NGA - Boosting Innovative GEOINT - Science & Technology Broad Agency Announcement (BIG-ST BAA)
NGA is funding topic-specific GEOINT R&D and related technology development, including academic grants for SAR and geodesy under Topic 02 and an OT agreement for VLBI+G signal-chain development under Topic 03, with proposals accepted only in response to posted topic calls.
⚑ No submissions to the general BIG-ST BAA; only topic calls accept abstracts/proposals. · Topic 02 MUSE requires a prior abstract; proposers who did not submit an abstract are ineligible to submit a proposal. · Topic 03 also requires a prior abstract before proposal submission. · Topic 03 is an Other Transaction agreement rather than a grant/cooperative agreement.
This is an NGA geospatial intelligence and sensing/analytics BAA centered on SAR, geodesy, and foundational/analytic GEOINT—mostly technical remote-sensing/engineering rather than the team’s usual survey, risk communication, climate, or public-perception research. The closest fit would be only very indirect through AI/data-science interests, but it is not plausibly a PI-level opportunity for this group.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-07-07
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 topic: national_security_defense (primary); social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 45 partial | funds applied research; prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
The Boosting Innovative GEOINT-Science and Technology (BIG-ST) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) invites proposers to submit innovative concepts to address hard GEOINT problems that align to one or more of the following technical domains: (1) Foundational GEOINT, (2) Advanced Phenomenologies, and (3) Analytic Technologies. BAA Process and Topic Call Publication: The BIG-ST BAA is a general announcement of NGA’s research interest, including criteria for selecting proposals and soliciting the participation of all offerors capable of satisfying the Government’s needs. The requests for abstracts and/or proposals are transmitted via Topic Calls that are published separately under the BIG-ST BAA general solicitation at various times during the open period of the general solicitation. Topic Calls will be published via updates of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation site on Sam.gov and Grants.gov (Opportunity ID:351404). Interested parties should periodically check these websites for updates. No submissions shall be accepted to the general solicitation; abstracts and proposals will only be reviewed in response to Topic Calls. Please refer to the Topic Calls for Abstract and Proposal due dates. The BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation, HM047623BAA0001, is posted and applies to Topic 1 and forward. See Attachments/Links. Active Topics: Topic 1 - Geospatial-Intelligence Foundational Model (GFM) is active. Topic 2 - Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE) is active. Topic 3 - VLBI+G Signal Chain Development (VLBI+G) is active. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topic 01: 'Geospatial-Intelligence Foundational Model' (GFM) Published on: 12/15/2023 and updated with Revision 1 on 01/24/2024. See Attachments/Links. Proposals were due on 03/22/2024 and are currently under review. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topic 02: Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE) Published on: 03/20/2024 and updated with Revision 1 on 04/16/2024. See Grants.gov. Intent of this Topic Call is the award of academic grants only. This Topic Call seeks to increase the breadth and depth of knowledge to key science and technology areas of need to the geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) community and advance the state of practice in two subject areas: 1. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) 2. Geodesy Proposals Due: 06/07/2024 @ 5:00pm ET via Grants.gov (Note: Proposers who did not submit an abstract are ineligible to submit a proposal.) Contact Email for Topic 02: Unclassified: BIGSTBAA@nga.mil (Email Subject: ‘TOPIC 02 – MUSE’) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topic 03: Very Long Baseline Interferometry with Global Navigational Satellite Systems Capabilities (VLBI+G) Radio Telescope Signal Chain Development Published on: 05/08/2024. See Attachments/Links. Intent of this topic call is to award an Other Transaction (OT) Agreement. Questions Due: 05/15/2024 @ 5:00pm EST Q&A Posting via SAM.gov update to Topic Call: 05/22/2024 Abstracts Due: 05/31/2024 @ 5:00pm EST Abstract Feedback (via email): 06/14/2024 Proposals Due: 07/09/2024 @ 5:00pm EST (Note: Proposers who do not submit an abstract are ineligible to submit a proposal.) Estimated Period of Performance Start: 09/09/2024 Contact Email for Topic 03: Unclassified: BIGSTBAA@nga.mil (Email Subject: ‘TOPIC 03 – VLBI+G’) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: . Notice type: Solicitation. Organization: DEPT OF DEFENSE / NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (NGA) / ATTN: MS S84 - OCS.
Apply
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.