FY26 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) – RESEARCH COLLABORATION (RC)

Funding Opportunity Number: NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260004 | Posted Date: Aug 10, 2026 | Closing Date: Apr 05, 2027

About the Opportunity

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) – Research Collaboration (RC). The program is sponsored and managed by the Basic Research Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD [R&E]), awarded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

The DoD plans to award FY26 DEPSCoR appropriations through this announcement to increase the number of university researchers in eligible States/Territories capable of performing science and engineering (S&E) research responsive to DoD needs, enhance research capabilities of institutions of higher education (IHE), and increase competitively awarded federal research assistance.

Funding Details

Estimated Total Program Funding: $14,400,000 | Expected Number of Awards: 24

• Award Ceiling: $600,000 (total cost)
• Award Floor: $200,000 (total cost)
• Each grant award will be funded up to $200,000 (total cost) per year for three (3) years

Awards are subject to funding availability. There is no guarantee of an award.

Eligibility

This funding opportunity aims to create basic research collaborations between:

• Applicant/Principal Investigator (PI): A full-time faculty member who has never served as a PI on a prior DoD directly funded research Prime award.
• Collaborator/co-Principal Investigator (co-PI): An investigator who will provide mentorship to the Applicant and has served as a PI on a DoD directly funded research Prime award actively between 1 October 2018 and 30 September 2026.

Eligible applicants must be tenured or tenure-track faculty members at institutions of higher education (IHE) in the following States/Territories:

• Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Objectives

• Increase the number of university researchers in eligible States/Territories capable of performing S&E research responsive to DoD needs.
• Enhance the capabilities of IHE in eligible States/Territories to develop, plan, and execute S&E research relevant to the DoD’s mission.
• Increase the probability of long-term growth in competitively awarded financial assistance for S&E research from the Federal Government.

Research must be in areas relevant to the DoD’s mission and important to national security.

Additional Information

Assistance Listings: 12.431 -- Basic Scientific Research | Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

For further details, visit AFRL AFOSR DEPSCoR NOFO.

If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, contact: Denise Johnson or Nicole Thomas, Grants Officers.