DHS S&T Center of Excellence for Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense - Partner | DHS ST 061 CBTS PARTNER

Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS ST 061 CBTS PARTNER

The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), through its Office of University Programs (OUP), announced a competitive grant opportunity for U.S. colleges and universities to apply as a partner institution for the Center of Excellence focused on Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS). This program sits within DHS S&T's university-based Centers of Excellence model, which funds academic research intended to produce practical tools, methods, and knowledge to improve homeland security operations. The emphasis here is on research and development that strengthens how threats are detected and screened at and across borders, while also defending the integrity and resilience of supply chains that move people and goods.

The opportunity is a discretionary funding program using a cooperative agreement, meaning DHS expects substantial involvement during the project period (for example, coordinating research directions, aligning deliverables to operational needs, and participating in program reviews). The funding activity category is science, technology, and other research and development, and it is listed under CFDA 97.061. Eligible applicants are limited to U.S. institutions of higher education, including both public/state-controlled universities and private universities, reflecting the intent to build an academic research network that supports DHS mission needs.

This particular notice is specifically for partner proposals, not for the lead Center award. DHS also released a separate Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for institutions seeking to serve as the Center lead (referenced as DHS-16-ST-061-CBTS-Lead on Grants.gov). A key feature of this competition is that DHS indicated it may select qualified individual projects from applications submitted under either the lead NOFO or the partner NOFO, regardless of which institution ultimately becomes the lead. In practical terms, that means submitting as a partner can still result in DHS selecting and funding specific research projects even if the applying institution is not chosen as the overall Center leader, and even if the lead institution is different.

The notice also includes an important application constraint intended to prevent duplication: a Principal Investigator who is already listed as a partner under a Center lead application may not submit the same application again under this partner NOFO. That restriction is meant to keep applicants from submitting identical project packages through multiple channels and to preserve a fair review process across lead and partner submissions.

Operationally, the opportunity included an informational webinar scheduled for March 29, 2017 at 3:00 PM EDT, which suggests DHS intended to brief potential applicants on the Center's research focus, how partner roles work, and how to structure competitive project ideas under the cooperative agreement framework. The opportunity was created on March 16, 2017, and the original application closing date was August 4, 2017, giving universities several months to develop project concepts, assemble teams, and prepare the required application materials.

In terms of anticipated funding and scale, the notice lists an award ceiling of $500,000 and an expectation of three awards. While the notice does not detail project periods or required cost share in the excerpt provided, the ceiling and expected award count indicate DHS was looking to support a small set of partner awards or partner-selected projects of moderate size, likely designed to complement the larger Center structure led by the primary awardee. The awarding agency is the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations, Grants Division, which is the DHS entity responsible for managing the grants/cooperative agreement process.

Overall, this grant opportunity was designed to expand the CBTS Center of Excellence beyond the lead university by bringing in additional university partners to conduct mission-relevant R&D. The core themes are improving cross-border threat screening and strengthening supply chain defense, with DHS retaining an active role in guiding and coordinating the work through a cooperative agreement mechanism.

• The Department of Homeland Security, 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 for Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense - Partner" 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 Mar 16, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 04, 2017. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for DHS ST 061 CBTS PARTNER

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