University Research Initiatives

Mission — University Research Initiatives source

The Office of Naval Research's (ONR) mission is to ensure the technological advantage of U.S. Naval forces. ONR fosters scientific research necessary for the discovery, development and delivery of new technologies. Often this research is done in partnership with academia. This program includes support for multidisciplinary basic research in a wide range of naval relevant scientific and engineering disciplines that enables the U.S. Navy to maintain technological superiority, for the university research infrastructure to acquire the research instrumentation needed to maintain and improve the quality of university research important to the Navy, and for the graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who will lead DON S&T efforts in the future. Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) efforts involve teams of researchers investigating high priority topics and opportunities that intersect more than one traditional technical discipline. For many military problems, this multidisciplinary approach serves to stimulate innovation, accelerate research progress and lay the foundations for transition of results into Naval applications. The Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) supports university research infrastructure essential to high quality, Navy-relevant research. The instrumentation program complements other Navy research programs by supporting the purchase of high-cost research instrumentation that is necessary to carry out cutting-edge research. This program supports Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) which are single investigator research efforts performed by outstanding academic scientists and engineers early in their research careers. This program provides the knowledge base, scientific concepts, and technological advances for the maintenance of Naval power and national security. The ONR Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Support project supports the participation of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in DON-related research. These graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will be the future leaders in areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) critical to DON, DOD and national security. The missions of today's Sailors and Marines are enabled by the results of Naval Science and Technology (S&T). Since 1946, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) has fostered scientific research related to the maintenance of maritime superiority and national defense. ONR manages the Department of the Navy's (DON) portfolio of naval Basic and Applied research, and Advanced Technology Development investments to ensure Naval forces can effectively deter conflict, but when called upon, fight, win and come home safe. Current investments hedge against uncertainty, providing solutions to Commanders today, and options for the future. The Naval S&T budget supports higher guidance defined by the National Defense Strategy, and responds to requirements identified by the Secretary of the Navy through research priorities set by the Chief of Naval Research, coordinated across the Naval Research Enterprise (NRE), and outlined in the Naval R&D Framework. This Program Element (PE) funds Basic Research, typically defined as systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. The work in this PE can be classified between Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 1 (basic principles observed and reported) and TRL 2 (technology concept and/or application formulation). Due to the number of efforts in this PE, the programs described herein are representative of the work included in this PE.

Mission — University Research Initiatives source

The Office of Naval Research's (ONR) mission is to ensure the technological advantage of U.S. Naval forces. ONR fosters scientific research necessary for the discovery, development and delivery of new technologies. Often this research is done in partnership with academia. This program includes support for multidisciplinary basic research in a wide range of Naval relevant scientific and engineering disciplines that enables the U.S. Navy to maintain technological superiority and for the university research infrastructure to acquire the research instrumentation needed to maintain and improve the quality of university research important to the Navy. In order to provide greater transparency of Department of the Navy University Research Initiatives (URI) investments, funding has been transferred into new Projects within this PE (0601103N): - The Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) project supports university research infrastructure essential to high quality, Navy-relevant research. This research instrumentation project complements Naval research objectives by supporting the purchase of high-cost research instrumentation that is necessary to carry out cutting-edge research. This research investment has been aligned to new Project 1100. - Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) efforts involve teams of researchers investigating high priority topics and opportunities that intersect more than one traditional technical discipline. For many military problems, this multidisciplinary approach serves to stimulate innovation, accelerate research progress, and lay the foundation for transition of results into Naval applications. This investment has been aligned to new Project 1101. - The Presidential Early Career Awards (PECASE) project supports single-investigator research efforts performed by outstanding academic scientists and engineers early in their research careers. This project provides the knowledge base, scientific concepts, and technological advances for the maintenance of Naval power and national security. This investment has been aligned to new Project 1102. - The Minerva Research Initiative (MRI) is a partnership with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) to support basic social science and multi-disciplinary research aimed at improving national security and international stability. All research activities under the MRI project were moved to the Defense Research Sciences (DRS) PE 0601153N starting in FY 2024. - The ONR Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Research (GSPR) Fellow Support project supports the participation of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in DON-related research. These graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will be the future leaders in areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) critical to DON, DOD and national security. This investment has been aligned to new Project 1103. Due to the number of efforts in this PE, the programs described herein are representative of the work included in this PE.

Mission — Defense University Research Instrumentation Prgm source

Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) funds are awarded to universities to purchase relatively high cost research instrumentation that is normally not provided for in single-investigator research grants. Individual grants may range from $50K to $3.0M. Proposals for DURIP awards are submitted to Defense Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force) in response to a public Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Proposals received by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) are reviewed and all valid proposals received are prioritized. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) reviews, selects and announces all Depart of Defense (DoD) awardees. Universities awarded grants are required to purchase the instrumentation and take delivery before any billing occurs. DURIP awards provide one-year funding. For all DURIP awards proposals are required to be received, reviewed, prioritized, announced, initiated and completed within one fiscal year.

Mission — Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative source

The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) project is a Department of Defense (DoD) coordinated effort that supports high priority pure research topics. Each MURI topic is a five-year research grant addressing a challenging multidisciplinary scientific problem. MURI topics require collaboration among academic experts across disciplines from two or more universities to explore solutions to these cross-Service research challenges. The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (OUSD) calls for new research topics annually, provides topic guidance, and approves new topics from each of the Defense Services. Office of Naval Research (ONR) MURI topics are selected based on Naval Science and Technology (S&T) priorities. Proposals for MURI research topics are submitted in response to a public Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and all valid research proposals are evaluated by teams of technical experts. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) reviews all award nominations and announces selected awardees. Only US Universities and Research Institutions are eligible performers and the funding is provided through research grants. MURI projects make significant contributions to Navy and Department of Defense (DOD) objectives by accelerating research results through multi-university collaboration, a cross-fertilization of ideas, concepts and research approaches pursued. This collaborative research environment nurtured hastens the maturation of basic research concepts to applied applications and through the training of students in cross-disciplinary approaches to science and engineering research topics of priority interest to DoD.

Mission — Presidential Early Career Awards source

Presidential Early Career Awards (PECASE) awards are highly competitive research awards made to academic scientists early in their research careers. PECASE awards are extremely prestigious, single-investigator research awards in areas of vital importance to the Department of the Navy. These research awards, made to the very best early career scientists and engineers, provide award recipients national recognition and research grants of up to $200K per year for five years. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has policy and oversight responsibility for the PECASE program. ONR award nominations are reviewed by ONR, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (OUSD), and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) prior to approval and announcement.

Mission — Future R&D Workforce Development source

The Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Researcher (GSPR) Support Program helps to ensure the quality and vitality of the future DoN scientific and engineering workforce. The program supports graduate students and postdoctoral fellows engaged in research activities of interest to the Department of the Navy (DoN). Research activities supported in high priority Naval science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines at U.S. institutions, its territories, or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will provide graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with invaluable experience conducting basic research in areas of priority Naval interest, responsibility and exposure to unique Naval environmental factors of critical importance.

Mission — Congressional Adds source

Congressional Interest Items not included in other projects.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (8)