Funding Opportunity Announcement FY2020 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) | N00014 19 S F008

Opportunity Information: Apply for N00014 19 S F008

The FY2020 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to find and support early-career academic scientists and engineers who are still in the opening stages of their independent faculty careers and who are seen as especially likely to produce original, high-impact research. The program focuses on researchers in their first or second full-time tenure-track position (or a role ONR considers tenure-track-equivalent) and is limited to investigators who earned a PhD or equivalent degree on or after January 1, 2012. The overall purpose is to bring outstanding new faculty into the Department of the Navy science and technology research ecosystem, provide direct research support, and strengthen participants research and teaching trajectories while aligning their work with Navy and Marine Corps long-term needs.

Research topics must fall within ONR science and technology areas of interest, as described on ONR official webpages. Rather than prescribing a single narrow theme, ONR expects applicants to propose work that clearly connects to one of ONR divisions and the priorities managed by ONR program officers. Because program officers ultimately shape what is most relevant and fundable within each technical area, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate ONR program officer before submitting a full proposal to discuss fit, scope, and how the idea maps to Department of the Navy priorities. ONR also allows brief informal pre-proposals as a way to structure those conversations, but they are optional. If a pre-proposal is sent, it should be emailed to the relevant program officer with a copy to ONRYIP@navy.mil, and applicants are advised to allow enough lead time for real back-and-forth before the deadline.

A complete application requires a research proposal plus at least one letter of support submitted through the institution, and that letter requirement is not optional. Applications missing at least one letter of support are treated as incomplete and are not considered for an award. The announcement emphasizes that the letter(s) of support matter to the evaluation and points applicants to the FOA sections covering evaluation criteria and required submission content and format. The proposal must follow the FOA instructions in the application and submission section, which typically governs page limits, structure, budget presentation, and required forms.

The award is structured as a single-PI effort, meaning only one principal investigator may lead the project and co-principal investigators are not permitted. In practical terms, collaborators can still be involved, but the responsibility and official leadership must rest with one eligible PI. Awards are made to U.S. institutions of higher education that grant degrees in science, engineering, or mathematics. In addition, U.S. nonprofit organizations that primarily provide scientific and educational services may apply, which broadens eligibility beyond traditional universities in certain cases.

PI eligibility is tightly defined. The principal investigator must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a U.S. permanent resident as of the proposal due date. The FOA clarifies that "U.S. national" includes certain individuals from U.S. possessions (for example, American Samoa). The PI must hold a first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent faculty position at the submitting institution and must meet the PhD date cutoff (on or after January 1, 2012). ONR provides additional explanation of what counts as tenure-track-equivalent via a dedicated ONR webpage, which applicants should review if their appointment does not match a standard tenure-track title.

Key administrative details in the source record include the funding opportunity title "Funding Opportunity Announcement FY2020 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP)," opportunity number N00014-19-S-F008, agency Office of Naval Research, instrument type Grant, activity category Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and CFDA number 12.300. The original closing date listed is August 16, 2019, with a creation date of June 21, 2019. The record does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the excerpt, so applicants would need to consult the full FOA for typical budget ranges, performance periods, and the planned number of selections for that cycle.

• The Office of Naval Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Funding Opportunity Announcement FY2020 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.300.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-06-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-08-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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