FY26 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) CAPACITY BUILDING (CB)
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AI Contract Overview
The FY26 Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) Capacity Building opportunity is a Department of Defense initiative managed by the Basic Research Office and awarded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The program aims to increase the number of university researchers in eligible states and territories capable of performing science and engineering research responsive to DoD needs, while enhancing the ability of institutions of higher education to compete for federal research assistance. The DoD anticipates awarding between one and four grants, with each award capped at 1.5 million dollars over two years, for a total program funding pool of up to 6 million dollars. The application process is a three-stage sequence beginning with a mandatory white paper, followed by an invitation-only full proposal. Eligible applicants must be institutions of higher education in designated jurisdictions and must be led by executive staff, such as a Vice President for Research. Proposals are evaluated based on technical merit, relevance to the DoD mission, and adherence to Gold Standard Science, which requires research to be reproducible, transparent, and subject to unbiased peer review. Awardees must maintain active SAM.gov registration and utilize the Wide Area Workflow application for electronic payments. Required submission documents include a capacity building plan, a team composition and management plan, and a detailed budget justification.
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Full Description
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.
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