The Department of Defense (DOD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) released a broad agency announcement (BAA) seeking responses for its fiscal year (FY) 2026 Core Program Statements of Need (SONs). SERDP, in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), leads environmental and resilience research and development at DOD, including basic, applied, and advanced science and technology research. In addition to SERDP, DOD also funds environmental demonstration and validation projects through its Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). The Core solicitation seeks R&D pre-proposals that should outline in detail how investigators will respond to specific objectives related to the following eight topics:

• “Improved Understanding of the Ecological Toxicity of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Sites Impacted by Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF);
• Real-Time Sensors for Detection and Quantitation of PFAS in Soil and Groundwater at AFFF-Impacted Sites;
• Transformation of Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Found in Soil and Groundwater at AFFF-Impacted Sites;
• Evaluating Habitat-Based Approaches for the Conservation and Management of Species of Concern;
• Mechanisms, Pathways, and Outcomes of Ecosystem Transformation;
• Developing Robust Long-Term Baselines for Ecosystem Dynamics and Environmental Change in Key DOD Geographies; and
• Solvent Alternatives for Weapons Systems and Platforms Maintenance Activities; and
• Sustainable Flexible Primer Coatings for Aircraft.”

The cost and duration of time for each proposal are at the discretion of the proposer, who may submit either a standard proposal or limited scope proposal. Standard proposals typically describe a complete research effort relevant to accomplish the scope of work for a duration of two to five years. Limited scope proposals may also be submitted for up to $250,000 in funding to cover approximately one year of work to capture necessary information or demonstrate proof of concept. These proposals often explore approaches to SONs that “have a higher technical risk or otherwise lack supporting data,” and may be eligible for follow-on funding or for submission as a standard proposal, if the initial project is successful.

Interested investigators must submit a pre-proposal by January 7, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET. Invitations for full proposals are expected in February 2025, and full proposals, which are accepted by invitation only, are due by March 13, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET. SERDP anticipates making multiple awards for a total amount of up to $10 million. The full BAA is available here and can be found on sam.gov under Notice ID “W912HQ25S0001.”

This information was prepared for Wayne State University by Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC.