United States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences Broad Agency Announcement for Basic, Applied, and Advanced Scientific Reserach (FY13-18)

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a continuously open five-year announcement valid throughout the period beginning 6 February 2013 and ending 5 February 2018. New start awards are normally obligated early within each fiscal year. Amendments to this BAA will be posted to https://www.fbo.gov (FedBizOpps) and http://www.grants.gov when they occur. Interested parties are encouraged to periodically check these websites for updates and amendments.

The funding opportunity is divided into two sections- (1) Basic Research and (2) Applied Research and Advanced Technology Development. The Applied Research and Advanced Technology Development Section is divided into four subsections- Training; Leader Development; Team and Inter-Organizational Performance in Complex Environments; and Solider/Personnel Issues.


Basic Research is defined as systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific application of processes or products in mind. The ARI’s Foundational Science Research Unit manages the Basic Research Program and maintains close contact with ARI's applied scientists and other relevant agencies within the Army. These contacts help define issues that require fundamental research, ensure that the basic research program is coordinated across Services, and facilitate the transition of basic research results to applied programs for eventual use by the operational Army.
Topic areas of research interest include the following:
• Improving Training in Complex Environments: Research in this area focuses on developing concepts and methods for training complex tasks and for sustaining complex task performance.
• Improving Leader and Team Performance: The focus of this area is to develop leader adaptability and flexibility, and discover and test the basic cognitive principles that underlie the dynamics of small group leadership and effective leader-team performance in both face-to-face and distributed environments.
• Identifying, Assessing, and Assigning Quality Personnel: This research domain is concerned with identifying and measuring the aptitudes and skills that are unique to the human performance requirements of the Future Force and the sociological and psychological factors that could influence recruitment, retention, and Army performance.
• Understanding Organizational Behavior and Network Science: The focus of this area is on understanding and predicting large and small group behavioral processes in dynamic social networks, whether in simulations, games, or Army organizations.
For more information about ARI's Basic Research Program please contact the ARI Basic Research program manager, Dr. Jay Goodwin, at (703) 545-2410 or jay.goodwin@us.army.mil.