This FOA is soliciting proposals to initiate and sustain an APNT consortium to develop dual-use PNT components, technologies, manufacturing techniques, and system architectures that support the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, and are beneficial to commercial industry.
This consortium is expected to bring together industry and higher-education institutions (four- and two-year universities, community colleges, technical institutes, etc.) to accelerate innovation by investing in industrially relevant technologies with broad applications. The APNT consortium will help bridge the gap between basic/early research and product development by developing and scaling critical technologies in the technology readiness level 2 to 5 ranges. This consortium is encouraged to provide shared assets to help members access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment.
The Government intends for this FOA to support a consortium to advance dual-use technologies, addressing both Army and industry needs for low size, weight, and power (low-SWaP) next-generation assured positioning, navigation, and timing (APNT) technologies that enable navigation in critically important situations where global positioning system (GPS) signals may be unavailable. The motivation for the consortium is to strengthen U.S. competitiveness in advanced manufacturing by encouraging insertion of disruptive PNT technologies into multiple sectors, streamlining integrated testing technologies and ultimately reducing the barrier to entry for new inventors. This consortium will enable a unique public-private partnership to address common challenges, innovate, and accelerate technology transition.
The intent of the consortium is to identify new areas and approaches to PNT technologies for GPS-denied environments, develop key component technologies, and facilitate manufacturing transition. To be successful, the consortium will need to engage with industry, academia, and government to identify key technical gaps through roadmaps, provide for a mechanism to establish and release consortium-led requests for proposals (RFPs) and execution of projects that benefit the APNT ecosystem. R&D topics for the proposed efforts may include software, hardware, and advanced packaging requirements of optical and MEMS-based PNT systems that demonstrate improved bias stability and reduced sensor noise.
An applicant may only submit one proposal, but proposed sub-recipients may team on multiple proposals. Interested applicants from within Duke should contact dukeiln@duke.edu as early as possible.
Proposal Due: 15 December 2021
Thrust Area 1: Novel Materials, Fabrication, and Packaging Techniques for Low-SWaP Inertial and PNT Sensors
Thrust Area 2: Advanced Active and Passive Integrated Photonics for Low-SWaP Atomic Clocks, Quantum Systems, and PNT Sensors
Thrust Area 3: Advancements Towards Low-SWaP, GPS-Free PNT Technologies
Eligibility to respond to this FOA is limited to U.S. consortia who will serve as the lead organization and recipient of the APNT award to strengthen the US manufacturing supply chain. The lead organization will propose a partnership that may include businesses, manufacturing firms, institutions of higher education, associated institutes. Businesses of all sizes and structures are encouraged to participate as part of a teaming arrangement to capitalize on potential niche expertise.
The lead organization is expected to lead a program that will be of national prominence. The lead organization must be able to command and engage key stakeholders across disciplines and organizations. Effective management of this effort will require a unique blend of organizational, technical, leadership, cultural, and personal skills that are unparalleled. This ecosystem must also develop sustainable programs and practices that continue to attract industry and other membership beyond the 5-year period of this award.