Congress Passes Continuing Resolution, Funds the Government Through December
After passing a continuing resolution (CR) in late September, Congress now has one month to negotiate and pass their annual appropriations bills for FY 2022 by December 3, 2021.  While it is not uncommon for Congress to delay finalizing the annual funding bills, CRs have negative impacts across federal agencies, often creating fiscal uncertainty and preventing the start of new programs.  For example, the gap in funding for DOD may stymie Pentagon efforts to counter China, preventing new research and development projects to bolster emerging technologies.  While the Senate recently released its version of the FY 2022 defense spending bill, both chambers must still conference a topline funding number and final bill inclusions.  Unless negotiations proceed faster than expected and hot topics like the bipartisan infrastructure deal are addressed, Congress will likely have to pass another CR come December into 2022.  Hill sources tell Lewis-Burke that the likelihood of a yearlong CR is increasing every day.

Senate Unveils FY 2022 Defense Appropriations Bill, Boosts Basic Defense Research Funding
The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) released its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Department of Defense (DOD) package on October 18.  In total, the Committee would provide $725.8 billion in defense funding, a 5 percent increase over FY 2021 enacted levels ($29.3 billion) and roughly $19.4 billion above both the FY 2022 House bill and the President’s Budget Request (PBR).  Notably, the proposed 5 percent increase is consistent with the topline figures recommended in the respective versions of the House and Senate FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 
 
While the Senate has historically shown strong support for DOD science and technology (S&T) accounts, exceeding both the annual White House request and House funding recommendation, this year’s investments reflect an enhanced prioritization for basic research (6.1).  The bill would add 23 percent over the PBR for each of the Services’ 6.1 accounts, including $100 million more than requested for the Army, Navy, and Air Force to bolster the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP).  For the first time, the Senate bill also proposes $75 million for Space Force basic research through the Air Force’s S&T account.  This funding will likely be executed by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) given that there is no statutory basic research account within the current Space Force RDT&E appropriation.

While overall defense-wide basic research would be cut by approximately 4 percent compared to FY 2021 enacted levels, the Committee proposes several increases in key research programs above the FY 2022 PBR.  Those include an additional $13 million for DOD’s social sciences program, the Minerva Research Initiative, and $19 million more for the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR).  The Committee would also provide a $35 million increase for the National Defense Education Program (NDEP), including $15 million for civil society and $20 million for STEM programs.  Senate Appropriators would also provide $10 million more than the President requested for basic research funding at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), totaling over $41 million.  More information on the FY 2022 Senate defense appropriations bill can be found in Lewis-Burke’s analysis here.

Senate Releases FY 2022 Homeland Security Bill, Increases DHS S&T Funding
The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) approved its version of the FY 2022 Homeland Security bill on October 18.  The bill includes approximately $74.3 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is $2.5 billion or 3.6 percent above the FY 2021 enacted level, $1.04 billion or 1.4 percent above the PBR, and $700 million or 1 percent above the House bill.  For the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, the Senate bill would provide $868.9 million, which is $46 million above the PBR, $103.3 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, and $38.5 million above the House bill.  The bill would also provide $63 million for the Office of University Programs (OUP), which includes $45.9 million for the university-based Centers of Excellence (COE) program.
 
The Homeland Security bill is one of the more contentious of the annual appropriations measures, as partisan disagreement over immigration at the southern border will make passage difficult.  Notably, the bill would allow the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to salvage green cards from 2020 and 2021 because of unprecedented delays due to COVID-19.  The bill would provide $487 million for USCIS to reduce the processing backlog.  While the bill proposes a large increase to USCIS, other immigration law enforcement agencies, like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would see funding cuts.  $1.9 billion for border wall funds would also be rescinded.  A more detailed analysis of the DHS FY 2022 Senate appropriations bill can be found in Lewis-Burke’s analysis here.

NATIONAL SECURITY NEWS

DOD Adapts for Climate Change
DOD published a Climate Adaptation Plan that establishes policy for integrating climate change into all Defense planning, strategy development, operations, budgeting, and resource allocation at every echelon, Service, and defense agency.  As such, the Department proposed a climate-focused risk management framework (see Fig. 1 below) to preserve operational capabilities and outcomes.
 

