FY26 DEFENSE ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (DEPSCoR) ? RESEARCH COLLABORATION (RC)

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) – Research Collaboration (RC) opportunity. The program aims to improve the research capabilities at institutions of higher education (IHE) in eligible States/Territories to perform competitive basic research in science and engineering that is relevant to the DoD mission and reflect national security priorities. The funding opportunity aims to create basic research collaborations between a pair of researchers, namely a full-time faculty member who has never served as a Principal Investigator (PI) on a prior DoD directly funded research Prime award and an investigator who will provide mentorship to the Applicant and has served as a PI on a DoD directly funded research Prime award. Key topics of interest include Space Bioscience, Dynamic Data and Information Processing, Condensed Matter Physics, and more. * The program seeks proposals that advance knowledge in basic science involving bold and ambitious research that may lead to extraordinary outcomes. * The DoD plans to award FY26 DEPSCoR appropriations through this announcement, with up to $14.4 million in total funding available. * Awards will be made for a period of three years, with a maximum award amount of $600,000. * Eligible applicants include tenured or tenure-track faculty members with appointments at IHE in DEPSCoR-eligible States/Territories.