ST-ESE-21-001: DHS S&T Engineering Secure Environments from Targeted Attacks (ESE) Center of Excellence (COE) - Lead
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division notices from 2021.
Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division offered grants of up to $3.6 million to colleges and universities. It expected to make one award worth $36.5 million in total. Applications closed on March 10, 2021.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed February 24, 2021. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$3.6 million
- Total funding$36.5 million
- Expected awards1
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeCooperative Agreement
Key dates
| Posted | January 5, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | March 10, 2021 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | October 31, 2021 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to colleges and universities.
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
The DHS S&T Office of University Programs (OUP) is requesting applications from accredited U.S. colleges and universities to lead a consortium of universities for an ESE COE.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Past Centers for Homeland Security awards averaged $14.1 million; this notice allows up to $3.6 million per award.
- Most of the program's money (74% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The DHS S&T Office of University Programs (OUP) is requesting applications from accredited U.S. colleges and universities to lead a consortium of universities for an ESE COE. The DHS COEs are university consortia that work closely with DHS Components to conduct research, develop and transition mission-relevant science and technology, educate the next generation of homeland security technical experts, and train the current workforce in the latest scientific applications. Each COE is led by an accredited U.S. college or university and involves multiple partners for varying lengths of time. COE partners include other academic institutions, commercial industry, DHS Components, Department of Energy National Laboratories and other Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), other federal agencies that have homeland security-relevant missions, state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) governments, non-profits, and first responder organizations. DHS envisions the COEs as long-term trusted partners that provide an array of resources to help DHS improve operations. OUP maintains both financial assistance and contract mechanisms for DHS to access COE capabilities. The COEs that make up the COE network are listed at https://www.dhs.gov/st-centers-excellence. The new Center will be a fully-integrated component of the COE network and will take advantage of the network's resources to develop mission-critical research, education, and technology transition programs.
Who has won Centers for Homeland Security grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Centers for Homeland Security (97.061) awarded $141 million across 10 grant awards, an average of $14.1 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nebraska | Nebraska | 1 | $22.3 million |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina | 1 | $19.5 million |
| George Mason University | Virginia | 1 | $18.7 million |
| University of Illinois | Illinois | 1 | $18.0 million |
| Northeastern University | Massachusetts | 1 | $17.7 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is ST-ESE-21-001 still open?
No. It closed on March 10, 2021.
Who can apply for DHS S&T Engineering Secure Environments from Targeted Attacks (ESE) Center of Excellence (COE) - Lead?
Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division accepted applications from colleges and universities. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for DHS S&T Engineering Secure Environments from Targeted Attacks (ESE) Center of Excellence (COE) - Lead?
Closed March 10, 2021. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $3.6 million each. About $36.5 million in total for one award.
Who has won Centers for Homeland Security grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were University of Nebraska, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, George Mason University. The program made 10 awards worth $141 million in that time.