Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Department of Defense Space University Research Initiative

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This is a special Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in support of the research objectives the Department of Defense (DoD) Space University Research Initiative (SURI), sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Chief Technologist Office (hereafter collectively referred to as “DoD agencies”). DOD’s SURI program is focused on directing basic research toward applications that meet US Space Force (USSF) needs and challenges. The program was initiated as a pilot to foster engagements between various DoD agencies and the academic community in a developing USSF University Consortium, with the goal of improving the transition of critical concepts from the academic sector into revolutionary new military technologies. Key to the program’s success is the close management of the SURI projects by DoD agency program officers, and their role in providing research guidance and supporting transition of research products into DoD applications. The SURI program is intended to support basic and applied research in Space-related science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education (hereafter referred to as "universities"), with potential transition to critical applications of DoD interest. As such, SURI differs from the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) that is funded by DoD basic research funds for basic research products. SURI is co-funded by applied research dollars, and thus expands the scope of work to include science and technology development. The SURI program supports multidisciplinary research efforts, ideally creating synergies to speed DoD-relevant research and development.

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