$500M available to combat WMD

[Charles Maris]

Greetings, Engineers,

This is being posted in SCIENCES and ENGINEERING.

Please take a look at the DTRA/Federal opportunity linked below.
$500,000 has been made available to combat WMD, and there are may
topics being solicited in this announcement.

Find the details here:
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=43a66ce552a5be5a384b7de75dc4e1cb&tab=core&_cview=0

From the solicitation: "DTRA safeguards America and its allies from
weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and provide capabilities to reduce,
eliminate and counter the threat and effects from chemical,
biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield explosives. DTRA
seeks to identify, adopt, and adapt emerging, existing and
revolutionary sciences that may demonstrate high payoff potential to
Counter-WMD (C-WMD) threats."

The good news? This federal agency utilizes White Papers, which means
the initial proposal is only four pages, with a rolling deadline (open
now through 2014). In fact, no budget is needed in the Phase I
submissions. Feedback is fairly rapid.

The topic/thrust areas are:

Thrust Area 1: Science of WMD Sensing and Recognition
Thrust Area 2: Cognitive, Information and Network Science
Thrust Area 3: Science for Protection
Thrust Area 4: Science to Defeat WMD
Thrust Area 5: Science to Secure WMD
Thrust Area 6: Cooperative Counter WMD Research with Global Partners

Descriptions to follow. Interested faculty should get in touch with
OSP first.

-Your OSP.

I.6.1. Thrust Area 1: Science of WMD Sensing and Recognition: The
basic science of WMD sensing and recognition is the fundamental
understanding of materials that demonstrate measurable changes when
stimulated by radiation or particles from WMD in the environment. This
research thrust involves exploration and exploitation of interactions
between materials and various photons, molecules, nuclear radiation
and/or particles. These interactions and the specific form of
recognition they provide are used for subsequent generation of
information that provides knowledge of the presence, identity, and/or
quantity of material or energy in the environment that may be
significant.

I.6.2. Thrust Area 2: Cognitive, Information and Network Science:
The basic science of cognitive and information science results from
the convergence of computer, information, mathematical, network,
cognitive and social science. This research thrust expands our
understanding of physical and social networks and advances knowledge
of adversarial intent with respect to the acquisition, proliferation,
and potential use of WMD. The methods may include analytical,
computational or numerical, or experimental means to integrate
knowledge across disciplines and improve rapid processing of
intelligence and dissemination of information.

I.6.3. Thrust Area 3: Science for Protection: Fundamental science
for protection involves advancing knowledge to protect life and life-
sustaining resources and networks. Protection includes threat
containment, decontamination, threat filtering, and shielding of
systems. The concept is generalized to include fundamental
investigations that reduce consequences of WMD, assist in the
restoration of life-sustaining functions, and support forensic
science.

I.6.4. Thrust Area 4: Science to Defeat WMD: Fundamental Science for
significantly improving energetic materials for use against WMD
facilities and systems, for deeper penetration to deny the adversary
sanctuary of WMD, for predictable modeling of counter-WMD munitions
and simulation of in-theater scenarios with accurate lethality
calculations, for minimizing collateral effects when engaging WMD and
for exploiting vulnerable pathways, infrastructure etc. to eliminate
the threat of WMD.

I.6.5. Thrust Area 5: Science to Secure WMDs: Fundamental science to
support securing WMD includes: (a) environmentally responsible
innovative processes to neutralize chemical, biological, radiological,
nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) materials and components; (b) discovery
of revolutionary means to secure components and weapons; and (c)
studies of scientific principles that lead to novel physical or other
tags and methods to monitor compliance and disrupt proliferation
pathways. The identification of basic phenomena that provide
verifiable controls on materials and systems also helps arms control.

I.6.6. Thrust Area 6: Cooperative Counter WMD Research with Global
Partners: Cooperative fundamental research to reduce the global
threat of WMD in collaboration with a broad range of global research
partners. This thrust area involves exploratory applied research that
may have a basic research component to address opportunities to
reduce, eliminate, and counter WMD across the Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, Nuclear, and High Explosive (CBRNE) spectrum. Strong
international relationships will foster smooth transition of C-WMD
program ownership to the partnering country. The foci are to improve
international collaboration to detect, characterize, and report WMD,
and to advance host nation sustainment through a culture of long-term
cooperation and scientific responsibility for C-WMD programs.
Multidisciplinary research in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics promotes transparency through quality research
publications and continual dialogue between scientist/engineers and
young researchers.