DHS S&T Center of Excellence Supplement Applications | DHS 24 061 COE SUPP

Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS 24 061 COE SUPP

The DHS Science and Technology Directorate is offering supplemental cooperative agreement funding under the notice titled "DHS S&T Center of Excellence Supplement Applications" (Funding Opportunity Number DHS 24 061 COE SUPP, CFDA 97.061). The purpose is to provide additional support to DHS-funded Centers of Excellence (COEs) so they can continue or expand research and education activities that are already within the approved scope of work of their existing COE awards. The program is positioned as science and technology research and development, with a clear expectation that projects produce meaningful advances that DHS and its operational partners can actually use.

At the core of this opportunity is DHS's emphasis on rigorous, multidisciplinary research housed at universities, designed to be both innovative and operationally relevant. Proposed work is expected to break new theoretical and empirical ground where possible, while also adapting proven methods and technologies to address homeland security mission needs and known technology gaps. DHS signals that it is not looking for incremental work without clear value; instead, it wants strong science and engineering foundations, defensible research methods, and outputs that can be integrated or transitioned to homeland security "customers" (the end users in DHS components and related mission partners). Taken together, the set of projects supported through these supplements should add up to a portfolio that generates substantial original and cutting-edge results, not just isolated academic studies.

Eligibility is tightly restricted. This announcement is open only to existing DHS COE recipients specifically listed in the notice, and it is not a general competition for new institutions or new COEs. The eligible applicants category is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, which aligns with the fact that the named COEs are university-led. The listed eligible Centers are: National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education (NCITE) at the University of Nebraska Omaha; Soft Target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat Reality (SENTRY) at Northeastern University; the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; the Coastal Resilience Center (CRC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the Center for Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA) at George Mason University; the Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE) at Arizona State University; the Center for Cross-Border Threats Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS) at Texas A&M University; and the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC-ARCTIC) at the University of Alaska.

From an administrative standpoint, the award instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates that DHS expects substantial involvement during performance, such as coordination on priorities, reviews, deliverables, and transition planning. The awarding office is the Office of Procurement Operations, Grants Division. The opportunity was created on 2024-07-01, and the original closing date is 2025-05-23. The notice lists an award ceiling of $10,000,000, signaling that supplemental requests could be significant in size depending on DHS needs and available funding. The number of expected awards is not specified in the provided data, which often means DHS may make one or multiple supplement awards depending on which COEs propose aligned, fundable work and how much funding is ultimately available.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a continuation and expansion mechanism for current COEs rather than a new start program. DHS is using supplemental funding to push existing centers to deepen high-impact lines of research and education, maintain scientific rigor, and keep outputs closely tied to homeland security operational realities, with a strong emphasis on producing results that can move beyond publications and into practical adoption or integration by DHS stakeholders.

• The Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DHS S&T Center of Excellence Supplement Applications" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 97.061.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-05-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for DHS 24 061 COE SUPP

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