summary as presented does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards (those fields appear blank in the provided source), which usually means applicants would need to consult the full FOA text for budget expectations, project duration, allowable costs, evaluation criteria, and any topic-specific guidance that ARO, ONR, or AFOSR may have included. Overall, the announcement frames the program as a targeted DoD investment in research excellence and STEM workforce development at eligible HBCU/MIs, with strict eligibility documentation requirements and clear civil rights compliance expectations.

• The Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-06-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-08-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for W911NF 17 S 0010

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