Fiscal Year 2024 Nuclear Forensics Research Award (NFRA) | DHS 24 CWMD 130 NFRA 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS 24 CWMD 130 NFRA 001

The Fiscal Year 2024 Nuclear Forensics Research Award (NFRA) is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding opportunity designed to strengthen the nations nuclear forensics talent pipeline and research capacity. It sits under the National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program (NNFEDP), which focuses on building a durable workforce of recognized technical experts and future leaders in nuclear forensics. The core idea is to deepen collaboration across universities, national laboratories, defense laboratories, and the National Technical Nuclear Forensics (NTNF) interagency community so that academic research and training are tightly connected to real-world national security needs.

This opportunity is explicitly tied to federal direction and strategy. The NNFEDP is part of DHSs implementation of requirements in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended, and it also supports DHS Strategic Plan goals for fiscal years 2020 to 2024. In practical terms, the program is meant to advance DHS efforts to counter terrorism and homeland security threats by improving the ability to detect and disrupt threats and by strengthening capabilities to counter weapons of mass destruction and other emerging risks. Nuclear forensics is a specialized field that helps determine the origin, history, and potential intended use of nuclear or radiological materials, and DHS is using this award to ensure the United States maintains and grows the expertise needed to respond credibly and quickly to incidents involving such materials.

NFRA awards are structured to support the formation of a research team that includes university faculty, students, and technical staff working in coordination with national or defense laboratories. Rather than funding isolated academic work, the program emphasizes collaborative, applied research arrangements that help students and researchers gain experience alongside laboratory experts and within the broader NTNF mission space. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically means DHS expects an ongoing level of programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant, often through coordination, shared objectives, and active engagement as the work progresses.

Key administrative details are straightforward. The funding opportunity title is Fiscal Year 2024 Nuclear Forensics Research Award (NFRA) and the opportunity number is DHS 24 CWMD 130 NFRA 001. It is a discretionary opportunity in the science and technology and other research and development category, listed under CFDA number 97.130. Eligible applicants include public and state controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education, reflecting the programs focus on building academic pipelines while partnering with federal laboratory infrastructure. The posting lists an award ceiling of $900,000 and anticipates making up to 6 awards. The original application closing date is August 14, 2024, and the opportunity was created on May 30, 2024. The administering entity is DHS Office of Procurement Operations, Grants Division.

Overall, NFRA is best understood as a workforce-building research program: it funds university-led teams working hand-in-hand with national or defense labs to conduct nuclear forensics research, while also developing students and early-career researchers into the next generation of nuclear forensics professionals who can support national technical nuclear forensics missions.

• The Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2024 Nuclear Forensics Research Award (NFRA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 97.130.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-14. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for DHS 24 CWMD 130 NFRA 001

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