NOFO: Build Partner Capabilities to Protect Critical Advanced and Emerging Technologies

ISN/CTR seeks to protect critical advanced and emerging technologies from theft or forced transfer in several key areas, including but not limited to: aerospace and space technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnologies and bioeconomy related research, nanotechnologies, neuroscience, quantum computing and sensing, semiconductors, and smart city technologies. ISN/CTR also seeks to apply risk reduction tools to more traditional security vulnerabilities that are exploited by proliferator states for military training, geographic influence, etc.

Goal

• Prevent or slow military advancement that is being pursued through the exploitation of the international scientific enterprise and global technology supply chain by enabling governments, academia, and private industry to protect critical and sensitive technology, intellectual property, and data from theft or forced transfer.

Objectives

• Raise awareness in tech and research communities of dual-use applications of technologies: Plan and organize sectoral and cross-sectoral trainings, workshops, and roundtables for government policymakers, university administrators, researchers, tech companies, startups, and entrepreneurs in ISN/CTR partner countries to increase awareness of dual use applications of advanced and emerging technologies and methods used by malign actors to acquire such technology, data, and intellectual property.
• Establish or improve national and institutional level research security and integrity policies and practices: Plan and organize trainings, workshops, roundtables, fellowships, study tours, and grant programs for government policymakers, university administrators, technology transfer officers, academic legal counsels, admissions officers, researchers, and students to develop national and institutional level research security strategies, policies, and frameworks to strengthen the ability of higher education institutions to institute student, scholar, and faculty vetting programs, identify predatory talent programs and scientific conferences, and conduct due-diligence on foreign research collaboration proposals to safeguard valuable and sensitive research, data, and intellectual property.
• Increase intellectual property protection during international research collaborations: Plan and organize trainings for academic and private sector stakeholders in ISN/CTR partner countries to identify predatory contracting language and unfair IP rights that force technology transfer during international collaborations and agreements.
• Enhance institutional data security measures to mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities: Plan and organize trainings, risk assessments or other types of capacity building to secure critical and sensitive technological information, intellectual capital and IP at foreign institutions (academic and private industry) targeted by malign actors to mitigate both insider and outsider threats through robust personnel management, cybersecurity and information security practices, security enhancement grants, or hardware/software procurement.
• Improve due diligence best practices to secure technology supply chains: Plan and organize trainings or workshops to enhance due-diligence efforts, know-your-customer practices, and risk management for ISN/CTR partner country technology companies and foreign entities involved in financing, procuring, or distributing critical technology to secure technology supply chains.
• Provide risk assessment tools to reduce vulnerabilities when procuring technology to be used in smart cities and critical infrastructures: Plan and organize trainings, workshops, and other engagements to build cybersecurity capacity and enable ISN/CTR partner country national, city, and private industry stakeholders make risk informed decisions when adopting smart city technologies.
• Promote responsible innovation in emerging technology communities, and with youth, and women and minority scientists, engineers, and policymakers: Plan and organize training, workshops, and other engagements to promote responsible innovation in emerging technology communities and create a culture of security by developing events to enable youth, women, and minority scientists, engineers, and policymakers to become technology protection champions.
• Developing tools and case studies: Develop country, audience, and tech sector specific case studies to demonstrate technology transfer threats to enable ISN/CTR partners to better understand risk and develop best practices.
• Developing creative solutions for AI Safety and Security: Engage countries leading in AI research and development on safe and secure AI development and use for government, industry and startups, and academic stakeholders. Raise awareness of dual-uses of AI, which could include delivering security related modules during AI training programs, educating AI developers on risks of using untrusted foundational models, providing due diligence tools to evaluate investor military linkages and affiliations, and educating researchers to mitigate exploitation of their talent. Plan and organize projects to leverage AI for nonproliferation applications.

Funding Information

• Total Funding Ceiling: $30,000,000
• Duration: 15 months

Expected Outcomes

• All proposals will measure partner capacity before and after training and engagement, with the expectation that skills, procedures, and abilities have increased due to ISN/CTR support.

Ineligible Activities

• The following activities and costs are not covered under this announcement:
  • Projects intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the applicant organization;
  • Projects seeking funds for personal use;
  • Administration of a project that will make a profit;
  • Expenses incurred before or after the specified dates of award period of performance (unless prior written approval is received);
  • Projects designed to advocate policy views or positions of foreign governments or views of a particular political faction;
  • Alcoholic beverages;
  • Costs of entertainment, including amusement, diversion, and social activities, and any associated costs, are unallowable, except where specific costs that might otherwise be considered entertainment have a programmatic purpose and are authorized either in the approved budget for the federal award or with prior written approval of the Grants Officer.

Eligible Countries

• ISN/CTR seeks to build technology protection capacity in countries including, but not limited to:
  • Australia, Austria, Argentina, Armenia, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Columbia, Croatia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam.

Eligibility Criteria

• U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations with or without 501(c) (3) status of the U.S. tax code; foreign-based non-profit organizations/non-government organizations (NGO); Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs); Public International Organizations; Foreign Public Entities; U.S.-based private, public, or state institutions of higher education; foreign-based institutions of higher education, and U.S. for-profit organizations or businesses.

Application Requirements

• For all application documents, please ensure:
  • All documents are in English, and all costs are in U.S. dollars. If an original document within the application is in another language, an English translation must be provided. If any document is provided in both English and a foreign language, the English language version is the controlling version;
  • All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments;
  • All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper; and,
  • All documents are single-spaced, 14-point Calibri font, with 1-inch margins. Captions and footnotes may be 10-point Calibri font. Font sizes in charts and tables, including the budget, can be reformatted to fit within 1 page width.
  • All application materials must be submitted through the official portal unless you are a U.S. Government entity applying for Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) funding.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.