Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)- Army Submission | W911NF 23 S 0005

Opportunity Information: Apply for W911NF 23 S 0005

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Army Submission opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W911NF-23-S-0005) is a discretionary research funding announcement issued under the Department of Defense (DoD) University Research Initiative (URI). MURI is jointly sponsored across the DoD basic research offices, including the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). This document functions as the formal Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under DoD Grants and Agreements regulations (DoDGARS), meaning applicants should treat it as the complete solicitation package; the DoD states that no separate Request for Proposals (RFP) or additional solicitation will be released beyond what is contained or linked in the FOA.

At its core, the MURI program is designed to support high-risk, high-payoff basic research that is explicitly aimed at pushing beyond the current state of the art. The program emphasizes multidisciplinary teams and ambitious scientific goals that try to explain or accomplish something not previously demonstrated. DoD highlights MURI as a long-running program (over 25 years) with a track record of producing major scientific breakthroughs, broader economic impacts, and foundational advances that can later translate into transformative military technologies. A notable feature of MURI projects is active involvement by Service program officers, who provide close project management and research guidance throughout the period of performance, reflecting the program’s hands-on approach compared to many other academic research grants.

The administering organization for this Army-focused submission is the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Materiel Command, with ARO serving as the Army research office point of entry for this track. The funding activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the opportunity is associated with CFDA (Assistance Listing) 12.431. The FOA allows for awards primarily as grants, but it also specifies that for ARO submissions in particular, awards may be made either as grants and/or cooperative agreements. That distinction matters because cooperative agreements typically involve more substantial federal involvement during the project, which aligns with the MURI model of close engagement by program officers.

From a funding and scale perspective, the posted award ceiling is $1,500,000, and the opportunity anticipates a large overall number of awards across the broader DoD MURI effort (listed as 100 expected awards). The DoD also makes clear that submission does not guarantee funding: the agencies reserve the right to fund all proposals, only some proposals, or none at all, depending on their evaluation outcomes, available funds, and programmatic priorities. Applicants should also plan proposal development budgets accordingly because the DoD explicitly does not reimburse any costs associated with preparing white papers or full proposals, and submitted materials will not be returned.

The application process is structured with defined milestones and deadlines, including a white paper stage followed by full applications. For this cycle, questions related to white papers were due by May 5, 2023, with white papers required by May 19, 2023 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Full application questions were due by August 25, 2023, and complete applications were due by September 8, 2023 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. These staged deadlines reflect a common MURI workflow in which initial concepts are screened before inviting or encouraging more extensive full submissions, helping both applicants and the government focus effort on the most promising ideas.

In terms of integrity and confidentiality, the DoD describes white papers and proposals submitted under the FOA as sensitive competitive information. The agencies state they will limit disclosure of contents to what is necessary for evaluation, reinforcing that submissions are treated as competition-sensitive. At the same time, applicants should recognize that the DoD retains broad discretion in award selection and is not obligated to make awards simply because proposals are technically strong; portfolio balance, mission relevance, and funding constraints can all affect final decisions.

Finally, any resulting award will be governed by federal financial assistance rules and DoD-specific implementations of government-wide guidance. The FOA points to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) framework and DoD’s adoption of the Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR Part 200, which sets expectations for administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit standards. In practical terms, prospective university teams should anticipate standard federal assistance compliance obligations (allowable costs, documentation, subaward oversight, reporting, audit readiness) in addition to the scientific and technical reporting typically required for a major basic research program.

• The Department of Defense, Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)- Army Submission" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.431.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 22, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 08, 2023 White Paper Inquiries and Questions 05 May 2023 White Papers must be received no later than 19 May 2023 at 500 PM Eastern Time Application Inquiries and Questions 25 August 2023 Applications must be received no later than 08 September 2023 at 500 PM Eastern Time. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 100 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W911NF 23 S 0005

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