Image credit: Department of Defense

 
The plan identifies key performance metrics for implementation of the framework and critical interagency partners that DOD personnel are encouraged to work in developing climate resilient operations, programs, and policies.  The plan details historical examples of the Department’s response to climate events to demonstrate warfighter relevancy.  These details show current and future requirements for researchers seeking to work with DOD on climate science and resilience projects.  Innovations in climate science, research, and decision-making comprise the bulk of recommended changes to DOD’s planning for future climate catastrophes.  This will become more evident with the FY 2023 budget process when large increases to Defense climate science and resilience programs—such as the Strategic Environmental Research and Development and Environmental Security Technology Certification Programs (SERDP/ESTCP)—are expected.
 
Under Secretary Shyu Unveils Modernization Priorities
Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) Heidi Shyu spoke at the annual Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) annual meeting on DOD’s technology modernization priorities.  Shyu discussed the importance of hypersonic weapons, noting that the first long-range hypersonic weapon will be in the hands of warfighters by 2023.  As hypersonic research continues to be an expensive investment for the Department, Shyu called for more affordable hypersonics materials and processes.  Additionally, Shyu emphasized the importance of lowering sustainment costs for weapons systems and plans to create a new sustainment director position in OUSD(R&E).  Shyu noted the importance of supporting small businesses through more flexible Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.  These priorities complement but do not replace prior DOD technology modernization priorities, which include artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy, cyber, 5G, space, biotechnology, and directed energy.  Shyu touched on these other priorities as well, noting continued focus on the testing and safety of AI, detection of cybersecurity threats, and development of more advanced materials.
 
China Tests New Hypersonic Missile
In August, General Glen VanHerck, Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), shared that China had “recently demonstrated very advanced hypersonic glide vehicle capabilities.”  He warned that this technological advancement poses “significant challenges” to current threat warning and attack assessment capabilities.  The Chinese test launched a hypersonic glide vehicle through low-orbit space before cruising down towards its target, missing by about two-dozen miles.  Even with this inaccuracy, the low trajectories of hypersonic glide vehicles make them hard to track and destroy, severely limiting the effectiveness of conventional missile defense systems.  China continues to grow its military and nuclear capabilities with more than 200 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos under construction.  These developments combined with new Chinese hypersonic capabilities could presage heightened tensions.  As more details about the test come to light, it becomes clear that China’s capabilities far exceed the national security community’s expectations.  Read more here.

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DARPA Releases AIE Opportunity for SHADE
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released its third Artificial Intelligence Exploration (AIE) opportunity for the Stabilizing Hostilities through Arbitration and Diplomatic Engagement (SHADE) program.  SHADE seeks to train and evaluate AI solutions to identify and address “the complications of multiparty interactions with deception, collusion, profiling, and other real-world features” in diplomatic negotiation.  The program uses a simulated gaming environment of diplomacy and will be broken into two phases: Phase 1— “AI agent development and generation of an agent communication specification,” and Phase 2– “agent refinement to play against other agent and human players in a diplomacy tournament.”
 
The total funding amount for combined Phase 1 and 2 is limited to $1 million, with a period of performance of 6 months for Phase 1 and 12 months for Phase 2.  All responsible sources are eligible to apply.  Proposals must be submitted to https://baa.darpa.mil no later than Thursday, November 4, 2021, 4:00 PM ET.  The full solicitation can be found on sam.gov under notice ID “DARPA-PA-21-04-03” or here.
 
DARPA BTO Releases Special Program Announcement for Bio-INC
DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office (BTO) released a special program announcement for the Bio-Inorganic Nanoparticle Control (Bio-INC) program, part of the Biological Technologies BAA.  Bio-INC seeks to use microbes and/or biomolecules to produce nanoparticles that contain rare earth elements (REEs) and certain optical or magnetic properties.  This requires developing novel methods to program and control such bio-organisms to bio-synthesize the desired nanoparticles and compare the resulting products to conventionally synthesized nanoparticles.  Proposals that do not incorporate biosynthesis of REEs will not be considered.
 
