Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0601103F/ — built September 26, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
University Research Initiatives
Budget figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USAspending reports awards on a rolling basis, and this corpus runs through 2026-09-04. why partial FY2026 data? →
Budget trajectory
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $172.2M |
| FY25 | $146.4M |
| FY26 | $94.1M |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
Decade view
P-1/R-1 workbook TOA basis, shown compact in $B/$M (the workbook records USD thousands); each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $142.8M | $132.5M | $137.8M | $157.1M | $159.1M | $172.4M | $178.1M | $174.0M | $191.8M | $172.2M | ||
| Enacted | $141.8M | $145.0M | $147.9M | $165.0M | $178.9M | $196.5M | $187.4M | $206.2M | $182.4M | $146.4M | ||
| Request | $145.0M | $147.9M | $155.0M | $158.9M | $161.9M | $162.4M | $171.2M | $182.4M | $143.4M | $94.1M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2023 book requested $171.2M for FY2023; the PB2025 book reported $191.8M as actual total obligation authority — $20.6M above the request. 191.8 − 171.2 = 20.6 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
Program lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Mission — University Research Initiatives
This program supports defense-related basic research in a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines relevant to maintaining U.S. military technological superiority. Research topics include, but are not limited to, transformational and high-priority technologies such as nanotechnology, sensor networks, artificial intelligence and information fusion, smart materials and structures, quantum materials and processes for sensing, communication and computing, efficient energy and power conversion, and high-energy materials for propulsion and control. The program also enhances and promotes the education of U.S. scientists and engineers in disciplines critical to maintaining, advancing, and enabling future U.S. defense technologies. For example, the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) program awards fellowships to train U.S. citizens in science and engineering disciplines of military importance under a joint tri-Service and Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering competitive scholarship program. Finally, this program assists universities in establishing superior instrumentation capabilities needed to improve the quality of defense-related research and education. A fundamental component of this program is the recognition that future technologies and technology exploitations require highly coordinated and concerted multi- and interdisciplinary efforts. Efforts in this program have been coordinated through the Department of Defense Science and Technology Executive Committee process to harmonize efforts and eliminate duplication. This program is executed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). AFRL is focused on high-impact, multi-domain science & technology (S&T) solutions that drive innovation now while laying the groundwork for the Air and Space Force to win the future fight. AFRL effectively synchronizes the Department of the Air Force (DAF) S&T enterprise and workforce to align towards the most consequential DAF priorities and accelerate the delivery of game-changing S&T. In order to manage, execute, and deliver S&T capabilities, this program element may include: necessary civilian expenses; expenses to support the operation and maintenance of facilities; as well as expenses related to travel, supplies, IT hardware, software and support, administrative contractor services, etc. Funds in this program element may be used to investigate specified science advancements in air, space and/or cyber domains. This program is in Budget Activity 1, Basic Research because this budget activity includes scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (3)
Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative
Promote fundamental, multi- and interdisciplinary science and engineering research projects involving multiple principal investigators.
Science and Engineering Education
Support post-graduate, graduate, and undergraduate education in science and engineering disciplines at U.S. universities.
Research Instrumentation
Enable scientific and engineering research through advanced education infrastructure and instrumentation at U.S. universities.
Budget line items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY24 Actuals | $172.2M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Enacted | $146.4M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Total | $146.4M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Disc. Request | $94.1M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Total | $94.1M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $0 | $172.2M | $146.4M | $94.1M | $94.1M |
| 615094: University Research Initiatives | $0 | $172.2M | $146.4M | $94.1M | $94.1M |
Follow the dollar
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 312 of 1,938 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high or medium confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.
Lobbying mentions
No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not University Research Initiatives. No program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
Program dossier
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,938 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →
Primary sources
Open any budget figure for its exact receipt. Verified line items lead with the highlighted government PDF; original spreadsheets download with their budget edition and exhibit in the filename.
Budget totals · TOA sources
FY2026 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J502
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2026_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2017 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J453
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2017_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2018 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J486
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2018_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2019 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J503
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2019_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2020 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J512
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2020_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2021 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J525
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2021_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2022 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J492
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2022_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2023 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J484
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2023_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2024 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J476
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2024_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2025 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J484
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2025_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
Detailed budget justification
The related TOA spreadsheets above use a different accounting basis from R-2/P-40 detail. Their amounts are not assumed to match these detailed sources.
FY2026 Air Force Research and Development Test and Evaluation, Vol. I · www.saffm.hq.af.mil
PDF page 95