Grants / Department of Defense / Air Force Office of Scientific Research

AFRL/AFOSR Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 University Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity

Open Closes April 2, 2027 (153 days left) Opportunity FA955027S0001

• Award ceiling$13.8 million
• Award floor$8.3 million
• Expected awardsnot stated
• Total funding$13.8 million
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Add the deadline to your calendar

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to colleges and universities.

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education

More grants for colleges and universities.

Is this a realistic fit?

• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Air Warfare Directorate (RA), intends to provide support for a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at U.S. universities to establish a university-led Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity. This multidisciplinary, basic research initiative focuses on investigating complex problem sets involving the fundamental physics at the intersection of high-speed fluid mechanics, thermal transport, and structural sciences. By supporting a balanced, integrated approach across computational simulation, theoretical modeling, and ground experimentation in these three areas, the Center will tackle critical aerothermoelasticity challenges for the Air Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering. This opportunity is a chance to work closely with the Air Force Research Lab Air Warfare Directorate (AFRL/RA) on computational simulations and ground and flight experiments in the field of high-speed aerothermoelasticity. We seek unclassified proposals from a highly collaborative, qualified and responsible university-led team that bridges the traditional silos of fluid dynamics, thermal transport, and structural mechanics. The program requires an interdisciplinary roster of up to ten investigators (including computational and experimental leads) and strongly encourages partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in alignment with Executive Order 14283. Beyond technical discovery, the Center acts as a vital connection between academia and DoW scientists at facilities such as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). This ensures that breakthrough academic research translates into tangible capabilities for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and access to a well-trained future aerospace workforce. It is important that your proposal shows strength in as many of the evaluation areas as practical for maximum competitiveness. The award shall be made to U.S. institutions of higher education, where the principal investigator is employed on a full-time basis and holds a regular, non-contractor position. Researchers working at the Federally Funded Research and Development Centers and DoW Laboratories are not eligible for this competition.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

How to apply

1. Read the full notice and attachments on Grants.gov. The notice is the official source for deadlines and requirements.
2. Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID; registration can take several weeks.
3. Register on Grants.gov and submit through Workspace before the deadline and time given in the notice. Our application guide walks through each step.

Questions go to Daniel P Smith, Procurement Analyst, aerothermodynamics@us.af.mil, 703-588-8494.

Open the official notice