Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE-URA) | HDTRA1 19 S 0003 MSEE URA

Opportunity Information: Apply for HDTRA1 19 S 0003 MSEE URA

The Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE-URA) opportunity is a Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) that shifts part of DTRA's Basic Research Program into a University Research Alliance model. In practical terms, DTRA is looking to fund a university-led research alliance focused on materials science challenges tied to extreme environments, using a structure where a single U.S. institution of higher education leads and coordinates a broader team of partner organizations. The opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development and is associated with CFDA 12.351. It is listed as a discretionary funding opportunity and, if awarded, would be executed through a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant or contract, meaning DTRA expects to have substantial involvement in the technical direction or program execution as the work proceeds.

The solicitation is set up as a two-phase process, and the first gate is a required, non-binding Letter of Intent (LoI). Even though the LoI is mandatory for eligibility to submit in Phase I, it does not affect scoring or evaluation in either Phase I or Phase II. Its purpose is administrative: it helps DTRA estimate how many submissions are coming and plan the review workload. After the LoI, Phase I consists of submitting a pre-proposal package, which DTRA will evaluate. Only applicants whose Phase I pre-proposals are successful will be invited to submit a full Phase II proposal package. This invitation-only Phase II step is based entirely on the Phase I evaluation results, so the Phase I pre-proposal effectively functions as the main competitive entry point before an organization is allowed to invest in preparing a full proposal.

The anticipated award mechanism is a cooperative agreement as defined under 31 U.S.C. 6305, and the award would go to a U.S. institution of higher education that will serve as the lead for the alliance. While the eligibility field in the source data is described as "Unrestricted," the narrative makes clear that the cooperative agreement is intended to be awarded to a U.S. IHE to lead the alliance, with additional eligibility details referenced in the BAA's Section 3. The solicitation also explicitly encourages the inclusion of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) as defined in 10 U.S.C. 2362(e), signaling that DTRA wants these alliances to be broad, capacity-building collaborations rather than single-lab efforts.

Key administrative details in the announcement include the opportunity number (HDTRA1-19-S-0003 MSEE URA), the initial posting date (May 30, 2019), and the original closing date listed as September 30, 2020. The timeline provided for the early phases is specific: LoIs were due June 21, 2019, and Phase I pre-proposals were due July 17, 2019. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the source data, which typically indicates the ceiling is not specified in the summary record and that applicants need to consult the full BAA for the expected funding levels, period of performance, and any constraints on budget structure. The listing does not specify the expected number of awards in the summary fields either, reinforcing that the full BAA text would be the authoritative source for funding magnitude and program scale.

Finally, this announcement notes a broader programmatic shift: it is one of three BAAs moving a portion of the DTRA Basic Research Program into the University Research Alliance model, and it clarifies that the Chemical and Biological (Chem Bio) Program is not affected by this change. That detail matters for applicants trying to understand DTRA's internal organization and how this solicitation fits into DTRA's overall basic research portfolio, since it signals that MSEE-URA is part of a targeted restructuring rather than an isolated, one-off competition.

• The Defense Threat Reduction Agency in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE-URA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.351.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-05-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-09-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for HDTRA1 19 S 0003 MSEE URA

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