Greetings,
We are excited to share this funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of War (DoW). The Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 DoW Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI) provides funds for U.S. academic research teams to conduct high-impact basic research that addresses future challenges faced by the DoW. More information about the award can be found in the synopsis and links below. For a full list of currently open opportunities that have been announced through our office, please visit our Current Opportunities web page. As a reminder, our Research Development team is available to provide proposal development support to FAS ladder faculty.
- Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (optional but strongly recommended): November 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
- OSP Deadline: Not applicable at White Paper stage. April 2, 2027 at 9:00 AM ET for Proposals
Departments or areas may require additional time for proposal review and submission. Please discuss a timeline with your departmental or FORA grants administrator.
- Sponsor Deadline for Proposals: April 9, 2027 at 5:00 PM ET
- Award Amount: Typical annual funding per grant is no more than $1.5M per year for a three-year base period and an additional two-year option period.
Program Overview
The DOW Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program supports high-risk basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education that is of potential interest to DoW. The program is focused on U.S. university teams investigating complex, DoW-relevant problem sets at the intersection of multiple scientific disciplines. MURI teams bring together world-class faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students attempting to understand or achieve something that has never been done before—helping to develop a technically advanced, defense-aware scientific workforce and strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base. White Papers addressing the below Topic Areas are optional but strongly recommended. Based on an assessment of the White Papers, the responsible Research Topic Chief will provide informal feedback notification to prospective awardees to encourage or discourage submission of proposals, and may also, on occasion, provide feedback encouraging re-teaming to strengthen a proposal.
The MURI program is one element of the University Research Initiatives (URI) sponsored by the DoW research offices including: the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Please be advised that AFOSR, ARO, and ONR each have a different funding announcement number for the MURI program and the link above provides access to all three (though the Notice of Funding Opportunity, or NOFO, is the same). The NOFO numbers are:
The total amount of funding for the five years available for grants resulting from this MURI NOFO is estimated to be approximately $170M pending out-year appropriations. The award amount and number of supported researchers should generally not exceed the limit specified for the individual topics in the Topic Descriptions section of the NOFO.
Topic Areas
- AFOSR
- Topic 1: (AFOSR) Non-linear Mixing Processes for Extreme-Ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray Radiation in Optically Thick Systems
- Topic 2: (AFOSR) Tunable Goniopolar Semiconductors
- Topic 3: (AFOSR) Robustness to Novel Queries in AI for Scientific Discovery
- Topic 4: (AFOSR) Unlocking the Potential of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Ptychography
- Topic 5: (AFOSR) Science with Optical Cycling Centers for Energy Redistribution (SOCCER)
- ARO
- Topic 6: (ARO) Thorium-229 Enabled by the Solid State (TESS)
- Topic 7: (ARO) Reticular Qubit Assemblies
- Topic 8: (ARO) Design of Superomniphobic Materials via Development of Novel, High-throughput, Multi-scale Biological Assays
- Topic 9: (ARO) Some Like It Hot: Decoding the Biogeochemical Matrix of Fire and Smoke Borne Particulates
- Topic 10: (ARO) Interfacial Superconcentration in Extreme Multiphase Regimes
- Topic 11: (ARO) Atomic and Molecular Hybrid Quantum Solids
- ONR
- Topic 12: (ONR) Distinguishing between AI generated content and human created content
- Topic 13: (ONR) Troposcatter Sensitivity to Atmospheric and Electromagnetic Conditions
- Topic 14: (ONR) Interface Mediated Control of Biofilm Function
- Topic 15: (ONR) High-Entropy Electrochemical Material
- Topic 16: (ONR) Bio-Inspired Autonomous and Recurrent Self-Healing in Materials and Structures
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants contemplating the use of an individual as Principal Investigator (PI) for more than one proposal and/or topic are strongly encouraged to contact the Topic Chief(s) identified in the NOFO prior to White Paper submission to determine if the Topic Chief(s) support PI participation in multiple proposals and/or topics.
- Proposals for supplementation of existing projects are eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards under this NOFO.
- To the extent that it is a part of a U.S. institution of higher education and is not designated as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) is eligible to submit a proposal to this MURI competition and/or receive MURI funds.
- Ineligible organizations (e.g., industry, DoW laboratories, FFRDCs, and foreign entities) may collaborate on the research but may not receive MURI funds directly or via subaward.
White Paper (optional) Materials
- Cover sheet, to include:
- NOFO number
- Proposed title
- Proposer's technical point of contact with contact information
- Topic number and topic title
- White Paper content
- Identification of the research and issues
- Proposed technical approaches
- Potential impact on DoW capabilities
- Potential team and management plan
- Summary of estimated costs
- Curriculum vitae of key investigators (see NOFO on Use of Principal Investigator (PI) Over Multiple Proposals/Topics)
- Identification of any Organizational Conflict(s) of Interest (if any) – See section H.1.n of the NOFO detailing Conflict of Interest.
Selection Criteria and Review Process
- The primary basis for selecting proposals for acceptance shall be technical merit, importance to agency programs, and fund availability. To the extent appropriate, cost realism and reasonableness will also be considered when selecting proposals.
- White Papers will be evaluated to assess whether the proposed research is likely to meet the objectives of the specific topic, and thus whether to encourage the submission of a proposal.
- Assessment of the White Papers will primarily focus on scientific and technical merits, potential for the research to significantly advance fundamental understanding in the topic area, and potential DoW interest.
- Full proposals responding to this NOFO in each topic area will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Scientific and technical merits of the proposed basic science and/or engineering research;
- Potential for the research, if successful, to significantly advance fundamental understanding in the topic area;
- Potential DoW relevance and contribution to the DoW mission;
- Qualifications and availability of the PI and other investigators;
- Adequacy of current or planned facilities and equipment to accomplish the research objectives, and the strength of the data management plan;
- Impact of interactions with other organizations engaged in related research and development, in particular DoW laboratories, industry, and other organizations that perform research and development for defense applications; and
- Realism and reasonableness of cost (cost sharing is not a factor in the evaluation).
Additional Information and Resources
Topic descriptions and Research Topic Chief(s) contact information may be found beginning on page 51 of the NOFO. White Paper Submission instructions are as follows:
- AFOSR (submissions to Topics 1-5): White Papers to AFOSR Research Topic Chiefs should be submitted via e-mail to the Research Topic Chief (as identified under the specific Topic number within Section I. Other Information of the NOFO). For support, please contact Ms. Katie Wisecarver at 703-696-9544.
- ARO (submissions to Topics 6-11): White Papers to ARO may be submitted via e-mail directly to the Research Topic Chief, or via the United States Postal Service (USPS), or via a commercial carrier to the agency specified for the topic in the NOFO.
- ONR (submissions to Topics 12-16): ONR utilizes the ONR Submission Portal for the submission of White Papers. Through this portal, performers will be able to submit White Papers and ask questions. Review a registration and submission guide for the ONR Submission Portal or email the ONR Submission Portal Support Team for technical assistance. ONR suggests emailing a copy of the White Paper to the designated Research Topic Chief, with a cc to MURI Coordinator, Dr. Amanda Netburn.
Questions regarding White Paper eligibility and technical requirements are due by November 6, 2026. Notifications of initial evaluations of White Papers are anticipated by January 8, 2027.
Application inquiries and questions related to proposal submissions must be submitted by March 12, 2027. The deadline for proposals or invited proposals is April 9, 2027. Notifications of selection for award is anticipated by July 2027, with a start date in August 2027.
Questions from FAS or SEAS faculty about this opportunity may be directed to FAS Research Development. |
