Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)

The Fiscal Year 2027 Department of War Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) is a joint funding opportunity sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the Army Research Office, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. This program provides financial assistance to U.S. academic research teams to conduct high-risk, high-payoff basic research across 16 specific technical topics, such as High-Entropy Electrochemical Materials. The initiative aims to address future Department of War challenges by supporting multidisciplinary, hypothesis-driven research that is reproducible, transparent, and structured for the falsifiability of hypotheses. Awards are generally anticipated to average 1.5 million dollars per year over a five-year period of performance, with a total potential value of 7.5 million dollars. The application process consists of two stages, beginning with an encouraged white paper submission by November 20, 2026, followed by full technical proposals due by April 9, 2027, via Grants.gov. Proposals are evaluated primarily on technical merit, importance to agency programs, and fund availability, with specific consideration given to the qualifications of the Principal Investigator and the adequacy of facilities. Applicants must maintain an active System for Award Management registration, a Unique Entity Identifier, and a CAGE code. Additionally, all key personnel must disclose current and pending research support in compliance with the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.