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Internal UM Deadlines:
20 June 2008 (Notification of Intent to Apply) 8 July 2008 (White Paper)

Dept. Defense Deadlines:
25 June 2008 (Letters of Intent to Nominate - required)
11 July 2008 (White Papers w/supporting documentation)
3 October 2008 (Full Proposals - by invitation only)

In January 2008, the Department of Defense (DoD), Office of the Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) established the National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowships (NSSEFF) program. This program provided Fellowships of up to $600,000 per year for up to five years for outstanding young faculty conducting unclassified basic science and engineering research in critical areas of interest to DoD. On 2 June 2008, DOD announced the first class of the NSSEFF program, consisting of six distinguished university faculty scientists and engineers (see http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11964)

DoD has now announced the second round of the NSSEFF competition (NPS-BAA-08-005), which is for single investigator grant proposals for basic research in one, or combinations of, areas of interest to DDR&E including the "Enabling Technologies and Desired Capabilities" described in the 2007 Department of Defense Research & Engineering Strategic Plan (http://www.dod.mil/ddre/doc/Strategic_Plan_Final.pdf). Technical subject categories include: (1) astronomy, astrophysics and space sciences; (2) atmospheric sciences and meteorology; (3) aviation science, astronautics; (4) behavioral and social sciences, including psychology and training; (5) biological and medical sciences, including biochemistry and biotechnology; (6) chemistry (physical, organic, polymer) and chemical engineering; (7) communications and networks; (8) computer and information sciences; (9) earth sciences and oceanography; (10) materials-functional materials, including electronic and bio-inspired materials, textiles, adhesives, etc.; (11) materials-structural materials, metallurgy, ceramics, refractory materials; (12) mathematics; (13) mechanical, industrial, electrical, civil, and marine engineering; (14) physics, including acoustics, fluid mechanics, optics, spectroscopy, nuclear physics, etc.; (15) propulsion, engines, and fuels; (16) robotics, science of autonomy; (17) weapons and military sciences, countermeasures, including counter-WMD and counter-directed weapons science; and (18) other. Proposed research should focus on innovations that enable revolutionary advances rather than evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

Further information about the NSSEFF program is available at: http://www.nps.edu/Research/Documents/BAA_08_005_dk_Ver12.pdf

The NSSEFF program is open to outstanding faculty and staff scientists and engineers from accredited, U.S. degree-granting, academic institutions whose earned Ph.D. or equivalent degree was awarded after 31 December 1982. DDR&E is especially interested in researchers who have not previously been involved in DoD programs. Applicants should either state in their curriculum vitae (CV) that they have not been funded by DoD since receiving their PhD or briefly list the programs and level of effort under which they have been funded during this period. Applicants invited to submit full proposals and not holding a current DoD clearance must apply for a security clearance by 5 September 2008 and must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance at the Secret level.

While the NSSEFF program is not a limited submission program, applicants must be nominated in an official "Letter of Intent" from President Mote to DoD. Thus, if you are interested in applying to the NSSEFF, please send an email to limited.submission@umd.edu by 20 June 2008 stating your name, title, faculty position, department affiliation, email, and proposed research topic. Also, state the technical subject category most appropriate for your proposed research (see Section I.6. in the BAA, or above, for the list of the eighteen (18) technical subject categories).

If you have further questions, please contact the UM Division of Research Limited Submission office at limited.submission@umd.edu or 301-405-6918.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Regards,
Timothy Ng, Associate Vice President for Research