Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research | FA9550 18 S 0003

Opportunity Information: Apply for FA9550 18 S 0003

The Department of Defense, through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), is offering an ongoing research funding opportunity titled "Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research" (Funding Opportunity Number FA9550-18-S-0003). This announcement is essentially a broad, standing invitation for researchers to propose basic research ideas that align with AFOSR priorities. AFOSR is the organization within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing AFRL's basic research program, using technical guidance from AFRL and driven by Air Force requirements. A central theme of the opportunity is not only generating new scientific knowledge, but also helping ensure that research outcomes can transition toward real Air Force needs over time, meaning the program cares about long-range relevance and pathways to impact, even when the funded work is fundamental in nature.

The research scope is intentionally wide, but it is organized into two main scientific departments that define AFOSR's management structure and topic areas. The first is the Engineering and Information Science department (often referenced as RTA), which covers foundational research relevant to engineering disciplines and information-centric technologies. The second is the Physical and Biological Sciences department (RTB), which spans core areas of physical science and life science that can underpin future Air Force capabilities. Across both departments, AFOSR emphasizes research that could provide significant, broad benefits to national warfighting and peacekeeping capabilities, which signals that proposals should connect their scientific contributions to long-term defense-relevant advantages, even if they are not near-term prototypes or product development efforts.

In terms of funding mechanics, this is a discretionary science and technology research and development opportunity (CFDA 12.800) that can be supported through multiple award instruments, including grants, cooperative agreements, procurement contracts, and other arrangements. The mix of instruments indicates AFOSR can tailor the relationship based on the nature of the work and the level of anticipated government involvement, with cooperative agreements typically implying more substantial collaboration or programmatic engagement than a standard grant. The posted award ceiling is very high ($100,000,000), which is best understood as an upper bound for the opportunity rather than a typical single-award size, and the listing shows an extremely large number of expected awards (99,999), which commonly reflects that the announcement is designed to remain open and support many awards over time rather than a single, time-limited competition.

Eligibility is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, and other entity types as clarified in the opportunity's additional eligibility text. This breadth is consistent with AFOSR's stated intent to foster and support research across Air Force, university, and industry laboratories, allowing participation from academic teams, independent research organizations, and commercial R&D groups.

The opportunity was created on June 11, 2018, and the original closing date is listed as "Posted until superseded," which means it functions as a continuing announcement that stays active until it is replaced or updated. Practically, that structure encourages researchers to monitor AFOSR topic areas and program manager interests and to submit proposals when their concepts align, rather than waiting for a single deadline-driven solicitation. Overall, this funding opportunity serves as AFOSR's primary umbrella vehicle for soliciting basic research proposals across its core portfolios, with the explicit expectation that high-quality fundamental science and engineering advances should ultimately be positioned to transition into capabilities that support U.S. Air Force missions.

• The Department of Defense, Air Force Office of Scientific Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.800.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 11, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Posted until superseded. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 99,999 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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