The U.S. Department of War announced it had awarded 29 academic teams $19.2 million to strengthen research infrastructure.
The funding, part of the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive research (DEPSCoR) would expand programs at institutions of higher education in under-utilized states and territories.
“The Department’s technology progress relies on a network of creative and insightful academics in every state of the nation. DEPSCoR aims to enhance the science and engineering foundations for these researchers and their institutions, while encouraging more researchers to pursue investigations in Do(D)-relevant areas. It is crucial that we build defense research infrastructure that strategically develops and uses the vast capabilities found across the country,” Dr. David Montgomery, acting director of DoD’s Basic Research Office, said.
The awards follow two fiscal year competitions – the DEPSCoR Research Collaboration competition and the DEPSCoR Capacity Building competition. The research collaboration competition allows faculty members in eligible programs to compete for program funds that help prospects to understand the DoD’s unique research challenges and introduces them to the departments’ research support systems. The department received more than 120 white papers for the competition and selected 27 collaborative teams that will each receive up to $600,000 over a three-year period to pursue science and engineering projects.
The capacity building competition supports the strategic objectives of higher education institutes to enhance their competitiveness as research and development centers. The DoD received more than 30 white papers for the competition and selected two finalists – Boise State University and the University of Iowa. Each team will receive up to $1.5 million over a two-year period to achieve basic research excellence in areas relevant to defense.