FY25 Minerva Research Initiative University Research Program | HQ003425NFOEASD01

Opportunity Information: Apply for HQ003425NFOEASD01

The FY25 Minerva Research Initiative University Research Program is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) grant competition run through Washington Headquarters Services that funds innovative, basic social science research tied to security and defense-related questions. The core idea is to strengthen DoD understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral, and political dynamics that shape conflict, competition, stability, and cooperation in regions and issue areas that matter to U.S. strategic interests. Minerva is explicitly oriented toward foundational knowledge and method development in the social sciences, while also trying to build a more candid, constructive, and sustained relationship between DoD and the academic research community.

Programmatically, Minerva is designed to concentrate top university expertise on questions that help explain present and future sources of conflict and change, improve insight into political trajectories across key regions, and expand DoD access to cutting-edge interdisciplinary work in social science and foreign area studies. Although it is a multi-service effort and may draw technical input from different military departments, final funding decisions are made by Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) personnel. The solicitation encourages novel white papers and full applications, signaling an interest in creative approaches, new datasets, new measurement strategies, and theory-building that can advance how national security-relevant social phenomena are understood.

This funding opportunity focuses proposals into six topic areas, and applicants are instructed to submit each proposal to only one topic even when there is overlap. The six topics are: (1) Societal Cohesion and Conflict, which broadly covers how societies hold together or fracture and the pathways that lead to unrest or violence; (2) Advancing Influence Measurement(s), emphasizing improved ways to detect, quantify, and interpret influence and related effects; (3) Arctic at the Polar Crossroads, centered on strategic, social, political, and human dimensions of change in the Arctic; (4) Cultural Resilience, Climate, and Human Security in Oceania, which links climate pressures with community resilience, identity, governance, and security in the Pacific; (5) Social Impact of Technological Change, focusing on how emerging technologies reshape societies, institutions, and behavior; and (6) Deterrence and Competition across Military and Civilian Spheres, addressing how competition and deterrence operate across defense and non-defense domains, including interactions among state, civilian, and societal actors. The topic descriptions in the solicitation are meant to guide applicants but not narrowly constrain them, so proposals can be framed creatively as long as they credibly align with one selected topic.

The program accepts both single-investigator projects and larger collaborative efforts. Team-based proposals are encouraged when the research problem requires different forms of expertise that may sit across disciplines, departments, or institutions. For multi-institution projects, the solicitation is clear about structure: the proposal must name a single Principal Investigator as the responsible technical point of contact, and one institution must serve as the primary award recipient. Applicants must explain the roles of all participating institutions, how the work is divided, and how funds will be apportioned, including any planned subawards. A key review expectation is that the proposal clearly articulates its basic research contribution, meaning the work should do more than provide near-term operational analysis and instead build generalizable knowledge, theory, or methods.

Eligibility is broad within academia. “All responsible sources from academia” may apply, including DoD institutions of higher education and foreign universities. The program also encourages applications from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Institutions (MIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), though it does not reserve a dedicated set-aside of funds specifically for those institution types. University-led teams may include non-profit institutions and commercial entities, but only as subawardees (not as the lead applicant/prime recipient). Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), including Department of Energy national laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under this notice; however, they may participate through teaming arrangements with eligible applicants if such arrangements are permitted under the FFRDC’s sponsoring agreement.

Administratively, the opportunity is a discretionary grant with a science and technology / research and development activity classification under CFDA 12.630. The funding opportunity is identified as HQ003425NFOEASD01, with an original closing date of February 28, 2025. The solicitation lists an award ceiling of $30,000,000 and anticipates making about 15 awards, indicating that Minerva expects to fund a portfolio of projects that may vary in size and scope, from individual investigator studies to larger interdisciplinary, cross-institution collaborations. For the full requirements, application instructions, and the detailed framing of each topic area, applicants are directed to the complete funding opportunity materials in the “Related Documents” section, including Appendix B on Minerva Research Topics of Interest.

• The Washington Headquarters Services in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 Minerva Research Initiative University Research Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $30,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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