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Air Force Office of Scientific Research · Department of Defense

FY26 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) CAPACITY BUILDING (CB)

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Key facts

Deadline
Due Apr 5, 2027 · 179 days left
Award size
$750K – $1.5M
Total available
$6M · about 4 awards
Match ?
Not required · Work out your budget and match
Who can apply
Set by the official notice: see Who can apply below
Where
Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee

How this fits you

  • Available in Loudon County (nationwide program)
  • No match required
  • Past Tennessee awards on file: 60

Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.

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About this grant

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) – Capacity Building opportunity. The program is sponsored and managed by the Basic Research Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD [R&E]), awarded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The DoD plans to award FY26 DEPSCoR appropriations through this announcement. DEPSCoR's objectives are to: (1) increase the number of university researchers in eligible States/Territories capable of performing science and engineering (S&E) research responsive to the needs of the DoD. (2) enhance the capabilities of institutions of higher education (IHEs) in eligible States/Territories (listed below) to develop, plan, and execute S&E research that is relevant to the mission of the DoD, and competitive under the peer-review systems used for awarding Federal research assistance; and (3) increase the probability of long-term growth in the competitively awarded financial assistance that IHEs in eligible States/Territories receive from the Federal Government for S&E research. The Basic Research Office anticipates up to $6 million in total funding will be made available for this program to fully fund and award between one to four grants up to $1.5 million (total cost) each. Each grant award will be funded up to $750,000 (total cost) per year for two (2) years. The award is subject to funding availability. The Basic Research Office reserves the right to select and fund for award all, some, part, or none of the proposals received. There is no guarantee of an award.

Who can apply, from the official notice

This funding opportunity aims to support the strategic objectives of IHEs (either individually or in partnership with others) in DEPSCoR States/Territories to achieve basic research excellence in areas of high relevance to the DoD. IHEs in the following States/Territories are eligible to apply for this DEPSCoR opportunity under this announcement: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming see eligibility table in III A.

Ask a partner for a letter

Your schedule, working back from the deadline

  1. Oct8
    Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
    Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov
  2. Mar15
    Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
    Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters.
  3. Mar29
    Finish a complete draft for a final review
    Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft.
  4. Apr3
    Submit
    Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog
  5. Apr5
    Deadline
    From the funder.

Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.

Writing the need statement? Loudon County facts with citations.

What the official notice requires

Pulled from the official notice NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260003_DEPSCoR-CB_-_Amendment_1.pdf (51 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words. Open the page to read it in context.

Award size and project length

  • Award amounts here are per year · p. 9
    “Each grant award will be funded up to $750,000 (total cost) per year for two (2) years.” Open page 9

Registrations you need first (2)

  • Grants.gov · p. 10
    “The full FOA can be found on Grants.gov III.” Open page 10
  • SAM.gov, Unique Entity ID (UEI) · p. 25
    “An active System for Award Management (SAM) registration and SAM issued Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) are required to register through Grants.gov Section IV.F.1 SAM Registration Required provides more information. 3.” Open page 25

Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist

What to submit

  • Form SF-424 · p. 14
    “Must include invitation email as an attachment in block 20 of the SF424.) In accordance with AFRLI 61-113, S&T Protection, Applicants/Recipients are required to submit the following documentation with their proposal:” Open page 14
  • Project abstract or summary · p. 20
    “The abstract must be submitted without proprietary restrictions.” Open page 20
  • Data management plan · p. 23
    “The optional Data Management Plan must not exceed two (2) single- sided pages.” Open page 23
  • Form SF-LLL · p. 26
    “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) (If Applicable) If you have lobbying activity that you must disclose under 31 U.S.C. 1352 as implemented by the DoD in 32 CFR Part 28, you must attach the completed Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) to…” Open page 26
  • Budget narrative / justification · p. 27
    “Budget Justification (Required) by attaching an IV.D.3.j.” Open page 27
  • Resumes or bios of key staff · p. 31
    “You must attach a short biographical sketch and list of significant publications (vitae) for each Senior/Key Person, whether or not the individuals’ efforts under the projects are to be funded by the DoD. 2.” Open page 31

Length limits

  • Page limit (see quote): 2 pages max · p. 19
    “(4) CVs (2-page limit each) for the Team Lead and any subawardees (5) Human Subject or Vertebrate Animal Subject Marking Requirements for Confidential Proprietary Information You must mark the White Paper sections that contain proprietary or confidential…” Open page 19
  • Abstract: 500 words max · p. 20
    “Abstract (not to exceed 500 words):” Open page 20
  • Word limit (see quote): 500 words max · p. 28
    “You must provide a concise abstract no more than 500 words with your Full Proposal.” Open page 28

