DOD AWARDS $12 MILLION FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE PROGRAM

Director of Defense Research and Engineering Anita Jones today announced plans to award $7 million in Fiscal Year 97 and up to $12 million per year over three years to 13 academic institutions to conduct multidisciplinary research in 11 topic areas of basic science and engineering. These grants may be extended an additional two years as progress warrants. The awards are to be made under the FY 97 DoD Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative Program, a program designed to address large multidisciplinary topic areas which represent exceptional opportunities for future DoD applications, as well as forecast DoD needs.

Subject to the successful completion of negotiations between DoD and the academic institutions, the 13 awards will provide long-term support for research, graduate students, and purchase of equipment that support specific science and engineering research themes important to national defense.

The average funding per award will be $2.75 million, spent over a three-year period (funded incrementally or as options) with two additional years possible as options to bring the total award to five years, subject to the availability of appropriations. The yearly expenditures will be approximately $920,000 per year.

Today's announcement is the result of a seven-month competition under the DoD MURI program. The competition for the awards drew 272 white papers, from which 58 full proposals were encouraged. Sixty-nine full proposals were submitted for the final competition phase, and 13 of those were found to be suitable for funding.

Attached is a list of awards.