EconDefense
ACQ-01 / Research, innovation and experimentation

Conduct and purchase defense-relevant research and development

Conduct basic, applied and advanced research and development internally, through military departments, by contract, or by agreement with another federal agency.

Action briefPDF dossier · original 168Download record
Authority / instrument · ACQ-01

Research & experimentation

Research, innovation and experimentation

Statute & instrument
Authority holder

Secretary of Defense or Secretary of a military department

What this does not authorize / hard limit

Not authority to fund a project with no potential defense interest.

Recorded executor

DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office; Performing laboratory or external research performer

Continue to actor →

Recorded executing role; this record-specific route is not an additional institutional office.

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedAppropriate available RDT&E or other lawfully available funds; budget owner must document purpose, period and amount. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementUse documentedONR supplies a concrete competitive Navy/Marine Corps S&T route, not an exclusive implementation of the broad defense-research power. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Public evidence describes the institution and instrument; it is not approval of an individual transaction.

At a glance

Possible toolACQ-01 · Contracts & purchases
Legal basis10 U.S.C. §4001

Authority holder: Secretary of Defense or Secretary of a military department

Contracts & purchases

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.

Program process and intake

Checked 2026-10-04 · program documented. Program evidence is separate from legal authority, available funds and transaction approval.

ONR supplies a concrete competitive Navy/Marine Corps S&T route, not an exclusive implementation of the broad defense-research power.

ONR long-range S&T BAA

Who this route serves
Research performers in industry and academia
Administering office / routing lead
Office of Naval Research; ONR Global; Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory
Documented use

The notice implements competitive S&T selection under 10 U.S.C. 3012; it is an illustrative research route, not evidence that every resulting award uses the same legal instrument.

What this evidence label means
Notice published; deadline ahead

Amendment 0008 extends submissions to December 31, 2026 or an earlier successor notice.

Status reference date: 2026-10-04 · research checked 2026-10-04

ONR FY25 Long Range BAA and amendments · N0001425SB001; current deadline and amendmentsofficial solicitation notice · published 2024-10-01 · Evidence record

Program eligibility

  • Worldwide responsible research sources; FFRDCs and government laboratories cannot receive direct awards under this BAA.

    ONR N0001425SB001 Amendment 0008 · B.6–7; C.1; D.4–6; Appendix II paragraph (8) (printed p.69, PDF p.72)official solicitation · Evidence record

Steps and preparation

  • Match a published research area; ONR white papers and questions use its submission portal. Full proposals follow the instrument-specific appendix.

    ONR N0001425SB001 Amendment 0008 · B.6–7; C.1; D.4–6; Appendix II paragraph (8) (printed p.69, PDF p.72)official solicitation · Evidence record
Funding, limits and authority relationship

Funding and financial terms

  • research award; instrument-specific · FY25-numbered notice amended in2026

    Award amount and duration depend on the selected approach; no universal award size or guaranteed allocation.

    ONR N0001425SB001 Amendment 0008 · B.6–7; C.1; D.4–6; Appendix II paragraph (8) (printed p.69, PDF p.72)official solicitation · Evidence record

Exclusions and limits

Authority relationship source

ONR N0001425SB001 Amendment 0008 · B.6–7; C.1; D.4–6; Appendix II paragraph (8) (printed p.69, PDF p.72)official solicitation · Evidence record

Read the current ONR BAA →

published guidance: Research intake; select the correct ONR/ONRG/MCWL and instrument-specific submission instructions.

Source access and verification notes
  • ONR N0001425SB001 Amendment 0008 · B.6–7; C.1; D.4–6; Appendix II paragraph (8) (printed p.69, PDF p.72)official solicitation · Evidence record

    Automated direct retrieval did not complete on October 4, 2026. This access check does not establish current legal effect or invalidate independently reviewed indexed evidence; see the cited location and this dossier’s access qualifications.

  • ONR FY25 Long Range BAA and amendments · N0001425SB001; current deadline and amendmentsofficial solicitation notice · published 2024-10-01 · Evidence record

    Automated direct retrieval did not complete on October 4, 2026. This access check does not establish current legal effect or invalidate independently reviewed indexed evidence; see the cited location and this dossier’s access qualifications.

Research scope and sources checked

Read current canonical ONR notice and downloaded all75 pages of Amendment0008; checked eligibility, submission and follow-on provisions. A stale ONR test-mirror deadline was excluded.

What remains unverified

  • No award-by-award legal or appropriations validation; awards may use different instruments.

A dated source check is not continuing monitoring. Recheck the linked official notice before preparing a submission. Browse program research →

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

  • Research must be necessary to departmental R&D responsibilities and concern military needs or potential DoD interest.

Limits & exclusions

  • Not authority to fund a project with no potential defense interest.
  • An interagency execution route does not transfer the partner agency’s distinct sovereign powers to DoD.

Funding conditions

  • Appropriate available RDT&E or other lawfully available funds; budget owner must document purpose, period and amount.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • USD(R&E) and Service science-and-technology executives
    Office profile
  • DARPA or Service laboratory/program manager

Resources

  • Sponsoring component RDT&E budget owner; component comptroller
    Office profile

Approval

  • Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary; valid delegate must be confirmed
    Office profile

Execution

  • DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office
    Office profile
  • Performing laboratory or external research performer

Partners & review

  • Operational customer / acquiring program
  • Security, export-control, counsel and fiscal officials as applicable

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Requirement owner → research sponsor/program manager → fiscal and security review → authorized contracting or intramural execution office.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

What this research establishes

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedAppropriate available RDT&E or other lawfully available funds; budget owner must document purpose, period and amount. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementUse documentedONR supplies a concrete competitive Navy/Marine Corps S&T route, not an exclusive implementation of the broad defense-research power. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Confidence: High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.

Currentness: GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation.

Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.

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