defense research proposal

• Skip to main navigation
• Skip to main content

University Research Administration

• Department of Defense (DOD) Proposal Toolkit
• International Research Collaborations
• University of Chicago CRA Study Group
• Faculty Proposal Development Guide
• Finding Funding
• Limited Opportunities (InfoReady)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Proposal Toolkit
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Training, Career Development and Fellowship Proposal Toolkit
• Department of Energy (DOE) Proposal Toolkit
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Proposal Toolkit
• Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Proposal Toolkit
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Proposal Toolkit
• USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Proposal Toolkit
• Small Business Association (SBA) and SBIR/STTR Proposal Toolkit
• Department of Education (ED) Proposal Toolkit
• Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Proposal Toolkit
• Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) Proposal Toolkit
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Proposal Toolkit
• proposalCENTRAL Non-Federal Agencies Toolkit
• Federal Contracts
• Grants & Cooperative Agreements
• SciENcv Guide
• ORCID Guide
• Proposal Budget Development
• Quick Reference Fact Sheet
• Roles and Responsibilities Matrix
• URA Review and Endorsement
• Agency Electronic Submissions and/or URA Submissions
• eRA Commons
• Sponsored Development Services
• Sponsored Program Services
• Research Compliance & Training
• Policies & Compliance

Quick Links

• URA Intranet 
• Conflict of Interest – Conflict of Commitment
• Finding Funding – Pivot
• PI Eligibility
• URA Annual Report
• Forms, Templates, & Sponsor Resources (URA Intranet)

Department of Defense (DoD)

The Department of Defense (DoD) is America's oldest and largest government agency. The DoD is responsible for providing the military forces needed to deter war and protect the security of the United States. The major elements of these forces are the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, DARPA, CDMRP, and Marine Corps; see list under Department Links for frequently used agencies. DOD consists of a number of service components and other activities and it has a substantial annual research budget.

Department Links

AFOSR: Air Force Office of Scientific Research

AFRL:  Air Force Research Lab

ARO: Army Research Office

CDMRP:  Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

DARPA: Defense Advance Research Projects Agency

DURIP:  Defense University Research Instrumentation Program

MRDC: Medical Research and Development Command (US Army)

MURI: Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative

ONR:  Office of Naval Research

SOCOM:  Special Operations Command

USAMRAA: US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity

VAMCs: Veterans Administration Medical Centers (nationwide)

The DoD has long supported universities to perform state-of-the-art, competitive, basic research in science and engineering relevant to the DoD mission and reflecting national security priorities, while strengthening the future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Each program can potentially have their own research programs, solicitations, and unique requirements (Unlike NIH/NSF with are fairly uniform in terms of proposal components and submission procedures). DoD awards may be in inform of grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, other transaction agreements (OTAs), or Technology Investment Agreements (TIAs).

A Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a competitive solicitation procedure used to obtain proposals for basic and applied research. The BAA contains priorities for research topics, eligibility requirements, instructions on the submission process, and required content for proposals. Each BAA is specific to that funding opportunity - please read these carefully, as they apply to the specific opportunity and may contain special requirements.

• Office of Naval Research (ONR) BAAs
• How to Apply to ONR
• Funding Opportunities
• University Research Initiatives
• Young Investigator Program (YIP)
• Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) BAAs
• How Academics Can Work with AFOSR
• Army Broad Agency Announcements 
• U.S. Army Medical Research & Material Command: Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) BAAs

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering 

• Basic Research Office (BRO)
• Research & Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI)
• Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship

Application Documents

Grant applications are submitted in accordance with individual broad agency announcements. Refer to the individual announcement for specific submission requirements.

You may be asked to submit an Idea Statement first to a program officer before submitting any required proposal materials. Also, there may be a formal, two step application process. You may be required to submit a white paper, followed by an invited full proposal. Carefully read the BAA for specific requirements. Below is a list of the usual documents that are part of a DoD proposal: 

• White paper (this may be a required first step, with full proposals invited)
• Standard Form (SF) 424
• Statement of Disclosure Preference (Form 52 or 52A)
• Research and Related Other Project Information
• Project Abstract
• Project Description (Technical Proposal)  
• Biographical Sketch
• Bibliography
• Current and Pending Support
• Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources
• Proposal Budget
• Contract Facilities Capital Cost of Money(FCCM) (DD Form 1861)

DoD Policies and Regulations

All ONR, AFOSR, ARO, and ARL grants and funding increments on existing research grants to organizations subject to 2 CFR Part 215 will incorporate by reference the  Research Terms and Conditions/Agency Specific Requirements .

• Procurement and Acquisition Policy
• Acquisitions Regulations Directorate
• DOD Grant and Agreement Regulations (DGARS)
• Defense Federal Aquisition Regulations Supplement (DFARS)
• Office of Naval Research (ONR)  Grant Terms and Conditions
• Per Diem Rates

DoD Resources

URA Presentation on Department of Defense

DoD 101  - Overview of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

Heilmeier Questions  - Specific questions to answer in ANY research grant proposal. From DARPA.

University guide to working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

DoD Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)

• CDMRP: How to apply and tips for submission success

Grant applications must be downloaded and submitted through  Grants.gov . This website will provide prospective grant applicants with information and all required documents for the Department of Defense application process.

