NRL Broad Agency Announcement

NRL Broad Agency Announcement

Supports naval research collaborations with universities, firms, and consortia for practical outcomes.

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) N00173-24-S-BA01 is an open, rolling solicitation accepting research proposals from March 1, 2024 through September 30, 2026 at 4:00 PM Eastern time. NRL is the Department of the Navy's corporate research laboratory, funded through the Office of Naval Research and operated as a distinct entity with facilities in the Washington DC area, Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, and Monterey in California. The BAA covers the full range of NRL research across physical, engineering, and life sciences—from theoretical studies through proof-of-concept to fabrication and delivery of a prototype system. In addition to the umbrella BAA, NRL issues shorter-window Specific BAAs (SBAAs) for targeted topic areas, typically open 15 to 60 days.

Any non-governmental entity may submit proposals: commercial firms, universities with degree-granting programs in science or engineering, and consortia led by such concerns are all eligible. Government agencies and individuals may not submit. NRL explicitly encourages small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, HUBZone firms, women-owned businesses, historically black colleges and universities, and minority institutions. Award instruments vary based on research type and may be procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions. The applicable NAICS code is 541715 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences). Award sizes are not specified in the umbrella BAA document; they are negotiated based on the scope and technical requirements of each proposal.

Prospective applicants should review the BAA document N00173-24-S-BA01 and its amendments (including Amendment 0004) available at nrl.navy.mil, then submit proposals and direct questions to nrl_proposals@us.navy.mil. The BAA mechanism is used for research procurements where it would be impractical to draft a full RFP without constraining the technical response—meaning NRL values investigator-initiated research. Teams with technologies relevant to naval S&T, materials science, photonics, communications, autonomy, or cyber should consider submitting white papers to gauge NRL interest before preparing full proposals.