Air Force Office of Scientific Research · Department of Defense
Air Force Basic Research Sciences Conference and Workshop Support
In short: Air Force Office of Scientific Research expects to make 500 awards of up to $2 million. Open to many kinds of groups. See who can apply.
Key facts
- Deadline
- Accepts applications through Aug 31, 2029. Rounds may close sooner: check the notice
- Award size
- Up to $2M
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Public college or university, Nonprofit with 501(c)(3), Private college or university, Nonprofit without 501(c)(3), and others named in the official notice
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
How this fits you
- Available in Madison County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 43
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
About this grant
Who can apply, from the official notice
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/b7fddbe0-486a-4d82-bfa3-14fb0f0b0527 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/c44707de-a476-4ef0-9f61-148f83be1273
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct10
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 - Aug10
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Aug24
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Aug29
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Aug31
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Writing the need statement? Madison County facts with citations.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the official notice Air_Force_Basic_Research_Sciences_Conference_and_Workshop_Support.pdf (40 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. 1
“FUNDING Approximately $2 million per year is anticipated to be available for support of actions awarded under this announcement, subject to availability of funds.” Open page 1
Registrations you need first (2)
Grants.gov · p. 1
“Our research interests are described in the most recent version of our general Broad Agency Announcement titled, “Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research” posted on Grants.gov.” Open page 1
SAM.gov, Unique Entity ID (UEI) · p. 19
“How do I register for an ORCID ID? | ORCID (2) Obtain a UEI Number All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) As of April of 2022, the federal government stopped using the DUNS number to uniquely…” Open page 19
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. 10
“Biosketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support, and Collaborators and Other Affiliations (to be submitted with SF-424);” Open page 10
Form SF-LLL · p. 22
“Administrative and National Policy Requirements for more information and links to the full text of these items. 18 You must attach the completed SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities if your grant amount exceeds $100,000 and have lobbying activity to…” Open page 22
Project abstract or summary · p. 23
“Publicly Releasable Project Summary / Abstract You must attach the Project Summary / Abstract to field 7 of the R&R Other Project Information form.” Open page 23
Resumes or bios of key staff · p. 25
“R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form You must attach a short biographical sketch and list of significant publications (vitae) for each Senior/Key Person.” Open page 25
Budget narrative / justification · p. 25
“A budget justification must be included.” Open page 25
Data management plan · p. 26
“Data Management Plan If your effort generates scientific data, you must include a Data Management Plan with your application.” Open page 26
Length limits
Character limit (see quote): 2000 characters max · p. 23
“You must provide a concise abstract of 300 words or less with your proposal (no more than 2000 characters).” Open page 23
Formatting rules
12-point font · p. 18
“Font – Times New Roman or Garamond, 10, 11, or 12point v.” Open page 18
Mistakes that get applications rejected (2)
Could get your application rejected: Any proposal over $500,000 will not be considered. · p. 6
“Any proposal over $500,000 will not be considered.” Open page 6
Missing a required part: Failure to provide required reports, or providing reports after required due dates, could lead to being... · p. 37
“Failure to provide required reports, or providing reports after required due dates, could lead to being considered ineligible for future awards.” Open page 37
Files from the official listing
The notice, forms and templates the agency attached. Some programs ask for a letter of intent or a form before the full application.
- Air_Force_Basic_Research_Sciences_Conference_and_Workshop_Support.pdf (571 KB)
FA955026S0002 - Appendix_1_-_SECURITY_PROGRAM_QUESTIONNAIRE.pdf (152 KB)
Appendix 1 - SECURITY PROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRE - Appendix_2_-_Privacy_Act_Statement.pdf (107 KB)
Appendix 2 - Privacy Act Statement - Research_AFRL_Addendum_and_Award_Specific_Requirements_to_the_DoD_RD_General_Terms_and_Conditions_Apr_26_AFOSR_SAMPLE.pdf (348 KB)
Research AFRL Addendum and Award Specific Requirements DoD RD General Terms and Conditions
Who in Tennessee has won this program
25 awards to Tennessee groups in 3 counties since 2019 · 0 in Madison County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tennessee | Tullahoma, Franklin County | $17.9M | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $5M | 2022 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $2.2M | 2022 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $2M spent that year | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $2M | 2021 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | $1.4M spent that year | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $980K | 2019 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $897K | 2020 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $731K | 2023 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $601K | 2020 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $541K | 2023 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $450K | 2021 |
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. 18 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Madison County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City, Washington County | Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem | $1.3M | 2023 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | University of Texas at Austin | $705K | 2025 |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville, Davidson County | Ohio State University, the | $210K | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Tullahoma, Franklin County | Ohio State University, the | $192K | 2023 |
| University of Tennessee | Tullahoma | Ohio State University, the | $192K | 2023 |
| 2Nd Order Effects LLC | Fairview | National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining | $170K | 2026 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | University of Southern California | $165K | 2023 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | University of Southern California | $165K | 2024 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | University of California, Los Angeles | $160K | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | University of Southern California | $142K spent that year | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | The University of Texas at Austin | $125K spent that year | 2025 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | The University of Southern California | $82K spent that year | 2025 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
Similar grants open or opening soon
From other funders, about the same kind of work in Madison County.
- Continuing Human Enabling Enhancing Restoring and Sustaining · Air Force -- Research Lab · Accepts applications through Aug 22, 2044. Rounds may close sooner: check the notice
- Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War (DoW) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) · Office of Naval Research · Due Nov 6, 2026 · 27 days left
- Research Interests of the United States Air Force Academy (formerly USAFA-BAA-2021) · Air Force Academy · No deadline listed: see the official notice
- CHEERS Open Period 2 - All Technical Areas · Air Force -- Research Lab · Due Sep 30, 2027 · 355 days left
More from Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Fiscal Year 2027 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) · Due Nov 6, 2026 · 27 days left
- Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Young Investigator Program (YIP) · Due Dec 4, 2026 · 55 days left
- FY26 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) CAPACITY BUILDING (CB) · Due Apr 5, 2027 · 177 days left
- FY26 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) – RESEARCH COLLABORATION (RC) · Due Apr 5, 2027 · 177 days left
- Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War (DoW) Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI) · Due Apr 9, 2027 · 181 days left
- Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research · No deadline listed: see the official notice
About the federal program
Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program
Program number 12.800 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force · Project grant
How applications are judged
Match
None required (federal program listing).