COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT (CRADA) OPPORTUNITY: NC3 INNOVATION ALLIANCE

CRADA ANNOUNCEMENT

Title: Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Opportunity: NC3 Innovation Alliance

Agency: Department of Defense, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM)

Office: Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) Enterprise Center (NEC)

Notice Type: Special Notice

Synopsis

The NC3 Enterprise Center (NEC) invites businesses, academic institutions, and other non-federal research entities with innovative technologies to participate in the NC3 Innovation Alliance. This initiative is facilitated through a novel Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) designed to foster multilateral collaboration on the complex challenges of NC3 modernization.

The objective is to apply collective expertise, tools, and ideas exploring the applications of commercial and emerging technologies to enhance the NC3 Enterprise. This collaboration will enable all parties to achieve more effective research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) outcomes together than each could in isolation.  Services and capabilities provided through the NC3 Research, Engineering, Architecture, and Collaboration Hub (REACH) and partnership intermediary may be used in support of this activity.

Requirements for Participating Entities

Entities seeking to participate in the NC3 Innovation Alliance CRADA must meet the following requirements as stipulated in the agreement:

• Entity Type: Participation is open to non-federal entities (NFEs), including industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and local or state government organizations.
• Location and Ownership: Organizations must be based in the United States of America and be free of foreign ownership, control, or influence (FOCI).
• Business Registration: Entities must operate under a valid Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code and have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) registered with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) via SAM.gov.
• Authorization: Each entity must designate a point of contact who is legally authorized to bind the organization and guarantee compliance with the terms and conditions of the CRADA.

Areas of Interest

The collaboration will focus on a wide range of NC3 modernization challenges and research questions, including but not limited to:

• Application of AI/ML, Quantum, and other emerging technologies to C3 scenarios
• Cybersecurity, Cyber Sensing, and Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM)
• Software Assurance (SwA) and Hardware Assurance (HwA)
• Advanced Communications and Networking Technologies
• Data Sciences, Resilient Architectures, and System Design
• Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations, EMP Hardening, Testing, and Certification

Process for Engagement

Interested parties are invited to express their interest by sending their business Capability Statement or CV no later than March 27th, 2026 to the mailbox below.  Please use “NC3 Innovation Alliance – Inquiry” in the subject of your email.

stratcom.offutt.nec.mbx.nec-industry@mail.mil

NEC representatives will review submissions to verify that interested entities meet the eligibility requirements. Once eligibility has been confirmed, the NEC will use the Department of Defense (DoD) Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE) service to share the proposed CRADA document with the applicable entities for their review.