SERDP released a solicitation on December 10, 2025, offering a competitive FY 2027 funding opportunity to researchers across federal agencies, academia and industry.
The solicitation invites pre-proposals responding to targeted Statements of Need (SONs) in five selected topics, designed to advance weapons systems and platforms for Department of War (DoW) installations. Key topics include:
- Alternative Nitration of Energetic Molecules: This SON is focused on developing innovative and scalable synthetic approaches of nitration to form energetic molecules of interest to the DoD that significantly reduces the amount of mixed acid (sulfuric and nitric acids) waste and enables continuous reaction to form the targeted energetic molecules. A process that minimizes mixed-acid use and supports continuous processing would reduce cost, improve safety, and limit harmful byproducts in alignment with the National Defense Industrial Strategy.
- Chemical Stripping of Coatings and Sealants on Composites: This SON seeks effective chemical strippers for removal of organic coatings and sealants applied to composite substrates. Projects would generate test data towards development of a composite chemical stripping specification, either in SAE or military specification format, for stripping non-metallic composite substrates used in Defense aircraft manufacture.
- Corrosion Modeling and Data Validation for Sustainable Corrosion Mitigation Solutions: SERDP is soliciting proposals for a predictive methodology to assess the performance of new, viable corrosion mitigation solutions compared to baseline technologies. This methodology should be able to predict corrosion in complex assemblies, guide redesign where necessary, and predict corrosion damage in variable severity environments.
- Recovery of Critical Minerals from DoW Materiel: Proposals for this SON will focus on technologies and processes to enable recovery of critical minerals from waste DoW materiel. A successful process would reduce reliance on foreign nations for critical minerals mining and refining, as well as reduce the cost, energy, and hazardous byproducts through mining operations.
- Safe Size Reduction of Energetic Materials for Demilitarization: The goal of this SON is to develop a safe, scalable, and durable process to reduce the size of energetic materials, which is essential for expanding the use of closed destruction technology (CDT) in demilitarization operations. This will enable the conversion of energetics into non-energetic products and supporting higher-TRL, lower-cost, higher-throughput treatment of the Demilitarization Stockpile.
The pre-proposal deadline is February 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET. Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the BAA (Broad Agency Announcement) or Federal call instructions and ensure alignment with the applicable SON. For more information about how to apply to the solicitation, visit www.serdp-estcp.mil/workwithus.
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About SERDP & ESTCP
The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) develop and demonstrate innovative, scalable technologies that enhance military readiness, improve warfighter capabilities, and strengthen defense infrastructure. SERDP invests in basic and applied research to secure military installations, and ESTCP puts innovations to the test, fielding real-world solutions that enhance military operations. The programs report to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Energy Resilience & Optimization headquartered at the Pentagon. For more information, visit https://serdp-estcp.mil.
