Data / Federal grants / NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260003

FY26 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) CAPACITY BUILDING (CB)

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Department of Defense) is accepting applications until April 5, 2027. It lists awards of up to $1.5 million, 4 awards expected, $6 million in total.

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Key facts

Opportunity number

NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260003

Status

Posted, open

Posted

August 10, 2026

Closes

April 5, 2027

Award ceiling

$1,500,000

Award floor

$750,000

Expected awards

4

Total funding

$6,000,000

Cost sharing

Not required

Funding instrument

Grant

Category

Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Assistance listing

12.431 Basic Scientific Research

Contact

Denise M Johnson Grantor · [email protected] & [email protected] · 7036965968

Who can apply

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

This funding opportunity aims to support the strategic objectives of IHEs (either individually or in partnership with others) in DEPSCoR States/Territories to achieve basic research excellence in areas of high relevance to the DoD. IHEs in the following States/Territories are eligible to apply for this DEPSCoR opportunity under this announcement: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, 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 see eligibility table in III A.

What the agency says

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) – Capacity Building opportunity. 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.

DEPSCoR's objectives are to:

(1) increase the number of university researchers in eligible States/Territories capable of performing science and engineering (S&E) research responsive to the needs of the DoD. 

(2) enhance the capabilities of institutions of higher education (IHEs) in eligible States/Territories (listed below) to develop, plan, and execute S&E research that is relevant to the mission of the DoD, and competitive under the peer-review systems used for awarding Federal research assistance; and 

(3) increase the probability of long-term growth in the competitively awarded financial assistance that IHEs in eligible States/Territories receive from the Federal Government for S&E research.

The Basic Research Office anticipates up to $6 million in total funding will be made available for this program to fully fund and award between one to four grants up to $1.5 million (total cost) each. Each grant award will be funded up to $750,000 (total cost) per year for two (2) years.

The award is subject to funding availability. The Basic Research Office reserves the right to select and fund for award all, some, part, or none of the proposals received. There is no guarantee of an award.

The notice on Grants.gov Full announcement

Other open grants from the Department of Defense

· Everything closing in April 2027

Read from the Grants.gov API, last updated 2026-10-24. The agency's notice on Grants.gov is the official record; check it before you apply.