U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research Grant for Defense and Engineering Innovation

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), through its Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), has released the Broad Other Transaction Authority Announcement (BOTAA) 25-01 to solicit prototype concepts for potential collaboration. This funding mechanism is designed to support innovative solutions across a wide spectrum of technical domains under the broad categories of Military Engineering (ME) and Engineered Resilient Systems (ERS). Through this BOTAA, ERDC intends to partner with a range of organizations to develop cutting-edge prototypes that support defense readiness, infrastructure resilience, and advanced system capabilities. ERDC operates as a critical component of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and aims to be the premier public R&D entity in civil and military engineering. Under the statutory authority provided by 10 U.S.C. 4022, this BOTAA allows the agency to award Other Transactions (OTs) for prototype projects to a wide variety of performers, including nontraditional defense contractors, traditional defense entities, and nonprofit research institutions. Key focus areas under Military Engineering include protective structures, mobility solutions for manned and unmanned systems, infrastructure maintenance and repair, and vulnerability detection systems. Meanwhile, ERS research targets include cybersecurity, high-performance computing (HPC)-enabled advanced manufacturing, surrogate modeling, and on-the-edge computing for battlefield analytics. Participation in this opportunity begins with submission of a white paper through the ERDCWERX platform. The white paper serves as the initial proposal stage and must align with one or more of the defined focus areas. Evaluations of white papers are ongoing and conducted competitively based on technical merit, cost realism, funding availability, and compliance with eligibility participation models. If selected, the government may request a prototype proposal or technical demonstration, depending on the availability of funds and programmatic needs. White papers not immediately funded may be stored in an ERDC “Electronic Library” and considered for up to three years. The BOTAA is continuously open, and white papers may be submitted at any time while funding remains available. While specific award ceilings or funding amounts are not defined, prototype projects must be relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of Department of Defense (DoD) personnel and associated platforms. Cost sharing is not universally required but may be necessary depending on the type of participants. To be eligible, proposals must include significant involvement from a nontraditional defense contractor, nonprofit research institution, or small business, or must include at least one-third cost share from non-federal sources. Interested parties are encouraged to carefully review submission guidelines and FAQs prior to preparing their white paper. Questions may be submitted using the form provided on the ERDCWERX site. The process may include requests for further technical details, pricing rationales, and collaboration on scope development following initial white paper selection. Contact information is provided for both ME and ERS tracks: Alicia K. Bounds and Jessica B. Wright, respectively, serve as the technical contacts for these areas. This opportunity represents an ongoing path for research institutions and innovative developers to partner with ERDC in addressing critical national defense and resilience challenges.