The decision comes after a successful 2020 inaugural Global-X Challenge that selected four winning teams with members from Australia, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. These teams are now preparing for innovative concept demonstrations later this year.
The purpose of the Global-X Challenge is to discover, disrupt, and ultimately provide a catalyst through basic and applied research for later development and delivery of revolutionary capabilities to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, the commercial marketplace, and the public.
ONR Global is interested in receiving white papers and proposals on the following challenge topics:
- Alternate Navigation at High Latitude
- High Latitude High Bandwidth Communications
- Persistent Polar Perception
Researchers from academia and industry may participate. ONR Global expects, but does not require, that multi-national teams will consist of at least two research entities outside of the U.S., whether from academia, industry and/or the broad research community. Researchers from U.S. research entities may also participate, but are not required.
“We expect a new round of revolutionary ideas from the brightest international researchers. Alongside an evaluation panel of experts from participant nations of the International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research (ICE-PPR), we are interested in finding promising concepts that achieve innovative capability advances with both military and commercial value, specifically focused in polar science,” said ONR Global Executive Officer Capt. Matt Farr.
Live Webinar launch
The Global-X Challenge will officially launch during a kick-off webinar set for April 29 at 7 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Interested applicants can register for and view the webinar here.
Applicants can also ask questions during the webinar, which will be recorded and posted to a public Global-X website for subsequent review. Furthermore, more information on the challenge statements, important dates, official guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) can be found on the Global-X website.
“We want to build on our previous success and attract the best polar research-focused scientists worldwide. We live in an era where this specific scientific discipline is key for our fleet, and trying to find the best collaborative solutions will help solve present and future U.S. Navy and Marine Corps technology needs,” said ONR Global Technical Director Dr. Rhett Jefferies.
Significant Dates and Times
- White Paper Submission Date: May 28, 2021, by 11:59 p.m. EDT
- Notification of White Paper Valuation: June 11, 2021, by 5 p.m. EDT
- Full Proposal Submission: July 9, 2021, by 11:59 p.m. EDT
- Notification of Selection: Full Proposals: July 30, 2021, by 5 p.m. EDT
- Grant Awards: Sept. 24, 2021, by 5 p.m. EDT
ONR Global sponsors scientific efforts outside of the U.S., working with scientists and partners worldwide to discover and advance naval capabilities.
