Welcome to Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global!
ONR Global is the international department of ONR which is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, USA. ONR Global searches the world over for science & technology (S&T) to meet current and future challenges to the US Navy and Marine Corps. Leveraging the expertise of more than fifty scientists, technologists and engineers, ONR Global maintains a physical presence on five continents.
The ONR Global Prague Office promotes research partnerships between the US Navy S&T community and leading scientists from Central and Eastern Europe. Seated within the U.S. Embassy Prague, ONR Global works with the State Department to strengthen the US relationship with European partners through science cooperation.
A Brief History of ONR Global
Shortly after ONR was founded in 1946, ONR assumed responsibility of the wartime-era Office of Scientific Research and Development liaison office in London. It aimed to identify promising research opportunities in Europe and the Middle East. Soon after, ONR opened a separate office in Tokyo to reach out to S&T researchers in the Asia-Pacific region.
In the 1970s, the London and Tokyo offices combined to form ONR Global, a single international field organization charged with implementing the Navy’s international S&T strategy. Over the decades since, ONR Global has expanded its outreach by opening field offices in Singapore, Santiago, Prague, and Sao Paulo. Each international field office is headed by Science Directors, reporting to the London-based Technical Director and Commanding Officer.
In addition to international field offices, ONR Global stations Science Advisors with the US Fleet to provide direct S&T support to fleet commanders. Both Science Directors and Science Advisors serve as the Chief of Naval Research’s science representatives abroad.
You can learn more about ONR Global at www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/ONR-Global.aspx
Why is the US Navy in the (land-locked) Czech Republic?
The short answer: a lot of good science gets done on dry land, that’s why.
The end of the Cold War sparked an intellectual renaissance in the nations from the former Warsaw Pact. The explosion in scientific research and technical innovation spurred ONR Global to expand its onsite presence into the region by opening an office in the centrally located and beautiful city of Prague. Regional proximity is hardly Prague’s only virtue. The Czech Republic is home to some of the world’s most advanced S&T, much within Prague itself.
What type of research does ONR Global support?
ONR Global supports unclassified, fundamental research. Projects undertaken with ONR Global funds must have methods and results open to review via publication in professional technical journals, conference proceedings, or similar scientific outlets.
The Science Director identifies innovative S&T and pursues opportunities for international cooperation to address the US Navy needs defined in the biennial Navy Science & Technology Strategy.
How does ONR Global support research?
ONR Global sponsors three kinds of grant programs:
- Visiting Scientists Program (VSP): VSP grants support short-term travel for foreign scientists to go to the United States to share new S&T ideas or findings with naval scientists and engineers within the Naval Research Enterprise (NRE)[1].
- Collaborative Science Program (CSP): CSP grants provide financial support for foreign or international workshops, conferences, and seminars of naval interest.
- Naval International Cooperative Opportunities in Science and Technology Program (NICOP): NICOP grants provide direct research support to foreign scientists. NICOP grants enable the integration of innovative, international S&T into core ONR and NRE Programs.
[1] The Naval Research Enterprise is a consortium of System Commands, Warfare Centers, Naval Laboratories, University-Aligned Research Centers (UARCs), and other Navy organizations.
Meet the Science Director
Dr. Martina Siwek joined ONR Global in February 2021 to direct the Central and Eastern European regional office, seated within the U.S. Embassy Prague. She works closely with State, Commerce, and other Defense colleagues to strengthen the US relationship with CEE nations through science cooperation.
Prior to joining ONR Global, Martina was the Chief Scientist for the Strategic Innovation and Emerging Technology Office (later PEO-AI2) at the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) where she brought to bear her expertise in viral respiratory diseases to identify innovative solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in her career, Martina worked for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory on AI solutions to global health challenges, was the Chief Scientist for the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance Section of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division of the Defense Health Agency, and supported other US Department of Defense organizations as a technical director for medical countermeasure acquisitions.
She earned her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University of Public Health in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, with a certificate in vaccine science.
Email: martina.m.siwek.civ@mail.mil
