Communications and Networking Discovery and Invention | N00014 17 S B012

Opportunity Information: Apply for N00014 17 S B012

The Communications and Networking Discovery and Invention opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number N00014-17-S-B012) is a discretionary research grant program from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) focused on advancing next-generation communications and networking technologies for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps missions. The central motivation is the Navy's shift toward network-centric operations, where mission success depends on getting the right information to the right place at the right time. In practical terms, the program is looking to support science and technology research and development that improves how naval forces communicate, share data, and maintain reliable connectivity across a wide range of operational scenarios.

The opportunity emphasizes that command and control (C2) effectiveness and decision-making at every echelon depend on communications networks that are reliable, interoperable, survivable, secure, and timely. It also highlights the growing need for high-capacity multimedia communications, including voice, data, and imagery, because nearly all Navy missions now rely on moving large amounts of information quickly and safely. Rather than treating communications as a supporting function, this program frames connectivity and networking as foundational to modern naval capability, tightly linked to sensor performance, weapon system integration, and coordinated operations.

A major theme in the description is the operational reality that naval communications must work across many different platforms and users, including both manned and unmanned systems. That includes ships, aircraft, submarines, autonomous vehicles, and distributed teams, all of which may need to interoperate despite differing constraints and mission roles. The opportunity is concerned with communications and networking in multiple environments, explicitly calling out space, terrestrial, and undersea domains. This signals interest in technologies that can bridge or operate within these domains, potentially including cross-domain networking approaches, resilient routing and link management, and methods to maintain performance when transitioning between environments.

The technical challenges described reflect battlefield and contested-environment constraints that tend to break conventional networking assumptions. These include operating with little or no infrastructure, handling mobility and rapidly changing network topologies, working within limited or congested spectrum, and surviving interference. The description also notes multipath and atmospheric effects, which are common causes of signal degradation in real-world maritime and expeditionary settings. In addition, it highlights size, weight, and power constraints, which are especially important for unmanned platforms and deployed units where payload capacity and energy are limited. Collectively, these constraints point to research that improves robustness, adaptability, and efficiency, not just raw throughput.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a grant (not a contract) under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category, with CFDA number 12.300. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a broad range of applicants could apply (for example, universities, companies, nonprofits, and other research performers), consistent with ONR's typical approach to sponsoring foundational and applied research. The original closing date shown is September 25, 2017, and the public listing does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards, which often indicates that funding levels and award counts may vary based on proposal quality, program priorities, and available budget.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as ONR seeking innovative research that can materially improve naval communications and networking in challenging, contested, and diverse operational environments. The program aligns with the Navy's broader vision of network-centric warfighting by targeting the underlying technologies that enable resilient C2, effective sensor-to-shooter connectivity, and dependable information sharing across distributed forces, even when conditions are degraded by interference, limited spectrum, mobility, and harsh propagation environments.

• The Office of Naval Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Communications and Networking Discovery and Invention" 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 2017-04-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-09-25. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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