Bio-INC will run for a 15-month study.  BTO’s specific desired metrics for nanoparticle production can be found in the full special program announcement.  DARPA does not specify how many awards are anticipated and expects to award less than $1 million total.  All responsible sources are eligible.  DARPA highly encourages proposers to submit abstracts before submitting a full proposal.  Abstracts and full proposals should be submitted in accordance with guidelines from the Biological Technologies BAA, which can be found on sam.gov under notice ID “HR001121S0025” or here.  Abstracts are due November 15, 2021, at 4:00 PM ET.  Full proposals are due January 7, 2022, at 4:00 PM ET.  More details can be found at sam.gov under notice ID “DARPA-SN-22-02” or here.

DARPA MTO Releases BAA for ELGAR
DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) released a broad agency announcement (BAA) for its ELectronics for G-band ARays (ELGAR) program.  This program seeks to develop communications and sensing systems at G-band level frequencies through “integration technologies.”  The ELGAR program will focus on achieving “efficient, compact G-band MMCIs with high output power density” and "low-loss off-chip interconnects between adjacent G-band array components.”
 
ELGAR is a three-phase program with a four-year timeline: Phase 1 will last 18 months; Phases 2 and 3 will last 15 months each.  ELGAR anticipates awarding multiple grants.  All responsible sources are eligible to apply.  Full proposals are due December 13, 2021, at 4:00 PM ET.  The full BAA can be found on sam.gov under notice ID “HR001121S0042” or here.
 
DARPA MTO Releases Machine Learning Applied to Radiofrequency Signals RFI
The Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released a request for information (RFI) seeking organizations that have previous experience applying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to radio frequency (RF) signals to be used for defense applications.  DARPA hopes to address challenges that occur when applying ML technology to RF problems through novel ideas such as “curation of RF training data sets through preprocessing and synthetic data augmentation, hybrid processing pipelines integrating traditional signal processing functions, network optimization for embedded processors, and advanced resource management techniques.”  This RFI asks that respondents address their previous research in the field by identifying the staff, objectives, components, project duration, classification level, and other aspects of the research performed by the organization.  Respondents’ information can help shape future opportunities at DARPA MTO.
 
All capable sources are eligible to apply, including but not limited to universities, university-affiliated research centers, private and public companies, and not-for-profit research institutions.  All responses to the RFI must be submitted via email to DARPA-SN-22-04@darpa.mil no later than November 10, 2021, at 5:00 PM ET.  More information regarding the RFI and requested information for submitters can be found on sam.gov under notice ID “DARPA-SN-22-04” or here.
 
DARPA I2O Releases BAA for Cutting Edge Research Ideas
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released a BAA out of its Information Innovation Office (I2O) for “revolutionary research ideas” on topics not currently addressed by I2O programs and solicitations.  Proposers should research unconventional practices that could advance software science, technology, or systems.  Research should not focus on “evolutionary improvements” to existing practices.  I2O is accepting proposals within its four “thrust” areas: proficient AI, advantages in cyber operations, confidence in the information domain, and resilient, adaptable, and secure systems.  Proposals outside of these topics should include the development of innovative software capabilities.  This solicitation will award fundamental and non-fundamental research.
 
This solicitation outlines protection requirements for academic and non-profit researchers not mentioned in previous solicitations.  These requirements offer protection against foreign influence and exploitation for proposed research pertinent to U.S. interest.  A full outline of these requirements can be found in the full solicitation under “Award Information”. 
 
Proposers are highly encouraged to review I2O programs and solicitations to avoid proposing ideas to existing I2O activities.  Proposers are also encouraged to submit abstracts in order to determine if the research is of interest to DARPA.  Abstracts are due by September 23, 2022, at 12:00 PM ET and full proposals are due October 28, 2022, at 12:00 PM ET.  The full BAA can be found on www.grants.gov under funding opportunity number “HR001122S0003” or here.
 
IARPA Releases BAA for TEI-REX program
The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA) released a BAA for its Targeted Evaluation Ionizing Radiation Exposure (TEI-REX) program.  TEI-REX will pursue innovative bio-dosimetry practices that could better measure low-dose ionizing radiation exposure.  TEI-REX would establish biomarkers that could overcome these limitations and focus on collecting more complex samples in more complex environments at lower dose exposures. 
 
