Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0006248
The 2020 CTR Countering Threats from Acquisition or Misuse of Emerging and Advanced Technologies for WMD and WMD-Related Delivery Systems opportunity is a U.S. Department of State grant program run by the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN), specifically under its Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) efforts. It is framed around a central national security problem: preventing emerging and advanced technologies from being acquired or redirected in ways that could strengthen weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs or the delivery systems used to deploy them. The opportunity emphasizes that the risk is not limited to traditional smuggling or covert procurement networks. It also includes perfectly legal pathways that can still result in harmful transfer or exploitation, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, research collaborations, talent recruitment arrangements, and other forms of legitimate scientific and commercial engagement that can unintentionally (or intentionally) provide access to sensitive capabilities.
A defining feature of this funding notice is its explicit focus on countering the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the context of technology acquisition and misuse. The program is seeking practical ideas and implementable projects that reduce the likelihood that PRC-linked entities, intermediaries, or affiliated networks can obtain, replicate, or exploit high-impact technologies that could be applicable to WMD development or WMD-related delivery systems. The intent is to address both illicit acquisition (for example, theft of intellectual property, cyber-enabled theft, covert procurement, and forced technology transfer) and licit acquisition (such as investments, partnerships, or acquisitions that may provide access to sensitive know-how, equipment, data, or manufacturing processes). In other words, proposals are expected to take seriously the reality that the same technologies driving innovation in medicine, computing, and aerospace can also be repurposed for strategic weapons programs if adequate safeguards, policies, and controls are not in place.
The technologies highlighted as being of particular interest span several fast-moving, high-consequence areas. The notice specifically calls out certain biotechnologies, including tools such as DNA sequencers and DNA synthesizers, which can be central to advanced biological research but may also enable capabilities relevant to biological weapons development, novel agent engineering, or scaled experimentation. It also highlights microprocessor and high-performance computing, which can support complex modeling and simulation relevant to weapons design, materials research, and other advanced military applications. Quantum information and sensing appears as another priority area, reflecting concern that breakthroughs in quantum technologies could create strategic advantages, including in sensing, navigation, communications, or information processing. Finally, the notice points to guidance and propulsion systems, which are directly relevant to missiles and other delivery platforms, making them a natural focus for efforts aimed at preventing WMD-related delivery system advancement.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary grant competition using a Cooperative Agreement instrument, meaning recipients should expect a more hands-on relationship with the U.S. government than a standard grant, often involving coordination, shared planning, or ongoing engagement with program staff during execution. The opportunity number is SFOP0006248, and it is associated with CFDA 19.033. The program lists eligibility as unrestricted, which generally means a wide range of applicant types may apply (such as nonprofits, universities, think tanks, private sector entities, and potentially others), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may be contained in the full notice. The posting indicates an expected number of awards of 10, with an award ceiling listed as 1 (as provided in the source data). The opportunity was created on November 1, 2019, with an original closing date of January 31, 2020.
Overall, the grant is best understood as a call for concrete, defensible measures that reduce technology-transfer risk tied to WMD and delivery systems, with an emphasis on the PRC as the primary counterproliferation challenge in this specific context. Competitive proposals would typically align to the program’s underlying logic: identify where and how high-value technologies are most vulnerable to acquisition or misuse (through both legal and illegal channels), then put forward actionable interventions that can block, deter, detect, or mitigate those pathways without unnecessarily undermining legitimate research and commerce.Apply for SFOP0006248
- The Department of State, Bureau of International Security-Nonproliferation in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2020 CTR Countering Threats from Acquisition or Misuse of Emerging and Advanced Technologies for WMD and WMD-Related Delivery Systems" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.033.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 01, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 31, 2020. (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 $1.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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