This FOA is intended for proposals related to basic and applied research in the STEM categories, and not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. The proposal submission process has two stages: I. Applicants are encouraged to submit a white paper first to
[email protected], ; and II. Applicants must submit a full proposal through Grants.gov (do not submit white papers through Grants.gov, only full proposals) Applicants are encouraged to submit a White Paper in advance of a Full Proposal to minimize the labor and other costs associated with the production of detailed full proposals that have little chance of being selected for funding. Based on an assessment of the white papers, the responsible Research Program Officer will provide informal feedback notification to the prospective awardees to encourage or discourage submission proposals. The Research Program Officer may also, on occasion, provide feedback encouraging re-work to strengthen a proposal. White Papers may be submitted at any time during the open period of this FOA. A separate White Paper is required for each research proposal.