Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War (DoW) Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)

Open Posted

Opportunity number
W911NF26S1000
Agency
Applications due
Award size
Up to $7,500,000

Opportunity facts

Assistance listings
Funding instrument
Cooperative Agreement, Grant
Category
  • Science and Technology and other Research and Development
Eligible applicants
  • Other
Points of contact
Full announcement

Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

Written by GovTribe AI ·

The Department of the Army Materiel Command, through the Army Research Office, is soliciting applications for the FY 2027 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), with optional white papers due November 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time and full proposals due April 9, 2027 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Competition is open only to U.S. institutions of higher education with science or engineering degree-granting programs, including DoD institutions of higher education and University Affiliated Research Centers that are part of a U.S. institution and not FFRDCs. Industry, DoW laboratories, FFRDCs, and foreign entities may collaborate but may not receive MURI funds directly or via subaward.

Awards are issued as grants, or as grants and cooperative agreements for ARO submissions, with substantial federal involvement, including active management by Service Program Officers. Per-grant funding is up to $1.5 million per year over five years (three-year base plus two-year options), totaling $7.5 million per award, with budgets built on a $4.5 million base period. The NOFO cites approximately $170 million in total funding pending out-year appropriations. The NOFO requires the use of Grants.gov SF-424 R&R forms, a technical proposal of no more than 25 pages, data management plans, measurable success benchmarks under Executive Order 14332, Gold Standard Science and conflict-of-interest certifications, and compliance with Section 889 telecommunications restrictions.

The NOFO lists 16 topics: five AFOSR topics (non-linear mixing processes, tunable semiconductors, AI robustness, electron microscopy, optical cycling), six ARO topics (thorium-229, quantum qubits, superomniphobic materials, biogeochemistry, multiphase chemistry, quantum solids), and five ONR topics (AI-generated content detection, tropospheric scatter, biofilm control, electrochemical materials, self-healing structures). Amendment 2, posted November 5, 2026, adds informal white paper feedback by January 8, 2027. Award notifications are anticipated in July 2027, with grant starts in August 2027.

The parent program, Basic Scientific Research (CFDA 12.431), evaluates proposals on scientific and technical merit, military and program relevance, and PI and key personnel qualifications, plus reasonableness and realism of costs. ARL technical points of contact are available for preliminary inquiries before whitepaper or proposal submission.

Synopsis

Army Research Office (ARO):


DoW's MURI program addresses high-risk basic research and attempts to understand or achieve something that has never been done before. The program was initiated 40 years ago and it has regularly produced significant scientific breakthroughs with far reaching consequences to the fields of science, economic growth, and revolutionary new military technologies. Key to the program's success is the close management of the MURI projects by Service Program Officers and their active role in providing research guidance.


See Section I. Other Information for topic descriptions and more information.

Eligibility

This MURI competition is open only to, and proposals are to be submitted only by, U.S. institutions of higher education (universities) with degree-granting programs in science and/or engineering, including DoD institutions of higher education. To the extent that it is part of a U.S. institution of higher education and is not designated as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) is eligible to submit a proposal to this MURI competition and/or receive MURI funds. Ineligible organizations (e.g., industry, DoD laboratories, FFRDCs, and foreign entities) may collaborate on the research but may not receive MURI funds directly or via subaward.

Files

File Type Posted
FY27_MURI_W911NF26S1000__Amendment_2.pdf PDF
FY27_MURI_NOFO_W911NF26S1000_Amendment1.pdf PDF
PKG00294194.pdf PDF
W911NF26S1000_MURI_FY27.pdf PDF

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