Amendment 13 provides briefing slides from the DTRA Strategic Trends Division Industry Day/Research Topic Information Session and includes a summary of questions and answers from the event. The amendment also clarifies the submission dates and email addresses for white paper submissions relating to different thrust areas. Foreign organizations are required to partner with U.S. organizations as prime contractors in order to submit white papers or proposals.

The Strategic Trends Research Initiative (STRI) for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) held an industry day to discuss their FY21 research requirements and topics of interest. The research focus areas include competition with revisionist powers, assessing and countering emerging WMD-related threats, strategic dialogues with allies and partners, and tabletop exercises focusing on competition. The submission process for white papers and proposals was outlined, with specific review periods for each project type.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is hosting a Research Topic Information Session on March 18, 2020, to provide information on research requirements and topics of interest. The session will cover seven thrust areas for FY 2020 and explain submission procedures. Interested parties must register by March 10, 2020, and submit questions by March 13, 2020.

1) SI-STT is interested in studies that address the National Defense Strategy's line of effort to strengthen alliances and partnerships, but studies focused on third party actors should be demonstrably relevant to countering the influence and aggression of great powers like Russia and China. 2) White Papers do not need to address all three Focus Areas, but it is important to identify which Thrust Area the White Paper addresses. 3) The STRI BAA does not fund conferences or symposia, but focuses on studies, dialogues, and tabletop exercises that provide operationally relevant insights and recommendations to DTRA and the Warfighter.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has made changes to their Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to reflect their current areas of interest for FY21. They are seeking unclassified studies focused on competition with revisionist powers and assessing and countering emerging WMD-related threats. The deadline for priority funding consideration is May 12, 2021.

The Research Topic Information Session scheduled for March 18, 2020 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and questions related to the acquisition and process can be submitted via email. Contact information for specific research thrust areas is provided for further inquiries.

This document is a compilation of questions and answers related to BAA HDTRA-20-S-0002. It clarifies that a security clearance or facility security clearance is not required for the projects, and that the Research Topic Information Session was cancelled due to a public health emergency. It also states that multiple White Papers and Proposals from one organization or institution are acceptable, and that foreign nationals from allied nations may be included in research teams.

DTRA does not plan to adjust the suggested periods of performance for hosting Strategic Dialogues, but offers can propose alternative approaches to account for the fluid public health situation. Separate White Papers should be submitted for Strategic Dialogues in Thrust Area 5 and Thrust Area 6, unless there is a clear relationship between the two efforts. The funding for each project will depend on the benefit to the Agency, the depth of research, and the chosen Thrust Area. Other federal agencies are not eligible for fee-based research work under this BAA.

The period of performance for the thrust area 5 white papers is suggested to be 12 months, but it can be shorter. There will be no multi-year awards. Sufficient information on the primary investigator should be provided in the white papers for evaluation. The deliverables specified in the BAA and the statement of research work template should be included, but additional deliverables may be considered if they are appropriate for the project. Publications and other written products should be discussed at the project kickoff meeting and may require information release review processes. Each proposed project will be evaluated based on the criteria in the BAA and expected benefit to the agency. A signature from an authorized officer at the institution is required for white paper submission. The deadline for first review of white paper applications/offers is April 2 and is not expected to change.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency has announced that the next Phase I - White Paper submission review will take place on October 9, 2020. No additional White Papers will be reviewed before this date due to the overwhelming response. The proposal evaluation process will continue for those who have been invited to submit proposals, and it is expected that the FY2020 funds will be awarded to the current invited participants.

The Strategic Trends Division has modified the schedule for Phase I - White Paper submission review to January 2021. The review for studies will begin on January 5, 2021, for dialogues on January 12, 2021, and for tabletop exercises on January 19, 2021. There will be another BAA amendment outlining modifications to the FY2021 review period.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has made changes to the Broad Area Announcement (BAA) and its attachments, reflecting current areas of interest. The BAA now includes three focus areas: establishing relationships with allies, understanding emerging capabilities, and identifying emerging WMD threats. Additionally, the BAA outlines four thrust areas for FY2021, including studies on competition with revisionist powers and assessing and countering emerging WMD-related threats. The BAA allows for unlimited proposals, with a maximum effort of one full-time equivalent per key personnel, and the period of performance for selected proposals is generally up to 12 months.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has made changes to the Broad Area Announcement (BAA) and Attachments to reflect its current areas of interest, focusing on characterizing the 2027 to 2032 battlespace and seeking research papers that provide insight and recommendations on emerging threats. DTRA is also seeking strategic dialogues with allies and partners and tabletop exercises that strengthen its workforce's understanding of challenges and opportunities for DTRA's support in crisis or conflict situations involving weapons of mass destruction. Interested participants can register for a virtual Research Topic Information Session and submit white papers and proposals by specific deadlines.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is seeking research proposals through their Strategic Trends Research Initiative (STRI) program. The program aims to generate insights into emerging threats within counter weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) and counter improvised threats (CIT) mission spaces. Researchers are invited to submit white papers and proposals in various focus areas aligned with the priorities of the 2018 National Defense Strategy.