FY2017 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) | N00014 16 S FO15

Opportunity Information: Apply for N00014 16 S FO15

The FY2017 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) is a competitive research grant opportunity designed to identify and support exceptional early-career academic scientists and engineers who show strong promise for highly creative research. The program is meant to bring outstanding new faculty into closer alignment with the Department of the Navy research enterprise, provide meaningful research support during the critical early years of an academic career, and encourage long-term teaching and research careers that connect to Navy needs. ONR positions the YIP not as a beginner or starter grant with reduced expectations, but as an honor-based award where the bar is comparable to ONR's other research programs and the recognition goes beyond the funding itself.

The program is open only through U.S. Institutions of Higher Education that award degrees in science, engineering, and/or mathematics, because ONR makes awards to institutions rather than directly to individuals. The Principal Investigator must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident by the proposal due date, and must hold a first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent faculty appointment at the submitting university. A key eligibility cutoff is timing: the PI must have begun their first full-time tenure-track (or equivalent) appointment on or after November 4, 2011. The term "U.S. national" includes people from U.S. possessions (for example, American Samoa), which the announcement explicitly notes.

Research topics must align with ONR interests and should fit within the research areas listed under ONR's Science and Technology (S&T) departments on the ONR website. Because ONR's needs are organized by departments and divisions with specific program officers covering specific technical areas, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the relevant ONR Program Officer before submitting. Those conversations are intended to help sharpen scope, confirm relevance to Navy priorities, and improve the fit between the proposed work and ONR portfolios. Informal pre-proposals can be used to support these discussions, but they are optional rather than required, and applicants are advised to allow enough lead time to have substantive exchanges before the deadline.

Application materials include a full research proposal prepared according to the Funding Opportunity Announcement instructions, along with at least one letter of support submitted through appropriate university channels. The letter(s) of support are emphasized as an important part of how proposals are evaluated, so applicants are expected to treat them as more than a routine formality. ONR also underscores the importance of the PI's prior accomplishments and overall track record, since past performance is part of the selection criteria; applicants are advised to ensure their biographical and qualifications sections capture relevant activities and achievements comprehensively.

Funding under the YIP can be up to $170,000 per year for three years (a potential base total of up to $510,000). The budget can cover reasonable research costs such as PI salary support, graduate students, supplies, and applicable indirect costs. In addition to the base amount, applicants may request extra funding for capital equipment during the first budget period if that equipment would meaningfully enhance the proposed research. Importantly, requesting equipment funding is not stated to reduce the likelihood of receiving an award; however, equipment decisions are made separately from the core award selections and depend on availability of funds.

Awardees may also be able to increase support through a matching-funds enhancement that encourages collaboration with Navy laboratories. Specifically, ONR's Office of the Director of Research may match, on a one-for-one basis, the first $25,000 per year of additional Department of the Navy funding that the YIP awardee secures each year to support collaborative research with a Navy lab during the YIP period. Eligible sources for that additional Navy funding can include Navy laboratories and ONR program officers. While awardees can receive more than $25,000 per year from other Navy sources, ONR indicates it will only match the first $25,000 annually, and only if matching funds are available. Applicants do not need to declare an intent to pursue matching funds in their original proposal, and these collaborations and additional support can be arranged later. ONR program officers may help connect awardees with potential collaborators at Navy labs or other Navy organizations when requested.

The announcement makes clear that competition is intense. As an example of selectivity, it notes that in 2016 ONR received more than 260 proposals and made 47 YIP awards, with an expectation on the order of about 50 awards for this opportunity. Because YIP is both funding and a form of recognition, ONR emphasizes that successful applicants typically have both outstanding research ideas and strong prior professional records.

Finally, ONR lays out possible pathways after the YIP decision. If a proposal is not selected for YIP, it may be considered for funding under ONR's Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), but that is discretionary and historically only a limited number of YIP submissions are funded that way. For those who do win YIP, continued funding beyond the three-year period is not automatic; after completing the award, investigators may apply for follow-on support under the ONR Long Range BAA, and any continuation depends on proposal merit, ONR priorities at that time, and the creativity and productivity demonstrated during the YIP project.

Key administrative details from the notice include that the opportunity is a discretionary grant from the Office of Naval Research (CFDA 12.300), listed under Funding Opportunity Number N00014-16-S-FO15, with an original closing date of November 4, 2016, and an anticipated award count around 50.

• The Office of Naval Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2017 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP)" 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 2016-08-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-11-04. (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 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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