TEI-REX anticipates a 42-month period of performance comprising three phases: Phase 1 will last 18 months; Phases 2 and 3 will last 12 months each.  Each phase will include two technical focus areas (FAs).  FA1 will focus on detection methods for ionizing radiation exposures within a 25-day timeframe, and FA2 will focus on methods for exposures greater than 90 days.  All institutions of higher education, nonprofits, and large and small businesses are eligible to apply.  Proposals are due by December 13, 2021, at 5:00 PM ET.  The full BAA can be found on sam.gov under notice ID “W911NF22S0002” or here.
 
Registration Opens for 2021 BARDA Industry Day
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) opened registration for its annual Industry Day taking place virtually on November 3-4, 2021.  Event participants will share and demonstrate U.S. medical countermeasure priorities, facilitate engagements with staff at BARDA and the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), and offer networking opportunities with other health security professionals.  The theme of this year’s event is “Strengthening Partnerships, Advancing Innovation” and will feature keynote addresses from government and industry officials, programming updates from BARDA Director Dr. Gary Disbrow and Division Directors, and breakout sessions on specific topics in health security and bio-preparedness.  Registration and more information are available here. 
 
DHS Releases Cooling Solutions Challenge
DHS recently announced its Cooling Solutions Challenge, a competition whose goal is to “counter extreme heat with cool technology.”  This challenge focuses on sustainable and innovative cooling solutions that can be made readily available during natural disasters and extreme heat conditions for individuals at high risk of heat-related illness or death in public and residential areas.  Proposed solutions should be “eco-friendly and energy efficient, cost effective, scalable, durable, and allow for alternate power sources.”  The goal of this challenge is to contribute to DHS’s efforts in promoting resiliency through proactive adaption to climate change. 
 
The challenge will be conducted in two stages.  Stage 1 will award up to 15 proposers with a $5,000 cash prize, and Stage 1 winners will proceed to the second stage.  Stage 2 will award 8 proposers, one with a $50,000 prize, one with a $20,000 prize, four with a $10,000 prize, and two with a $5,000 prize.  All U.S. citizens and entities are eligible to apply.  Submissions are due by December 7, 2021, at 8:00 PM ET.  More information can be found on challenge.gov or here.

US Cyber Command Opens Engagement with Academia
US Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), as the functional Combatant Command for internet-enabled defense and offense, frequently engages with academia on new and emerging science and technology initiatives.  USCYBERCOM requirements include emerging research in AI, automated defense against hacking, and offensive cyber operations.  The command is currently accepting applications to join its Academic Engagement Network.  The application period ends November 15, and selected applicants could be notified as early as December 1.  Academic institutions that have joined the Network will:

• Receive communications about changes in the cyberspace domain that may impact their students, programs, research, and partnerships;
• Receive invitations to exclusive webinars about USCYBERCOM’s most pressing technical and non-technical problems, as well as how to benefit from key DOD programs that impact cyberspace (e.g., the University Consortium for Cybersecurity); and
• Gain access to guest lecturers from USCYBERCOM on cyberspace strategy, policy, law, innovation, and workforce issues.

 
Long-term engagement could result in funding opportunities limited to members of the network and a host of other benefits.  USCYBERCOM's FY 2022 budget has been increased by both House and Senate authorizers and House appropriators.  Lewis-Burke expects it will receive further increases in the final FY 2022 Defense Appropriations Bill.  Further information as well as application instructions can be found at https://www.cybercom.mil/Partnerships-and-Outreach/Academic-Engagement/.

Army Releases FOA for APNT Consortium
The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has released a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for a consortium to advance assured positioning, navigation, and timing (APNT) technology.  APNT technologies are critically important in areas where traditional navigation systems such as global positioning system (GPS) signals are degraded or unable to reach.  Such technologies rely on advancements in materials science, atomic physics, quantum science, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), optics, and integrated photonics.  ARL seeks consortia who will bring together expertise from across relevant fields to advance the research, development, and manufacturing of APNT component technologies, the integration of such technologies into APNT tools, and their eventual commercialization.  The consortium will focus on three technical areas, further details of which can be found in the full FOA.
 