Formatting rules

  • single-spaced · p. 21
    “Spacing – single-spaced” Open page 21
  • 12-point font · p. 21
    “Font – Times New Roman, 12 point” Open page 21

Cost share or match

  • Cost share / match · p. 9
    “Cost sharing or matching is not required or considered as an evaluation criterion, but you may propose voluntary committed cost sharing or matching; for example, additional support for students.” Open page 9

Mistakes that get applications rejected (5)

  • Late or not validated: Documents submitted after the deadline or found to be non-compliant will not be reviewed. · p. 17
    “Documents submitted after the deadline or found to be non-compliant will not be reviewed.” Open page 17
  • Late or not validated: White Papers received after the published deadline will not be considered under any circumstance. · p. 19
    “White Papers received after the published deadline will not be considered under any circumstance.” Open page 19
  • Not an eligible applicant: Your application will be considered ineligible if at least one Service BAA number and research area are... · p. 19
    “Your application will be considered ineligible if at least one Service BAA number and research area are not included.” Open page 19
  • Could get your application rejected: The demographic information may be accessible to the reviewer, but will not be considered in the evaluation. · p. 34
    “The demographic information may be accessible to the reviewer, but will not be considered in the evaluation.” Open page 34
  • Late or not validated: Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date will be counted as late and will not be... · p. 38
    “Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date will be counted as late and will not be considered.” Open page 38

Who in Tennessee has won this program

28 awards to Tennessee groups in 5 counties since 2019 · 0 in Loudon County. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$25.8M2021
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$18.8M2022
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$16.1M2026
State of TennesseeNashville$16M spent that year2025
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, IncorporatedOak Ridge$11.7M spent that year2025
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, IncorporatedOak Ridge, Anderson County$4M2026
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby County$3.8M2022
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$3.4M2026
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, IncorporatedOak Ridge, Anderson County$3.2M2022
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$3M2026
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$2.4M2021
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, IncorporatedOak Ridge, Anderson County$984K2020

Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.

Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization

This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 32 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Loudon County. Largest shown:

Tennessee pass-through grant winners
Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of California, Los Angeles$400K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyPresident and Fellows of Harvard College$320K2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyPennsylvania State University, the$310K2024
State of TennesseeNashvilleCivil-Military Innovation Institute, Inc$310K spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyUniversity of Oklahoma$300K2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyMichigan Technological University$234K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyIowa State University of Science and Technology$225K2026
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby CountyPresident&Fellows of Harvard College$188K2023
State of TennesseeNashvilleUniversity of Arizona$169K spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyPennsylvania State University, the$147K2025
State of TennesseeNashvilleUniversity of Central Florida$140K spent that year2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleHarvard University$133K spent that year2025

Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).

About the federal program

Basic Scientific Research
Program number 12.431 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Army · Project grant

How applications are judged

i. The overall scientific and/or technical merits of the proposal. ii. The potential contributions of the effort to the Army mission and the extent to which the research effort will contribute to balancing the overall Army research program. iii. The qualifications, capabilities, and experience of the proposed PI, team leader, or other key personnel who are critical to achievement of the proposed objectives.

Match

Match: none required (federal program listing). This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. Not Applicable

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal year 2018: INTERNET OF BATTLEFIELD THINGS - The overall objective is to develop the fundamental understanding of dynamically-composable, adaptive, goal-driven Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBTs) to enable predictive analytics for intelligent command and control and battlefield services. DCIST -Develop the underpinning science to extend the reach, situational awareness, and operational effectiveness of Intelligent System/Soldier teams against dynamic threats in complex and contested environments and provide technical and operational superiority through fast, intelligent, resilient and collaborative behaviors. Fiscal year 2021: Develop Protein Crystal Polymer Hybrids; Listening to the Bioelectronic Signature of Cells; Corrosion Investigation and Modeling; Decoding Multisensory Information at Different Spatiotemporal Scales of Neuronal Resolution; Social Intelligent Agents; and Experimental Strain-Based Tissue Damage Analysis to Model Impact and Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury Scenarios. Fiscal year 2023: Example 1: Texas Tech University was awarded a grant W911NF2410035 for effort titled �Using fNIRS to Predict and Diagnose the Cause of Performance Decrements in...

This program on SAM.gov

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Source: Federal grants from Grants.gov · the official federal record. Last checked by GrantMe Oct 7, 2026.

Reference numbers: official notice number NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260003 · program number 12.431