Contacting the Program Manager and Seeking Feedback
by Jeff Decker, PhD and Nilay Papila, PhD, Technology Transfer for Defense, Stanford University
The Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Department budget request is for $143.2 billion in research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). Despite the vast amount of funding, winning research funding is complicated. It demands a strategic approach and effective communication to match academic research with Defense Department grants. Technology Transfer for Defense (TT4D) at Stanford University has won dozens of academic grants and offers tailored support to help researchers win government funding. To date, we laid out a roadmap on Defense Department research funding and described how to find Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) on grants.gov. In this post, we offer advice on how researchers align their research to the BAA by creating a one-page research summary and engaging the program manager.
Determining Fit Between Research and the BAA
As mentioned in our previous post, researchers should assess their project's alignment with the BAA's eligibility section. After validating eligibility, the single most effective thing a researcher can do to increase their chances of securing funding is to connect with the BAA’s Program Manager (PM) or Technical Point of Contact (TPOC). objectives and contacting the Program Manager listed in the document to discuss project ideas.
Create a one-pager presenting how your research fits with the BAA
Creating a one-pager is not a “real” step in the Defense Department’s grant funding process. Yet, we have found it to be a useful step that saves us time and develops our network. Before reaching out to a PM, researchers should write a one-page paper highlighting the key aspects of the research and how it aligns with the BAA. We recommend using the Heilmeier Catechism to frame your research and present it in a concise and clear way that resonates with PMs. The Catechism frames research by posting eight questions:
What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.
How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
What is new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
Who cares? If you are successful, what difference will it make?
What are the risks?
How much will it cost?
How long will it take?
What are the midterm and final “exams” to check for success?
Addressing these eight questions in a one-pager will provide the PM with the necessary information for them to determine if your research is a good fit for their program. If so, answers to the eight questions will provide the necessary context for the conversation. If it isn’t a good fit, researchers save themselves time by only writing a one-pager and not a full 5-page white paper.
Engage the Program Manager
TT4D recommends emailing the PM introducing yourself and your research to set up a conversation. Here is a sample template of what an email might look like:
Hi [Program Manager's Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I am [your position, college/university] and am very interested in [Program Name and/or Call/BAA number] based on my work/experience with [something that makes your research notable and/or uniquely suited to this BAA]. Do you have 20 minutes to discuss this program and my research to determine if it is a good fit?
If so, might any of the following dates/times suit you:
22 April: 1-2 or 3-5pm EDT
24 April: 9-10am EDT
27 April: 11-2pm EDT
Attached, please find a one-pager outlining my research as relevant to this BAA/program. Thank you for your time to consider my request. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my project further and benefit from your invaluable feedback.
Best regards,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Contact Information]
PMs are overwhelmed by emails. We advise keeping the initial email short, saving your detailed questions about the application process, guidelines, and relevance for the conversation. Be sure to attach your one-pager, but be prepared to answer the eight questions during the call in the event the PM was unable to read the attachment.
Discuss Research Alignment
During the conversation, researchers should spend roughly half the time learning about the PMs programs as much as sharing information about their research. PMs often have broad portfolios and another program or BAA may be a better fit for the researcher's interests.
When it comes to discussing your research, researchers should not only be able to discuss the technical merit of the research, but also how the research will impact the sponsoring organization (Heilmeier #4). If the researcher is unsure, they should get the PM’s input on how they’ve seen similar research be useful to the organization. One critical point to listen for is the metric of success. For example, when discussing time savings, does the PM describe the resaerch’s potential value to the sponsoring organizations in years, months, days, or seconds?
At the end of the call, the PM will likely invite you to submit a white paper or won’t. If researchers are invited, great (!) the research appears to align with the BAA. Researchers should take notes about the call and incorporate those notes into the white paper. If the PM does not extend an invitation, the researcher has taken the steps necessary to create a relationship with the PM which might lead to future research funding opportunities.
We hope that by following these steps, you can navigate the application process smoothly, increase your chances of success, and minimize the guesswork that goes into responding to a BAA.
Technology Transfer for Defense (TT4D) specializes in matching Defense Department funding with academic research projects. Over the past six years, TT4D has worked with dozens of faculty members to win Defense Department grants and transition academic technologies from lab to defense capabilities. TT4D is run by Jeffrey Decker, PhD, program director, Precourt Institute for Energy, Fu-Kuo Chang, professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Nilay Papila, senior program manager, Precourt Institute for Energy.