The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) currently awards nearly 1,500 grants and contracts to more than 200 academic institutions, 160 commercial firms, and more than 250 intramural programs within AFRL’s nine other technology directorates.

With its staff of highly trained scientists and engineers, AFOSR manages the Air Force basic research program via three key partnerships.

• The University Connection: University research is a great place for developing and mentoring future scientists and engineers in areas that contribute to our national defense and economic security.
• Small Business Technology Transfer: This program is designed to provide an incentive for small companies, academic institutions, and non-profit research institutions to transfer emerging technical ideas from the lab to the marketplace.
• Air Force Intramural Research: AFOSR works closely with the other AFRL Technical Directorates to nurture and support quality research and, where advantageous, integrate intramural and external research efforts to transition the latest basic research discoveries to on the next levels in the research and development chain.

To find and fund revolutionary science, AFOSR solicits research proposals through a Broad Agency Announcement that outlines the Air Force Defense Research Sciences program supporting nearly forty major research areas.