NGA - Boosting Innovative GEOINT - Science & Technology Broad Agency Announcement (BIG-ST BAA)
NGA is seeking proposals under a classified BAA for innovative GEOINT research and technology solutions for specific topic calls, currently including AI and manually manipulated media detection under Topic 5.
⚑ No submissions accepted to the general solicitation; proposals only in response to published Topic Calls. · Classified IC-ARC access required for notices and proposal documents. · Active/open work appears limited to Topic 5; Topics 1-4 are closed or canceled. · Federal contract solicitation rather than a grant.
This is defense/GEOINT applied research in AI and manipulated-media detection, so it is adjacent to the team’s risk, trust, and information-environment work but not a core program line for most members. It fits best as a methods-adjacent opportunity for Andrew Fox, Hank Jenkins-Smith, and Joseph Ripberger if framed around public/decision-maker response to misinformation, but the NGA GEOINT mission and classified technical emphasis make it only a moderate fit.
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 to the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation site on Sam.gov, Grants.gov (Opportunity ID:351404), and/or the Acquisition Research Center (https://acq.westfields.net). 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 Revision 3 (dated 04/25/2025), is posted and applies to Topic 5 and forward. See Attachments/Links. Closed Topics: Topic 1 - Geospatial-Intelligence Foundational Model (GFM) is closed Topic 2 - Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE) is closed. Topic 3 - VLBI+G Signal Chain Development (VLBI+G) is closed. Canceled Topics: Topic 4 - Production of Radio Frequency (RF) Surveys from Commercial On-orbit Passive RF (RF-COP) is canceled. Active Topics: Topic 5 - Better Ingested GEOINT - Identifying Artificial Intelligence and Manually Manipulated Media (BIGISLAND) is open. Interested parties must have an account to log into the Classified IC-ARC to see the notice, and all associated RFP documents. For additional support with account access, please contact the Classified ACE Help Desk at 855-4ACE. To access the notice and all associated RFP documents, follow the below instructions after logging in to Classified IC-ARC: Go to "NGA" --> Go to "Efforts" --> Under Acronyms search "BIG-ST" --> Go to section titled "Topic 5 BIGISLAND." Updated Description (as of 11/20/2025): Topic Call 5 BIGISLAND has been updated on the Classified IC-ARC. Please review the following document in the "Topic 5 BIGISLAND" section, "T5 Documents" tab, "20251120-Topic5-BIGISLAND" folder: Updated: BIGST_BAA_Topic 05_BIGISLAND_REV4_20Nov2025.docx
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: . Notice type: Solicitation. Organization: DEPT OF DEFENSE / NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (NGA) / ATTN: MS S84 - OCS.
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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.