Office of Naval Research Global Launches $750K ‘Global-X’ Challenge
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global are seeking revolutionary ideas to fund for engineering functional biofilms. A biofilm to prevent corrosion on conventional marine surfaces, to resist extreme environmental conditions, may be shape-shifting, and may be configured for a specific form factor at the nano, micro and macro scale to affect surface properties, including reducing skin friction drag and preventing unwanted bio-fouling.
NBIC recently attended a phone briefing so can provide more information if required.
The command has launched Global-X, a nine-month international science challenge worth up to $750,000, to encourage groundbreaking research from all around the world. ONR Global will competitively select and fund revolutionary international research projects in three challenge areas not addressed by its current basic research portfolio. Global-X is designed to stimulate new, high-risk, multidisciplinary research ideas with both military and commercial value, to solve present and future U.S. Navy and Marine Corps technology needs.
ONR Global is interested in receiving white papers and proposals on the following challenge topics:
- Tailored material and manufacturing
- Multifunctional maritime films for persistent and survivable platforms and warfighters
- Object detection and identification in any medium (air, water, sand, earth)
Researchers from academia and industry, encompassing all disciplines and countries, are invited to form multinational teams to address any challenge area. A special notice with specific details about Global-X can be found here. ONR Global Executive Officer Capt. Matt Farr said,
“The objective of Global-X is to accelerate revolutionary research, bridging the gap between the science community’s academic work and warfighter needs. Implementing a multinational team challenge will enable ONR Global to engage the world’s best researchers to create and demonstrate new capabilities that have never been done before. This will undoubtedly benefit all team members.”
Webinar launch
Global-X officially launched during a kick-off webinar on 23 April 2020. Interested applicants can view the recorded webinar here. ONR Global Technical Director Dr. Rhett Jefferies said,
“ONR Global has worked with the brightest minds in the world for decades, and now we have the chance to help these experts connect with each other to explore what is possible in ways they may not have imagined within their own disciplines. I’m excited about our Global-X Challenge and its tremendous potential for sparking new ideas and collaborating in a way that has never been done before and we are confident that we will receive ambitious yet attainable cutting-edge ideas to potentially transfer to our fleet and the commercial market”.
For more information and for the latest updates, visit the ONR website.
