The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program Cooperative Agreement

<p><strong>The Department of War (DoW) seeks innovative applications to cooperatively partner with eligible entities in the implementation and execution of the SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program. The Department intends to award ONE (1) CA award, with a maximum award of up to&nbsp;$1,300M&nbsp;over a ten-year period of performance.&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><br></p> <p>The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) supports the Department's priorities to improve lethality, warfighting, and readiness by developing America’s future technical workforce poised to create advanced technologies, tools, and capabilities necessary to ensure the United States (U.S.) military&nbsp;remains&nbsp;the most powerful and advanced, capable of deterring adversaries and protecting American interests at home and abroad.&nbsp;NDEP is executed by OUSW(R&amp;E) and<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"> </span>ensures the Department’s ability to develop and access high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent vital to addressing key areas of&nbsp;national&nbsp;defense&nbsp;and supporting the&nbsp;warfighter.</p> <p><br></p> <p>NDEP activities provide authentic&nbsp;DoW-relevant&nbsp;learning experiences through a variety of DoW STEM initiatives in the form of scholarships, internships, enrichment activities, project/research-based competitions, and mentorships. One of the main NDEP efforts in addressing talent development and recruitment is through the SMART Program, pursuant to&nbsp;Section 4093 of Title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.).&nbsp;</p> <p><br></p> <p>The SMART Program enables the Department to transform its STEM workforce while addressing near-term workforce demands. Per 10 U.S.C. 4093, the SMART program awards highly competitive scholarships for undergraduate and graduate degrees in any of the 22 STEM academic disciplines critical to&nbsp;national&nbsp;security. Upon graduation, and subject to DoW component requirements, scholars may be considered for a one-for-one employment service commitment within the DoW Civilian workforce. SMART scholars perform many aspects of the&nbsp;national&nbsp;security mission including science and technology, research and development, manufacturing, test and evaluation, maintenance and in-service support, medical research, warfighter support, infrastructure and construction, material decommission and disposal, and intelligence gathering&nbsp;and analysis activities.&nbsp;</p> <p><br></p> <p>The SMART program ensures the<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"> </span>Department has a steady infusion of high-quality technical talent, prepared in areas of critical importance, and ready to apply their technical knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfill the&nbsp;DoW&nbsp;mission.&nbsp;Since its&nbsp;inception&nbsp;in Fiscal Year (FY) 2005, SMART has awarded over 8,000 scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate and graduate STEM degrees. To date, over 4,900 scholars have completed their academic pursuit and transitioned into&nbsp;DoW&nbsp;Workforce.&nbsp;</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Opportunity Day will be held virtually on 29 October 2026</strong><strong style="color: red;"> </strong><strong style="color: black;">from 1300 to 1600 EST</strong><strong>. To register, email osw.smart@mail.mil with subject heading </strong><strong style="color: black;">W911NF-27-R-A001 Opportunity Day. </strong><strong>More details will be provided prior to the event.</strong></p>