The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced plans to make 22 awards to support multidisciplinary research at 39 academic institutions. Subject to availability of funds and continued research progress, the awards will support five years of research effort. DoD intends to provide $25 million in FY1995 for the first year of these multiyear efforts, and up to $125 million over five years.
The awards are being made under the multidisciplinary research program of the University Research Initiative (URI). The multidisciplinary URI supports research teams whose efforts intersect more than one traditional science and engineering discipline. Multidisciplinary team effort can accelerate research progress in areas suited to this approach. It also can help to hasten the transition of research findings to practical application. By supporting team efforts, the multidisciplinary URI complements other DoD programs that support university research principally through single- investigator awards.
The awards are the result of the FY 1994 competition under the multidisciplinary URI. Proposals were sought in six areas of importance to DoD: high- energy microwaves; automated vision and sensing; mobile electric power; smart structures; prediction, detection, and assessment of degradation and failure in mechanical systems; and design and manufacture of electronics and materials. The selection process was highly competitive. In response to the solicitation, universities submitted nearly 200 proposals requesting more than $1 billion over five years.
DoD expects that multidisciplinary URI programs will promote both defense and commercial applications of DoD research. Therefore, a factor in selecting proposals for funding was the quality of proposers' plans for collaborating with research and development organizations, particularly industrial organizations, that transition research findings to application. Proposers were permitted to propose subawards to industrial organizations, with a caveat that awarded funds were expected to vest substantially with the academic institutions. Two of the 22 awards announced today include a subaward to an industrial organization.
The awards will be made by the four DoD research offices that conducted the competition: the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and Advanced Research Projects Agency. The awards are subject to the successful completion of negotiations between the academic institutions and the four research offices.
Media may obtain the list of winning proposers from the Defense News Division, room 2E765, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301-1400, or by calling (703) 695-0192. Other requesters should contact (703) 697-5737.
SUCCESSFUL PROPOSERS--FY1994 MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH COMPETITION UNDER UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE
PRINCIPAL AWARDING
INVESTIGATOR INSTITUTIONS STATE BRIEF TITLE AGENCY
(Subawardees asterisked)
Ilhan A.
Aksay Princeton University NJ Mesoscale Patterning for Army
Smart Material Systems
* Harvard University MA
* Drexel University PA
H.
T.
Banks North Carolina State NC Modeling and Control of ARPA/Air
University Chemical Vapor Deposition Force
* Carnegie Mellon PA
University
* University of Illinois IL
Terrance Boult Lehigh University PA Autonomous Vision for Navy/ARPA
Manufacturing
* Columbia University NY
* New York University NY
Rodney Brooks Massachusetts Institute MA Trainable Modular Vision Navy/ARPA
of Technology System
* California Institute CA
of Technology
* Harvard University MA
Gregory P.
University of CA Micro Army
Carman California-Los Angeles Electronic/Mechanical-Bas
ed Actuators
* Case Western Reserve OH
University
John Ekerdt University of TX Thin-Film Chemical Vapor ARPA/Air
Texas-Austin Deposition Force
* University of Wisconsin WI
Alan Epstein Massachusetts Institute MA Micro Gas Turbine Army
of Technology Generators
Victor University of Maryland MD Compact, High-Energy Air Force
Granatstein Microwave Sources
* Cornell University NY
Stephen Grossberg Boston University MA Automated Vision and Navy/ARPA
Sensing Systems
* Johns Hopkins MD
University
Nesbitt W.
Massachusetts Institute MA Smart Composite Army
Hagood of Technology Structures
David Hall Pennsylvania State PA Integrated Predictive Navy
University Diagnostics
* Rennselaer Polytechnic NY
Institute
Thomas Kailath Stanford University CA Microlithography ARPA/Air
Control, Simulation, Force
Optimization
* Yale University CT
Takeo Kanade Carnegie Mellon PA Integrated Vision and Navy/ARPA
University Sensing
Pramod University of Michigan MI Plasma Processing for ARPA/Air
Khargonekar Electronics Manufacture Force
* University of Illinois IL
Magne Kristiansen Texas Tech University TX High-Energy Microwave Air Force
Devices
* University of New NM
Mexico
* University of Michigan MI
Neville Luhmann University of CA High-Energy Microwave Air Force
California-Davis Sources
* University of CA
California-Berkeley
* University of CA
California-Los Angeles
* Stanford University CA
Anupam Madhukar University of Southern CA Semiconductor Epitaxy ARPA/Air
California and Etching Force
* Louisiana State LA
University
Vishwanath Prasad State University of New NY Modeling, Design, and ARPA/Air
York-Stony Brook Control of Crystal Growth Force
* Rennselaer Polytechnic NY
Institute
* Virginia Polytechnic VA
Institute
* Boston University MA
* Central State OH
University
* Manhattan College NY
Azriel Rosenfeld University of Maryland MD Appearance-Based Vision Navy/ARPA
for Complex Environments
* Massachusetts MA
Institute of Technology
* University of Washington WA
Michael Seal University of Western WA Thermophotovoltaic Army
Washington Electric Generator
* JX Crystals WA
William Smyrl University of Minnesota MN High-Performance Fuel Army
Cells
* Northwestern University IL
* University of CA
California-Berkeley
* Calif Inst of CA
Tech--Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
* Analytical Power MA
Systems
Ward Winer Georgia Institute of GA Integrated Diagnostics Navy
Technology
* Northwestern University IL
* University of Minnesota MN