ARL anticipates awarding one consortium $25 million over a five-year period.  A direct 1:1 cost share match is required.  Consortia must be registered in the U.S. and should propose partnerships between private industry, manufacturing firms, academia, or related institutions.  Consortia are expected to lead a program of national scope with stakeholders from multiple disciplines and backgrounds.  All proposals must be submitted through www.grants,gov.  Proposals are due by December 15, 2021, at 1:00 PM ET.  More information on this opportunity can be found in the full FOA here or on www.grants.gov under funding opportunity number “W911NF-22-S-0004.”

Navy Releases BAA for Advancing Ocean Modeling
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) released a new BAA with the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP).  NOPP, a congressionally established program designed “to promote the national goals of assuring national security, advancing economic development, protecting quality of life, and strengthening science education and communication by improving knowledge of the ocean,” is a collaboration of over 20 federal agencies, and supports a broad array of multidisciplinary multi-sector marine science and ocean research.  This BAA solicits 1) experiments and models with internal wave energy, mixing, and interactions in the ocean; and 2) high-resolution ocean models for coupled earth system prediction.  ONR is also interested in methods that incorporate AI and machine learning in their models.  ONR notes that neither topic will support the development of new models or frameworks but will instead improve existing models with new capabilities.
 
ONR and NOPP anticipate $23 million in total funding will be available.  Proposers must be teams drawn from academia; industry; or state, local, or tribal governments with members represented from at least two of the three sectors.  While abstracts or pre-proposals are not being solicited for this opportunity, engaging with ONR program managers before submitting a full proposal is highly encouraged.  Full proposals are due January 7, 2022, at 3:00 PM ET.  The full BAA can be found on www.grants.gov under funding opportunity number “N00014-22-S-B003” or here.

Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Research Topics
CDMRP is DOD’s premier extramural biomedical research opportunity and can be a successful pathway for biomedical researchers to engage with DOD.  Solicitations are currently open for the following topics:  

• Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program 

 
A full list of CDMRP opportunities can be found here.  Interested applicants can subscribe to updates and pre-announcements here.

WHAT WE'RE READING
 
HBCUs and Minority Institutions Need Better Support to Conduct Defense Research
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released its interim report on defense research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs).  The report was commissioned through the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which required DOD to assess the diversity of its research and engineering workforce.  NASEM created a committee of 13 members with different backgrounds, most with experience working for an HBCU or an MI, to understand DOD’s role in creating more opportunities for underrepresented populations.  The committee found that HBCUs/MIs have been less successful in receiving DOD funding compared to non-HBCU/MI counterparts and, therefore, have not built corresponding research infrastructure, are less competitive in winning DOD grants, and thus face challenges when competing for future grants.  The committee expects to release a final report in the coming months.

21^st Century Industrial Policy Requires More Than Just Defense
In a review of current and historical approaches to industrial policy for the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Dr. William B. Bonvillian discusses different approaches to revolutionizing how the federal government should retool economy and industry to compete with China on a never-before-seen scale.  Dr. Bonvillian summarizes current thinking on historical approaches to industrial policy, highlighting how the U.S. has traditionally accepted specific mandates only in the defense sector.  Given the growth and success of the defense industrial base, Bonvillian recommends a more comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to instating a national industrial policy that equips the free market with specific guardrails and guideposts to align organic economic development with national security priorities.  Bonvillian also reviews current legislation like the 2020 Creating Helpful Incentives for the Production of Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act and the 2021 U.S. Innovation and Strategic Competition Act (USICA) in the context of developing new economic approaches to industrial policy at previously unheard-of scale.  Bonvillian identifies these key reforms for a successful new-era industrial policy: interagency and intragovernmental teams of change agents, a strong foundation in research and science, rehabilitating American manufacturing to support new innovations, mapping and securing supply chains, better integrate government with industry and academia, effective technology validation and certification, agile financing for emerging science and technology, more effective federal procurement, and flexible contracting mechanisms.

Army to Analyze Current Efforts Inside the Building to Beat China
Defense One reports that the Army is taking a closer look at its existing programs and infrastructure through the specific lens of combatting China.  As China’s military capabilities grow, the Army plans to reevaluate how it performs against this great power pacing threat.  The article notes that Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth is pushing the Service to “accept some risk now to avoid greater risk in the future,” emphasizing the need for rapid change where necessary.  Wormuth specifically mentions that data and software will be “as important as ammunition” in future fights.  Read more here.