The Department of Defense (DoD) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), one element of the University Research Initiative (URI), is sponsored by the DoD research offices. Those offices include the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) (hereafter collectively referred to as "DoD agencies" or “DoD”).
DoD's MURI program addresses high-risk basic research and attempts to understand or achieve something that has never been done before. The program was initiated over 25 years ago and it has regularly produced significant scientific breakthroughs with far reaching consequences to the fields of science, economic growth, and revolutionary new military technologies. Key to the program’s success is the close management of the MURI projects by Service program officers and their active role in providing research guidance.
Deadlines:
- White Papers must be received no later than 2 May 2025 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time
- Applications must be received no later than 05 September 2025 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time
White papers and proposals addressing the following topics should be submitted to the Office of Naval Research (ONR):
Topic 14: Evaluation and Monitoring of Large-Scale Generative AI
Topic 15: Brain-inspired Large Neural Models for Intelligent Robots
Topic 16: Reading between the lines: Connecting Deep Ocean Currents & Bedform Morphology
Topic 17: Impacts of Aerosol Injection, Evolution, and Deposition on 3D Radiative Balance
Topic 18: Interfacial Thermal Energy Transduction
Topic 19: Inherent stability in hybrid metal halide perovskite semiconductors through understanding of in situ electrochemistry
Topic 20: Visual Perception and Attention for Real-Virtual Hybrid Environments
Topic 21: Continuous Improvement and Assessment to Achieve Autonomous Skilled Performance
Topic 22: Gas/Material Interactions for Ultra-high-temperature Materials in Hypersonic Flows
This MURI competition is open only to, and proposals are to be submitted only by, U.S. institutions of higher education (universities) with degree-granting programs in science and/or engineering, including DoD institutions of higher education. To the extent that it is part of a U.S. institution of higher education and is not designated as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) is eligible to submit a proposal to this MURI competition and/or receive MURI funds. Ineligible organizations (e.g., industry, DoD laboratories, FFRDCs, and foreign entities) may collaborate on the research but may not receive MURI funds directly or via subaward.
The total amount of funding for the five years available for grants resulting from this MURI NOFO is estimated to be approximately $170 million dollars pending out-year appropriations. MURI awards are contingent on availability of funds, the specific topic, and the scope of the proposed work. Typical annual funding per grant is up to $1.5M. The amount of the award and the number of supported researchers should generally not exceed the limit specified for the individual topics in Section I.1.