Opportunity Information: Apply for W911NF 22 S 0003
The Department of Defense (DoD), through the Department of the Army (Materiel Command), released a discretionary Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program under Funding Opportunity Number W911NF 22 S 0003 (CFDA 12.631). The DoD is seeking a single cooperative agreement partner to help implement and execute the SMART program at scale. Unlike a typical grant where the recipient operates largely independently, a cooperative agreement signals substantial DoD involvement in program direction, coordination, and oversight throughout the period of performance.
The funding scope is unusually large: the DoD anticipates making ONE award with a maximum potential value of up to $450 million over a five-year period of performance. The FOA emphasizes innovative applications and cooperative partnering, meaning applicants are expected to propose strong operational, administrative, and program-management approaches that can run a national scholarship-for-service pipeline, not simply a small research project. While the listing shows an award ceiling field that is not populated in the source data, the narrative description makes clear the intended cap is up to $450M total across five years.
At its core, SMART is a highly competitive, STEM-focused scholarship-for-service program established by Congress in 2006 to build the civilian science and engineering workforce supporting national defense. The program is designed to cover full tuition for students attending regionally accredited U.S. colleges and universities, and it can fund students at multiple points in their educational pathway. SMART supports undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students across 21 academic disciplines that DoD has identified as critical to national security and future workforce needs. Since its creation, the program has awarded more than 3,700 scholarships, and it continues to serve as a major talent pipeline into DoD laboratories and facilities.
A defining feature of SMART is the direct linkage between scholarship support and post-graduation service. Scholarships can be awarded for as little as one year and up to five years, and recipients incur a service commitment of one year of civilian employment with the DoD for each academic year of SMART funding. In practice, this means the program is not only paying for education but also recruiting, placing, and retaining early-career scientists and engineers into DoD roles immediately after graduation, strengthening the department's long-term technical capacity.
The FOA situates SMART within the broader DoD STEM enterprise, described as K-20 STEM education and talent development efforts intended to inspire and cultivate future technical leaders. Within DoD STEM, the National Defense Education Program (NDEP) is highlighted as the largest program area, with a mission to ensure the DoD can develop and access high-quality STEM talent essential to national defense. NDEP supports scholarships, internships, enrichment opportunities, competitions, and mentorship, often leveraging partnerships across academia, industry, and government. SMART is presented as one of NDEP's primary mechanisms for talent development and recruitment because it produces a direct, funded pathway from education into DoD employment.
From an applicant and process standpoint, the opportunity was posted in early January 2022 (Creation Date: January 5, 2022) with an original closing date of March 7, 2022. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional clarification expected in the FOA's eligibility section, indicating that prospective applicants needed to consult the full announcement for specifics on which entity types could apply and under what conditions. The announcement stated it would be accessible through Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and the U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory website, reflecting the Army's administrative role in releasing and managing the competition on behalf of the DoD.
To support prospective applicants, SMART scheduled a virtual Opportunity Day on February 9, 2022 (1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern), with registration handled via email to osd.smart@mail.mil. Additional program information, including details on participating DoD sponsoring facilities that ultimately employ SMART scholars, is available through the program website at www.smartscholarship.org. Overall, the FOA is best understood as a large-scale program-operations award intended to sustain and expand a national scholarship-for-service pipeline that feeds directly into the DoD civilian STEM workforce.Apply for W911NF 22 S 0003
- The Department of Defense, Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Funding Opportunity Announcement of Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.631.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 05, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 07, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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