DOD AWARDS $9 MILLION FOR THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE PROGRAM
Director of Defense Research and Engineering of the
Department of Defense Anita K. Jones today announced plans to
award $3 million in Fiscal Year 1996 and up to $9 million per
year over three years to 10 academic institutions to conduct
multidisciplinary research in seven topic areas of basic science
and engineering. These grants may be extended an additional two
years as progress warrants. The awards are to be made under the
second phase of the Fiscal Year 1996 DoD Multidisciplinary
University Research Initiative Program (MURI), a program designed
to address large multidisciplinary topic areas which represent
exceptional opportunities for future DoD applications, as well as
forecast DoD needs.
Subject to the successful completion of negotiations
between DoD and the academic institutions, the 10 awards will
provide long-term support for research, graduate students, and
purchase of equipment that support specific science and
engineering research themes important to national defense.
The average funding per award will be $3 million, spent over
a three-year period (funded incrementally or as options), with
two additional years possible as options to bring the total award
to five years. Funding beyond the first three years is subject to
the availability of appropriations. The yearly expenditures will
be approximately $1 million per year.
Today's announcement is the result of a seven-month
competition under the DoD MURI program. The competition for the
awards drew 133 white papers, from which 48 full proposals were
encouraged. Forty-three full proposals were submitted for the
final competition phase, and 10 of those were found to be
suitable for funding.
Attached is a list of the awards.
