FOA-AFRL-AFOSR-2023-0001: Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Create the Future Independent Research Effort
Closed
This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: AFRL/AFOSR Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 University Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity (FA955027S0001). Status: Closes April 2, 2027 (146 days left). It is in our archive of Air Force Office of Scientific Research notices from 2022.
Air Force Office of Scientific Research offered grants of up to $4.5 million to colleges and universities. It expected to make about 4 awards. Applications closed on March 17, 2023.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed November 30, 2022. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$4.5 million
- Expected awards4
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
Key dates
| Posted | November 30, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | March 17, 2023 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | April 16, 2023 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to colleges and universities.
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
All responsible, potential applicants from academia are eligible to submit proposals.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Past Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program awards averaged $943,430; this notice allows up to $4.5 million per award.
- Most of the program's money (59% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The Create the Future Independent Research Effort (CFIRE) seeks to ensure the future technological superiority of the DOD by cultivating emerging areas of research at institutions of higher education (hereafter referred to as “universities”) today. The topic areas that we seek to support with this FOA are independent from those described in our open BAA (Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research) and do not fall completely within any one research program. We seek to support multidisciplinary research efforts, creating synergies to speed DoD-relevant research and development. Basic and applied research are defined in the DoD Financial Management Regulation: Basic research is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. It is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological progress (DoD 7000.14-R, vol. 2B, chap. 5, para. 050201.B). Applied research is systematic study to understand the means to meet a recognized and specific need. It is a systematic expansion and application of knowledge to develop useful materials, devices, and systems or methods. It may be oriented, ultimately, toward the design, development, and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet general mission area requirements. Applied research may translate promising basic research into solutions for broadly defined military needs, short of system development. This type of effort may vary from systematic mission-directed research beyond that in Budget Activity 1 to sophisticated breadboard hardware, study, programming and planning efforts that establish the initial feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions to technological challenges. It includes studies, investigations, and non-system specific technology efforts. The dominant characteristic is that applied research is directed toward general military needs with a view toward developing and evaluating the feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions and determining their parameters. Applied research precedes system specific technology investigations or development.
Who has won Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (12.800) awarded $3.7 billion across 3,902 grant awards, an average of $943,430 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem | California | 1 | $539 million |
| National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining | Pennsylvania | 2 | $309 million |
| Flextech Alliance, Inc. | California | 1 | $233 million |
| The Research Foundation for the State University of New York | New York | 3 | $128 million |
| Cornell University | New York | 52 | $74.0 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, FA955027S0001, which is open now.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is FOA-AFRL-AFOSR-2023-0001 still open?
No. It closed on March 17, 2023. A newer notice is open: FA955027S0001, closes April 2, 2027 (146 days left).
Who can apply for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Create the Future Independent Research Effort?
Air Force Office of Scientific Research accepted applications from colleges and universities. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Create the Future Independent Research Effort?
Closed March 17, 2023. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $4.5 million each.
Who has won Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem, National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, Flextech Alliance, Inc. The program made 3,902 awards worth $3.7 billion in that time.