Basic and Applied Scientific Research
Active
- Assistance listing
- 12.300
- Agency
-
Office of Naval Research
Secretary of the Navy, Department of Defense
- Grant awards
- 27,650 $16,712,779,036 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Formula Grant
- Block Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 17-1319-0-1-051
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Office of Naval Research, under the Department of the Navy, funds basic and applied research and technology at universities, nonprofits, and other research organizations to improve naval operations (Assistance Listing 12.300), and the closest hard date is the November 6, 2026 due date for the FY27 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), which is open only to universities. Awards are made throughout the year, and the program has disbursed 27,651 federal grant awards since January 1994. Annual award counts have declined from 1,014 in 2023 to 905 in 2024, 641 in 2025, and 301 in 2026. Recent awards carry August and September 2026 dates, and the FY27 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) was posted September 21, 2026.
Recent awards fund single-investigator and team research in areas such as distributed RF concepts for electromagnetic spectrum operations ($20.6 million), an Innovative Coatings Center at North Dakota State University ($2.8 million), Alaska Regional Collaboration for Technology Innovation and Commercialization IV ($3 million), and an ocean acoustics education bootcamp ($80,000). Most recent awards are under $300,000, though several exceed $1 million. Awards generally carry three- to five-year periods of performance and are selected competitively on scientific merit, Navy relevance, capabilities, personnel qualifications, and cost realism.
The program has obligated $16.72 billion in federal dollars across its portfolio. The Department of the Navy accounts for 17,879 awards and $8.61 billion, and the Office of Naval Research itself accounts for 8,800 awards and $7 billion. Among other funders, the Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory obligated $183.4 million, Naval Sea Systems Command obligated $124.4 million, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency obligated $104.1 million. Fifty-two federal agencies have funded awards under the program. The assistance-type mix is predominantly Project Grants (25,885 awards, 94%), with Cooperative Agreements (1,655 awards, 6%) and negligible Block Grant and Formula Grant counts.
Eligibility extends to all responsible sources from academia, industry, and the research community worldwide. Individuals and families are not eligible, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, including Department of Energy National Laboratories, cannot receive awards.
Open opportunities include the FY27 DURIP competition (N0001426SF003), which funds equipment purchases at accredited U.S. universities with science, mathematics, or engineering degree programs, excluding for-profit institutions, with University Affiliated Research Centers also eligible. The FY27 Communications and Networking Applied Research announcement (N0001426SBC11) closes November 16, 2026, and is open to academia, industry, and the research community worldwide without set-asides. The FY27 Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions program (N0001426SF001) lists a December 11, 2026 due date and is restricted to covered educational institutions with a single principal investigator, with white papers due September 18, 2026.
Objective and description
- Objective
To support and stimulate basic and applied research and technology at educational institutions, non-profits and other research organizations, which have potential for superiority in the improvement of naval operations, and to train and motivate futur
- Description
ONR is tasked with discovering, developing and delivering new technology and capability for the Navy and Marine Corps. Our Sailors and Marines must have the decisive technological edge to ensure they have the advantage in every engagement.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
All responsible sources from academia, industry and the research community worldwide. Office of Naval Research (ONR) headquarters Grants and Agreements cannot be awarded to individuals or families. Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs), including the Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive award.
- Beneficiary eligibility
See above.
- Uses of assistance
Basic, applied and advanced research in the physical, mathematical, environmental, engineering and life sciences providing knowledge necessary for the Department of the Navy to make informed decisions about further exploratory development to provide the technology base from which naval capabilities are drawn and partial support of symposia in the listed disciplines. Programs to encourage careers in science, technology and engineering by supporting outstanding research by graduate and undergraduate students pursuing studies in areas of naval concern; research programs to increase the number of science and engineering graduates from underrepresented minority groups and programs providing funding for universities to purchase major, high-cost research instrumentation.
- Use restrictions
Profit or Fee
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Grants will reflect a period of performance which is generally 3-5 years.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of proposals resulting from a scientific and cost review. Evaluations will typically be conducted using the following evaluation criteria: 1. Overall scientific and technical merits of the proposal; 2. Potential Naval relevance and contributions of the effort to the agency's specific mission; 3. The offeror's capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques or unique combinations of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives; 4. The qualifications, capabilities and experience of the proposed Principal Investigator (PI), team leader and key personnel who are critical in achieving the proposal objectives; and 5. The realism of the proposed costs and availability of funds.
- Award procedure
Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of proposals resulting from a peer and/or scientific review. Evaluations will use the criteria contained in the relevant announcement. If selected, the proposal is incorporated into a grant/cooperative agreement document and the applicant agrees to perform the research described therein.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Awards may be made at any time throughout the year for which funding is authorized.
- Renewals
Reapplication with new proposal is permitted.
- Appeals
Appeal procedures, if any, or mechanisms for requesting feedback are stated in the applicable program announcements, BAAs, or other notices of funding opportunities. Unsuccessful applicants may request a technical debriefing from the designated Grants Officer in accordance with agency merit-review guidelines.
Grant opportunities
Show 40 more
Latest 50 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 27,650 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University Of California San Diego | $614,136,638 | 4% |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute Of Technology | $514,988,195 | 3% |
| 3 | University Of Washington | $469,067,975 | 3% |
| 4 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | $376,571,567 | 2% |
| 5 | University Of Hawaii | $341,965,993 | 2% |
| 6 | Colorado State University | $308,992,624 | 2% |
| 7 | National Marrow Donor Program | $299,046,514 | 2% |
| 8 | Georgia TECH Research Corp | $259,479,177 | 2% |
| 9 | The Leland Stanford Junior University | $254,566,449 | 2% |
| 10 | Carnegie-Mellon University | $238,615,830 | 1% |
10 of 1,992 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $586,103,845 |
| FY2025 | $670,927,962 |
| FY2024 | $859,111,088 |
| FY2023 | $961,372,466 |
| FY2022 | $825,187,962 |
| FY2021 | $825,524,946 |
| FY2020 | $807,253,333 |
| FY2019 | $881,442,793 |
| FY2018 | $723,103,175 |
| FY2017 | $743,866,868 |
| FY2016 | $754,526,112 |
| FY2015 | $727,165,489 |
| FY2014 | $729,597,584 |
| FY2013 | $591,444,245 |
| FY2012 | $724,597,434 |
| FY2011 | $705,069,216 |
| FY2010 | $713,629,708 |
| FY2009 | $583,469,587 |
| FY2008 | $566,845,419 |
| FY2007 | $546,289,563 |
| FY2006 | $279,410,347 |
| FY2005 | $510,238,464 |
| FY2004 | $383,360,616 |
| FY2003 | $421,016,359 |
| FY2002 | $39,398,508 |
| FY2001 | $420,337,011 |
Show all 26
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 12.300?
Assistance Listing 12.300 is Basic and Applied Scientific Research, a federal grant program run by Office of Naval Research (Secretary of the Navy).
What is the CFDA number for Basic and Applied Scientific Research?
Its CFDA number is 12.300: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 12.300 awarded?
27,650 grant awards under 12.300 have obligated $16,712,779,036 in federal funds to 1,992 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 12.300?
The recipients obligated the most under Basic and Applied Scientific Research are University Of California San Diego ($614,136,638), Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ($514,988,195) and University Of Washington ($469,067,975).
How much did 12.300 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 12.300 obligated $670,927,962 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 12.300?
7 of the latest 50 opportunities under 12.300 are open or forecasted. The latest, Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI), was posted on September 21, 2026.
On GovTribe
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