FY27 Communications and Networking Applied Research Announcement for Office of Naval Research
ONR will fund applied research projects that advance Navy and Marine Corps communications and networking capabilities, including links, apertures, low-probability-of-detection communications, distributed network control, and network performance prediction.
⚑ Federal contract solicitation; applicant restrictions are not fully specified in the notice excerpt. · White papers are requested before full proposals; check the solicitation for the required timetable and submission process.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 45 partial | peripheral portfolio topic: national_security_defense; social/behavioral work is none; funds applied research; capped at 45 (limited social-science role) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 45 partial | funds applied research; prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
The purpose of this announcement is to focus attention of the scientific community on (1) the area to be studied, and (2) the planned timetable for the submission of white papers and full proposals. The goal of the Communications and Networking Program within the Office of Naval Research (ONR 311) is to support the Navy's Information Warfare vision by developing measurable advances in technology that can directly enable and enhance end-to-end connectivity and quality-of-service for mission-critical information exchange among widely dispersed naval, joint, and coalition forces. The vision is to provide high throughput robust communications and networking to ensure all warfighters – from the operational command to the tactical edge – have access to information, knowledge, and decision-making necessary to perform their assigned tasks. The ONR program is interested in white papers for potential FY27 Applied Research (Budget category 6.2) projects under the following focus areas: Development of long-range VHF-band data link, using compact 4x4 Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) based on 5G/Commercial-Off-The Shelf (COTS) and sub-MHz frequency channelization (spectral efficiency in excess of 1 bit/Hz); Novel design and prototyping of compact electronically-steered apertures for higher frequencies (i.e., above Ka-band); Innovative approaches and technologies for low probability-of-detection communications against advanced electronic threats; Advanced techniques for distributed network control, synchronization, and/or scheduling; and New algorithms for predicting network behavior/performance or emerging operational requirements that are translated into traffic engineering policies. The ONR is receptive to innovative ideas, which are not within the above focus areas, but nonetheless are important to the Navy/Marine Corps communications and networking, as otherwise described in this Topic Description
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: No Set aside used. Notice type: Solicitation. Organization: DEPT OF DEFENSE / DEPT OF THE NAVY / OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH.
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Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Department of Defense (BAA-style) conventions SEE A DOD EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Department of Defense (BAA-style)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.