IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arlington, VA - The Department of Defense announced awards to 185 university researchers totaling $56 million under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). These grants will be provided to 95 institutions across 36 states in fiscal 2019.
The Department of Defense has long championed the country’s scientific ecosystem. Through DURIP, DOD supports purchases of major research equipment to augment current and develop new capabilities. This effort enables universities to perform cutting-edge research that boosts the United States’ technological edge while ensuring that our future science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce remains second to none.
“DURIP awards are essential for universities to acquire the equipment needed in the pursuit of knowledge and big ideas,” said Dr. Mitch Nikolich, director of defense research and engineering for research and technology. “Research and education are inextricably linked, and these awards sustain the scientific excellence of our universities and the training of the next generation STEM workforce. Ultimately, these investments will ensure that our scientists have the resources needed to contribute to the development of game-changing technologies for the Department of Defense.”
The annual DURIP award process is highly competitive. The program is administered through a merit competition jointly conducted by the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The department seeks specific proposals from university investigators conducting foundational science and engineering research of importance to national defense.
For the fiscal 2019 competition, the service research offices received 669 proposals, requesting $259 million in funding. Selections made by the service research offices are subject to successful completion of negotiations with the academic institutions.
The list of winning proposals is available online: https://media.defense.gov/2019/Mar/25/2002105399/-1/-1/1/FY19-DURIP-WINNERS.PDF.
