DEVCOM Analysis Center seeks white papers and full proposals for scientific research that supports the DAC mission. White papers and proposals are expected to be for cutting edge innovative research that could produce discoveries with a significant impact to enable new and improved Army technologies and related operational capabilities and related technologies.
Proposers are encouraged to check the current research topics of interest and contact the technical point of contact to discuss their ideas prior to preparing their proposal. Proposals in other areas will be considered if relevant to the US Army and align with the DAC mission.
White papers and proposals will be accepted and assessed on a rolling basis until 4 January 2028.
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DAC+BAA+W911NF23S0003_20230105+FINAL
Research Topics of Interest at February 2025
- The science and analysis of systems of systems – methodologies and tools to characterize the performance of systems of systems at the engineering level so that the exact interactions between and across Army systems can be accurately portrayed in Army M&S and analysis
- Analytical methodology for future army systems enabled by quantum technology – tools for analyzing quantum systems that enable entirely new Army capabilities.
- Artillery – hypersonics data and analysis – data and analytic methods to fully describe the effects of the environment on hypersonic vehicles in flight, and the weapon/target interaction (terminal ballistic conditions).
- Network vulnerability and effects assessment – analytical methodology and capabilities to characterize hardware and software that enable Electromagnetic Warfare and Cyber capabilities to assess operations of Army Network and communication platforms and dismounts, while maintaining freedom to maneuver, communicate, and sense.
- Human-technology cooperation in Defense command and control operations – concepts and methods for structuring and evaluating automated command and control capabilities as they progress through development
- Human-systems integration analysis – artificial intelligence/machine learning for Army system development and assessment – increase the Army’s capacity to process and analyze the data by assisting and augmenting HSI analysts through the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms, to include deep learning algorithms.
- Human-systems integration analysis – augmented realty displays for enhanced crew situational awareness – novel and intuitive methods, processes, and AR overlays and displays and to identify performance benefits (ie quicker reaction time, higher situational awareness, lower workload, enhanced battlefield management) of providing 3D objects in ‘out-the-window’ space (augmented reality).
- Cybernetic systems (inferring human intent for seamless human-AI intelligence interactions) – developing a standard data-service, analytics, and inference engine of human intent based on repository of continuous human-machine interactions and workflows to enable seamless collaborative decision-support by AI systems and advanced command by intent relationships
- Humans in multi-agent systems – critical technological breakthroughs needed for future Army multi-, mixed-agent teams across distributed network systems.
- Human systems integration modelling and analysis – effective models and methodologies for predicting and enhancing human, system of system, and mission capabilities throughout the acquisition cycle.
- Manoeuvre support and protection: preserving essential capabilities – preservation of means, assets and activities to sustain operation of equipment, systems, man-machine teaming, and connectivity despite interference, disruption, assault or combat.
- Manoeuvre support and protection: deny enemy freedom of action – novel and efficient methods, processes and effective approaches to limit enemy ability to move, see, understand or strike friendly forces, designated assets, communities or areas.
- Manoeuvre support and protection: enable persistent access – ensuring organizations can establish and retain operational locations and support areas, establish and retain mobility corridors, and to access decisive spaces.
- Manoeuvre support and protection: understand the operation environment – Broad research areas include but are not limited to threat sensing, geospatial data collection, 2D and 3D mapping of surface-subsurface-interior spaces, terrain and infrastructure assessment and mobility assessment.
- Sustainment performance and mission success impacts – understand how sustainment parameters affect overall system performance and what decisions need to be made to optimize sustainment positioning in order to maximize overall longstanding system performance and availability.
- Reliability of alternative methods for energy generation and storage alternatives– understanding factors that will balance the increased capabilities envisioned in a more robust electrification vs the reliability of the systems to make that power realizable and how to model and assess that dynamic.
- Using neural networks to improve Army forecasting – investigate the feasibility of using neural network and machine learning technology to forecast peacetime wholesale average monthly demand.
- Using machine learning and open source big data platforms to enable prognostics and predictive maintenance – on-platform data processing for prognostics and predictions using edge devices, a deployable telematic solution, and scalable Enterprise analytics.
- Solar panel performance analysis – quantify the performance of emerging solar cell technologies and to better understand their ability to support the Army’s goals.
- Modelling and simulation tools and algorithms to assess electromagnetic pulse vulnerability, survivability and mitigation/shielding – materials, data, and available methods that accurately simulate the attenuation and/or mitigation of the effects of an EMP exposure; understanding the coupling performance in exposed elements (eg antenna) for a range of EMP source strengths, to include angle of attack (eg perpendicular, parallel, etc)
- Automated geometry simplification to support rapid survivability, lethality and vulnerability analysis – automatically leveraging constructive solid geometry representation to improve metrics.
- Personnel survivability – identify, understand, quantify, and model the effects of threat-target interactions on combat personnel, including injury assessment, performance, and operational effectiveness.
- Simplified combat simulation to support science and technology community – developing simplified user interfaces and output file processor tools for OneSAF.
