Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative
The Office of the Secretary of Defense is pleased to announce that the Minerva Research Initiative competition for 2013 awards is now open!
Minerva is a university-based social science basic research program initiated by the Department of Defense in 2008 to improve our fundamental understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape regions of the world of strategic importance to the US. In 2012 ten projects ranging in size from $200K to $5M were awarded Minerva grants, with research just begun or about to begin. We look forward to a new cohort of interesting and important basic research efforts to begin in Fall 2013.
White papers and full proposals are solicited which propose basic research in the following three topics / eleven (11) subtopics listed below. The detailed descriptions of each (found in the released Broad Agency Announcement) are intended to provide the proposer a frame of reference and are not meant to be restrictive. The Minerva program is highly competitive and innovative proposals related to these research topics are highly encouraged.
(1) Belief Formation and Movements for Change
(1-A) Belief formation and influence
(1-B) Group identities and cultural norms
(1-C) Movements for change
(1-D) Collaboration and competition between violent groups
(2) Models of Societal Resilience and Change
(2-A) Economic factors
(2-B) Energy, environment, and resource factors
(2-C) Other factors impacting societal stability and change
(3) Theories of Power and Deterrence
(3-A) The role of the state in a globalized world
(3-B) Cyber norms and governance
(3-C) Beyond conventional deterrence
(3-D) Emerging topics in power and deterrence
Proposals will be considered both for single-investigator awards as well as larger, multidisciplinary and multi-institution teams. This competition is open to institutions of higher education (universities), including DoD institutions of higher education and foreign universities. Non-profit institutions and commercial entities are also eligible to compete as collaborators on university-led proposals.
White Papers: Sunday, September 30, 2012
Full Proposals: Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Visit http://minerva.dtic.mil/ for more information on the FY 2013 Minerva Research Initiative BAA, topic descriptions, and FAQs, as well as links to ongoing Minerva research efforts. Access the BAA directly athttp://www.onr.navy.mil/Contracts-Grants/Funding-Opportunities/Broad-Agency-Announcements.aspx.
Please distribute.
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Erin Fitzgerald, Ph.D
Lead, Minerva Research Initiative
ASD(R&E) Basic Science Office
Research Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
http://minerva.dtic.mil / minerva@osd.mil