DoD Data Strategy  - Data management involves all stages of the digital data life cycle including capture, analysis, sharing, and preservation.

Official websites use .gov

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

Fiscal Year 2023 Research Funding Awards

The DoD announced $220 million in awards for basic research projects as part of the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Program. At an average award amount of $7.1 million over five years, these competitive grants will support 31 teams located at 61 U.S. academic institutions, subject to satisfactory research progress and the availability of funds.

“The MURI program has a long-standing history of funding research teams with creative and diverse solutions to complex problems,” said Ms. Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “Not only does the program enable scientific breakthroughs with direct relevance for DoD applications, it also has been used to create and sustain new fields of inquiry. It is a program with a powerful legacy of scientific impact and remains a cornerstone of DoD’s basic research portfolio.”

Since its inception in 1985, the Department’s MURI program has funded teams of investigators with the hope that collective insights from multiple disciplines could facilitate the growth of cutting-edge technologies to address the Department’s unique problem sets. The highly competitive MURI program, which complements the Department’s single-investigator basic research grants, has made immense contributions to current and future military capabilities and resulted in multiple commercial sector applications. Notable MURI achievements include breakthroughs in cold atom quantum methods with potential applications in quantum sensing and communication as well as advances in pulsed magnetic field propagation and Doppler radar detection leading to new detection physics for landmines.

For the fiscal year 2023 competition, the Army Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Office of Naval Research solicited proposals in 24 topic areas of strategic importance to the Department. After a merit-based review of 259 white papers, a panel of experts narrowed the pool to a subset of 90 full proposals, from which the 31 final awards were selected. The list of winning teams can be downloaded here .

About USD(R&E)  

The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the U.S. military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil , follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre .

Subscribe to Defense.gov Products

Choose which Defense.gov products you want delivered to your inbox.

Defense.gov

Helpful links.

• Live Events
• Today in DOD
• For the Media
• DOD Resources
• DOD Social Media Policy
• Help Center
• DOD / Military Websites
• Agency Financial Report
• Value of Service
• Taking Care of Our People
• FY 2024 Defense Budget
• National Defense Strategy

The Department of Defense provides the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security.

Grants Learning Center

• Grant Policies
• Grant Eligibility
• Grant Terminology
• Grant-Making Agencies
• Grant Systems
• Grant Programs
• Grant Careers
• Grant Reporting
• Grant Fraud
• Search Grants

Grant Applications

• How to Apply for Grants
• Track My Application

Applicant Resources

• Workspace Overview
• Applicant Eligibility
• Applicant Registration
• Applicant Training
• Applicant FAQs
• Adobe Software Compatibility
• Submitting UTF-8 Special Characters
• Encountering Error Messages

Grantor Resources

• Grantor Registration
• Grantor Tools & Tips
• Grantor FAQs
• Grantor Standard Language
• Grantor Help

Applicant System-to-System

• Versions & WSDLs
• Web Services
• Certificates
• Reference Implementation
• Troubleshooting

Grantor System-to-System

• RESTful APIs

Forms Repository

• R&R Family
• SF-424 Family
• SF-424 Individual Family
• SF-424 Mandatory Family
• SF-424 Short Organization Family
• Post-Award Reporting Forms
• Retired Forms

Forms Development

• Forms Status Report
• Forms Process
• Forms Request
• Country and State Lists Updates
• Planned UEI Updates

Manage Subscriptions

• Newsletter Archive

Social Media

Support resources.

• About Grants.gov
• Program Management Office
• Grants.gov Notices
• Grants.gov Maintenance Calendar
• Grants.gov Releases
• U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
• AmeriCorps (AC)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
• U.S. Department of Education (ED)
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
• U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
• U.S. Department of State (DOS)
• U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
• U.S. Department of the Treasury (TREAS)
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
• National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Small Business Administration (SBA)
• Social Security Administration (SSA)
• Other Grant-Making Agencies

Mission and Vision

The mission of the Department of Defense is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country. The department's headquarters is at the Pentagon.

Grant Program Highlights

National Security Education Program The David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 mandated that the Secretary of Defense create and sustain a program to award scholarships to U.S. undergraduate students, fellowships to U.S. graduate students, and grants to U.S. institutions of higher education. These awards are for study or program development in languages and regions critical to national security. Based on this legislation, the National Security Education Program (NSEP) was established. NSEP is one of the most significant efforts in international education since the 1958 passage of the National Defense Education Act, and it continues to play a critical role within the Department of Defense.

Secretary: Ash Carter Website: https://www.defense.gov Report Fraud: OIG Hotline Point of Contact:   Jason Day

Find DOD Grants

• Recent Grants on Grants.gov

DOD Grant Spending

Agencies and Bureaus

• Defense Commissary Agency
• Defense Contract Audit Agency
• Defense Contract Management Agency
• Defense Finance and Accounting Service
• Defense Information Systems Agency
• Defense Intelligence Agency
• Defense Logistics Agency
• Defense Security Service
• Defense Threat Reduction Agency
• Defense Technical Information Center
• DOD Education Activity ​​​​​​​
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency​​​​​​​
• National Guard Bureau
• National Reconnaissance Office
• National Security Agency
• Office of Inspector General
• Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff
• Defense Health Agency