Office of Naval Research (ONR) Navy and Marine Corps Department of Defense University Research-to-Adoption (DURA) Initiative

Description

The Defense University Research-to-Adoption (DURA) initiative will address the following technical challenges for defense operations: 1) Lithium-Ion Battery Safety and 2) Electrical Grid Resiliency, Reliability and Security. In addition, the DURA initiative will promote advancing university research from the laboratory to adoption by the defense and commercial sectors.Proposals may address one or both of the technical areas below. Each proposal shall consist of at least two (2) individual research projects and shall provide for the separate annual review of each project to assess its progress and continued viability. Proposed projects should be designed to be self-sustaining beyond the end of the period of performance to support the adoption aspect of the DURA initiative. Accordingly, applicants are encouraged to incorporate into their proposals strategies such as advisors and partners that could augment proposed budgets and provide future funds, such as local and regional companies and investment groups, internal university foundations, local and state government economic development offices, and federal and state small business administration offices.1. Lithium-ion Battery Safety. Safety concerns continue to hamper full adoption of lithium-ion batteries for defense systems, despite significant research investments by the government and the private sector. This Defense initiative will advance promising lithium-ion battery safety technologies at university research laboratories into early laboratory prototypes and potentially minimum viable products for adoption by the defense and commercial sectors via early startups, small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors. Specific technical areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: improved electrolytes; stable high-energy anodes and cathodes; cell components and structures that enhance safety and reliability (e.g. use of electrode coatings and electrolyte additives); safety optimization through battery and battery module design and packaging; and battery management and state of health techniques that prevent and/or mitigate catastrophic failure. 2. Electrical Grid Reliability, Resiliency and Security. Both the defense and commercial sectors recognize the ever-growing criticality to enhance electrical grid reliability, resiliency and security through innovation at the component and system levels. This Defense initiative will advance relevant electrical grid innovations at university research laboratories into early laboratory prototypes and potentially minimum viable products for adoption by the defense and commercial sectors via early startups, small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors. Specific technical areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: advanced electrical power generation, transmission and distribution hardware and software; physical cyber secured industrial controls hardware and software; effective control of microgrids supporting high-dynamic loads; electrical grid protocols and controls to maintain secured operations of critical infrastructure under adverse conditions; hardening of electrical grid components against kinetic and electromagnetic assaults; and affordable, easy-to-deploy microgrids for expeditionary and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations and for remote communities. Proposals should also address the following areas:• Laboratory-to-Market Approaches: To facilitate commercialization, applicants are strongly encouraged to consider inclusion of proven business-oriented activities in their proposals such as business startup training and events, business accelerators and technology incubators.• Workforce/Professional Development: Describe how the program will positively impact workforce development in the applicant’s local and regional area. Applicants are further encouraged to include consideration on how their program will attract and employ veterans and other members of the military community (e.g. reservists).

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