The aim of Undersea Medicine and Performance is to develop improved methods, models, treatments and devices for understanding, preventing or mitigating factors that negatively impact divers and submariners. Solutions should extend warfighting capability during undersea operations to maximize freedom of action and warfighter dominance.
Research Concentration Areas
- Fundamentals of pathophysiology of decompression illnesses (DCI) and potential mitigation interventions
- Fundamentals of pathophysiology of oxygen toxicity and potential mitigation interventions
- Diver performance optimization
- Technology development for manned undersea operations
Research Challenges and Opportunities
- Basic research to understand the pathology and etiology of decompression illnesses (DCI, i.e., decompression sickness and arterial/venous gas embolism), hyperbaric oxygen toxicity and/or nitrogen narcosis
- Basic research to understand the cognitive impacts and individual responses of the various exposures in the undersea environment
- Applied research investigating the efficacy of nonrecompressive prevention and treatment of DCI
- Applied research investigating prophylactic counter-measures for oxygen toxicity
- Applied research for thermal modeling and novel protective measures against cold water exposures
- Development of a diving suit that resists exposure to pressures greater than 1ATA while diving at depth
- Development of technologies that provide guidance through mission-related tasks by enhancing diver’s navigation and communication capabilities and general awareness of surroundings and threats
How to Submit
For detailed application and submission information for this research topic, please refer to our broad agency announcement (BAA) No. N0001425SB001.
Contracts: All white papers and full proposals for contracts must be submitted through FedConnect; instructions are included in the BAA.
Grants: All white papers for grants must be submitted through FedConnect, and full proposals for grants must be submitted through grants.gov; instructions are included in the BAA.