The Air Force Fiscal Year 2026 Young Investigator Program (YIP) aims to support individual early-career scientists and engineers who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees by April 1, 2018, or later, showing exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. The program objective is to foster creative basic research in science and engineering, enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators, and increase opportunities for the young investigator to recognize the Air Force and Space Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering. • Individual awards are made to U.S. institutions of higher education, industrial laboratories, for-profit, or non-profit research organizations. • YIP awards are funded up to $150,000 per year for three years, for a total of $450,000. • An anticipated thirty-seven traditionally funded YIPs and two YIPs funded in partnership with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) in the Quantum Information Sciences research discipline may be awarded.