Office of Hazardous Materials Safety Research Initiative – FY2026 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA)
PHMSA will fund competitive research contracts for scientific, technical, engineering, and policy work that improves hazardous materials transportation safety across modes, with proposals accepted on one or more listed topic areas.
⚑ Federal procurement contract/BAA, not a grant. · Two-phase competition: Phase I white paper, then invited full proposal. · Awards may be firm-fixed-price or cost-reimbursement; up to $2,000,000 and up to 36 months. · No set-aside indicated; eligibility details are in the solicitation attachment rather than the synopsis itself.
This is primarily transportation safety/engineering R&D with a policy and emergency-response component, which is outside most of IPPRA’s core program areas. The only plausible entry points are the team’s risk communication, emergency warning/response, and public perception work around hazardous materials, batteries, and emergency preparedness, so it is adjacent at best rather than a natural PI-level fit.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-09-22
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | portfolio topics: environment, energy, public_health; signature methods: policy analysis; social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 45 partial | funds applied research; prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
AMENDMENT 02 (09/21/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate PHMSA’s Responses to Vendor Inquiries regarding Phase I white paper submissions, subcontractor eligibility for foreign entities, submission limits, deadlines, and multi-topic proposals under the solicitation (See attached). All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AMENDMENT 01 (08/24/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to (1) change the Phase I White Paper due date from December 22, 2026, to November 18, 2026, and (2) add the contact email address tremayne.terry@dot.gov to Section X.A. in Attachment 1- BAA Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA. All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS), is soliciting white papers and full proposals under Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) PHMSA-26HM-BAA pursuant to FAR 35.016. The objective of this announcement is to award competitive research contracts that advance scientific, technical, engineering, and policy solutions to prevent incidents and enhance safety during the transportation of hazardous materials across all modes. Offerors are invited to submit innovative research proposals addressing one or more of the following core topic areas: 26HM-ESS (Efficient Safety Standards): Research to modernize safety standards and testing, streamline certification, leverage safety data, and evaluate risk landscapes to reduce regulatory burden while maintaining safety. 26HM-SST (Safe Energy Storage Technologies): Research assessing transportation risks of energy storage systems, battery chemistries, thermal runaway detection and mitigation, and critical mineral recovery. 26HM-IPG (Innovative Packaging): Development and evaluation of advanced packaging materials, containment designs, integrity monitoring, and predictive failure simulations. 26HM-RER (Risk Reduction for Emergency Response): Innovations, technologies, data analysis, and materials to enhance emergency responder safety, communication, and preparedness. 26HM-RTS (Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety): Research advancing scientific understanding of rail tank car performance under derailment conditions, crashworthiness materials, thermal shielding, and predictive risk modeling. A two-phase selection process (Phase I: White Paper; Phase II: Invited Full Proposal) will be used. Awards will be procurement contracts (Firm-Fixed-Price or Cost-Reimbursement) up to $2,000,000 with a total performance period of up to 36 months. Full eligibility, formatting, and submission instructions are detailed in the solicitation document attached to this notice.
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: No Set aside used. Notice type: Combined Synopsis/Solicitation. Organization: TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF / PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION / 693JK3 ACQUISITION SERVICES DIV..
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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 · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'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.