UNITED STATES ARMY RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (ARI) BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR BASIC, APPLIED, AND ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH | W911NF 23 S 0010

Opportunity Information: Apply for W911NF 23 S 0010

The United States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), Funding Opportunity Number W911NF 23 S 0010 (CFDA 12.630), is a long-running competitive funding vehicle used by the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, Materiel Command) to support research that strengthens Army readiness and human performance. ARI is the Army's lead organization for behavioral and social science research tied to personnel, organizations, and Soldier and leader development, and this BAA is designed to bring in scientifically grounded ideas that can be translated into practical improvements for training, selection, leadership, teamwork, learning, performance, and related human factors that influence mission outcomes.

The BAA covers a range of research maturity levels, including basic research, applied research, and advanced technology development, as long as the work is not aimed at developing a specific weapon system or a defined hardware procurement. The legal and regulatory basis is anchored in the Federal Acquisition Regulation provisions that allow the government to acquire basic and applied research through competitive selection, along with statutory authorities in Title 10 of the U.S. Code that support awarding assistance instruments and contracts for research. Proposals that are selected under this BAA are treated as the product of full and open competition and aligned with the Competition in Contracting Act requirements, which matters for organizations that track whether an opportunity is considered competitively awarded.

A key practical point is that ARI's ability to fund any given idea is shaped by annual budget constraints and shifting priorities across budget cycles, so even strong concepts may depend on timing and fit with current needs. Because of that, ARI strongly encourages potential applicants to communicate early with the ARI Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) listed in the solicitation (or the specific ARI manager tied to a given technical area). The recommended process is intentionally staged to reduce wasted effort: first make initial contact to test alignment and interest, then submit a white paper if encouraged, and only then develop a full proposal if ARI signals the topic is worth pursuing and funds may be available. ARI also notes that the costs of preparing white papers and proposals cannot be billed as direct costs to any eventual award; at most, they may be treated as bid and proposal costs within an organization's normal indirect cost structure under FAR cost principles.

Awards under the BAA can take multiple forms, reflecting the fact that ARI may use different instruments depending on the nature of the work and the relationship needed during performance. The opportunity lists cooperative agreements, grants, "other" arrangements, and procurement contracts as potential instruments. That mix means applicants should be prepared for anything from more traditional grant-like research support to contract-driven statements of work, and they should pay attention to the compliance obligations that vary by instrument type (for example, levels of government involvement and reporting expectations tend to be higher under cooperative agreements than standard grants).

Eligibility is described broadly ("Others"), which typically signals that ARI is open to a wide variety of performers such as universities, nonprofits, for-profits, research institutes, and other capable entities, provided they meet federal responsibility standards. Those minimum standards include having adequate financial resources, being able to meet performance schedules, maintaining acceptable past performance and integrity, and demonstrating the technical capability, controls, experience, and facilities needed to do the work. ARI also emphasizes an important contracting reality: only a warranted Government Contracting Officer or Grants Officer can legally obligate the government to spend funds, so informal encouragement from technical staff is not an award commitment.

In terms of scale and timeline, the BAA was created on May 1, 2023 and is open through April 30, 2028, making it a multi-year umbrella solicitation rather than a single deadline competition. The listing shows an expected number of awards that is very large (1,000), which typically indicates many separate awards could be made over time across diverse topics and funding levels as needs arise. The award ceiling is listed as 0, which usually means there is no single standardized cap published at the BAA level and that individual awards will define their own budgets based on the specific project, available funds, and negotiated scope.

Finally, ARI underscores that its funded programs must comply with federal non-discrimination requirements consistent with DoD and Army policy, meaning participation and benefits under ARI-funded activities cannot be denied on the basis of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability. Overall, this BAA is best understood as an open call for behavioral and social science research that can measurably improve Soldier and unit readiness, where early coordination with ARI staff and a white-paper-first approach are central to navigating priorities and improving the odds of a well-aligned submission.

• The Department of Defense, Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "UNITED STATES ARMY RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (ARI) BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR BASIC, APPLIED, AND ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH" 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 May 01, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 2028.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1,000 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W911NF 23 S 0010

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