This ISN/CTR grant, the Nonproliferation Scientist Engagement Program (NSEP), is for safeguarding U.S. national security. It aims to prevent adversaries like Iran, North Korea, and China from exploiting sensitive nuclear, missile, and advanced technical expertise. The program engages vulnerable civilian scientists, technicians, and engineers (STEs) susceptible to exploitation due to displacement or financial hardship. By partnering with these individuals, NSEP denies adversaries critical knowledge that could be used for WMD programs threatening the American homeland. This also protects America’s technological edge, preventing expertise proliferation and fostering U.S. scientific collaborations.
Opportunity ID: 359218
General Information
| Document Type: | Grants Notice |
| Funding Opportunity Number: | DFOP0017252 |
| Funding Opportunity Title: | Denying U.S. Adversaries Access to Sensitive Nuclear, Missile, and Advanced Technical Expertise for Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs that Threaten America |
| Opportunity Category: | Discretionary |
| Opportunity Category Explanation: | – |
| Funding Instrument Type: | Cooperative Agreement |
| Category of Funding Activity: | Other (see text field entitled “Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity” for clarification) |
| Category Explanation: | Non-proliferation |
| Expected Number of Awards: | 5 |
| Assistance Listings: | 19.033 — Global Threat Reduction |
| Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: | No |
| Version: | Synopsis 1 |
| Posted Date: | May 30, 2025 |
| Last Updated Date: | May 30, 2025 |
| Original Closing Date for Applications: | Jul 30, 2025 |
| Current Closing Date for Applications: | Jul 30, 2025 |
| Archive Date: | – |
| Estimated Total Program Funding: | $6,000,000 |
| Award Ceiling: | $2,000,000 |
| Award Floor: | $100,000 |
Eligibility
| Eligible Applicants: | Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification) |
| Additional Information on Eligibility: | The following organizations are eligible to apply: U.S. for-profit organizations or businesses; U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations with or without 501(c) (3) status of the U.S. tax code; U.S.-based private, public, or state institutions of higher education; foreign-based non-profit organizations/non-government organizations (NGO); Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs); Public International Organizations (PIO) ; Foreign Public Entities (FPE); and foreign-based institutions of higher education. |
Additional Information
| Agency Name: | Bureau of International Security-Nonproliferation |
| Description: | ISN/CTR created the Nonproliferation Scientist Engagement Program (NSEP) to provide focused, near-term national security engagement to civilian scientists, technicians, and engineers (STE) with nuclear, missile, and other advanced WMD-relevant technical expertise who are geographically displaced or otherwise rendered financially vulnerable to exploitation by Iran, North Korea, China, or other U.S. adversaries for WMD programs that threaten the American homeland, American lives, and American prosperity. Tailored for FY 25/26 to advance President Trump’s Maximum Pressure Campaign on Iran, address North Korea’s WMD and ballistic missile programs, and deny the Chinese Communist Party access to expertise to advance WMD programs designed to challenge American security and American leadership, NSEP focuses narrowly on the subset of civilian STEs who have scientific or engineering expertise that could be redirected and exploited by U.S. adversaries to support nuclear, ballistic missile, and advanced weapons programs that could be used to attack the United States. Additionally, this program protects America’s technological edge by preventing expertise proliferation of sensitive technical expertise to U.S. adversaries and builds U.S. private sector and related scientific partnerships with these scientists instead. |
| Link to Additional Information: | Link to Opportunity in MyGrants |
| Grantor Contact Information: | If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:
SciEngagement@state.gov
Email:- |
Version History
| Version | Modification Description | Updated Date |
|---|---|---|
Related Documents
Folder 359218 Full Announcement-NOFO Documents -> FY25 CTR Project Narrative Template 250708.pdf
Folder 359218 Full Announcement-NOFO Documents -> FY25 CTR Consolidated Project List.pdf
Folder 359218 Full Announcement-NOFO Documents -> NSEP FY25 NOFO DFOP0017252 – 6 June 2025.pdf
Folder 359218 Full Announcement-NOFO Documents -> Monitoring Indicator Table Sample.pdf
Folder 359218 Full Announcement-NOFO Documents -> FY 2025 Budget Template 241004.pdf
Folder 359218 Full Announcement-NOFO Documents -> CTR NOFO Q&A – posted 11 July.pdf
Packages
| Agency Contact Information: | SciEngagement@state.gov |
| Who Can Apply: | Organization Applicants |
| Assistance Listing Number | Competition ID | Competition Title | Opportunity Package ID | Opening Date | Closing Date | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.033 | PKG00290896 | May 30, 2025 | Jul 30, 2025 | View |
Package 1
Mandatory forms
359218 SF424_4_0-4.0.pdf
359218 SF424A-1.0.pdf
359218 SF424B-1.1.pdf
359218 BudgetNarrativeAttachments_1_2-1.2.pdf
359218 ProjectNarrativeAttachments_1_2-1.2.pdf
Optional forms
359218 SFLLL_2_0-2.0.pdf
359218 AttachmentForm_1_2-1.2.pdf
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