FY26 Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) – Capacity Building (CB)
Funding opportunity: NOFOAFRLAFOSR20260003
Agency: Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), supporting the Department of Defense DEPSCoR program
Status: Open. The mandatory White Paper stage is currently open.
Mandatory White Paper deadline: October 12, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time through RunGrants.
Invited full proposal deadline: April 5, 2027 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time through Grants.gov. Full proposals are by invitation only after White Paper review.
Funding: Up to $6 million total for one to four grants, with each award up to $1.5 million total cost and up to $750,000 per year for two years. No cost sharing or matching is required.
Program focus
DEPSCoR Capacity Building is designed to strengthen basic science and engineering research capacity at institutions of higher education in eligible DEPSCoR jurisdictions. Proposed activities must build competitive basic research capability in areas relevant to Department of Defense needs, identify existing seed capacity and research-capacity gaps, use a coordinated multi-thrust strategy to address those gaps, and include a long-term sustainment plan.
Allowable capacity-building strategies may include equipment acquisition, new faculty hiring, educational initiatives, support for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, basic research plans, regional partnerships, and other integrated activities that significantly expand the applicant institution’s basic research capabilities. Applied research proposals are not responsive.
Delaware eligibility and applicant structure
Delaware is expressly listed as an eligible FY26 DEPSCoR jurisdiction. Qualified and responsible institutions of higher education located in Delaware may apply. The Team Lead must be a member of the institution’s executive staff, such as the Vice President for Research, and all key personnel and proposed subawardees must hold appointments at institutions of higher education within DEPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions. Each applicant institution is limited to no more than one application under this funding opportunity.
FFRDCs and Federal agencies, including military schools, cannot receive funding as the lead organization or as a sub-grantee. All supported activities and funded applicant/subawardee addresses must be within DEPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions.
Submission process and required materials
The application process has three required stages: online RunGrants registration, submission of the mandatory White Paper and supporting documentation through RunGrants, and, if invited, a full proposal through Grants.gov. RunGrants registration is strongly suggested by October 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. White Papers must be submitted as one PDF and include the required cover page, abstract, Capacity Building Narrative, CVs for the Team Lead and subawardees, and any required human-subject or vertebrate-animal information.
Invited full proposals must follow the current Grants.gov package and SF 424 Research and Related form family. The current announcement includes required proposal components, budget and budget-justification requirements, research-security materials, a Security Program Questionnaire, Privacy Act forms for covered individuals, research-security-training certifications, and other disclosures. Applicants must use the current NOFO, amendments, appendices, and FAQ exactly as posted.
Review criteria
White Papers and full proposals are evaluated on the applicant institution’s existing seed capability and identified basic-research capacity gaps, the strength and feasibility of the plan to expand academic research capacity and educational outcomes in DoD-relevant fields, regional interest and relationships, and the long-term plan to sustain enhanced capacity with non-DEPSCoR funding. Full proposals are also evaluated for the realism and reasonableness of proposed costs.
Current amendments
The official federal listing includes Amendments 1 through 4. Amendment 4 and the current FY26 DEPSCoR FAQ were posted September 16, 2026. Applicants should use Amendment 4 and the current FAQ together with the underlying NOFO and required appendices.
Atlas fit and Delaware routing
This is a strong higher-education research-capacity opportunity for Delaware institutions with credible existing seed research capacity and an executive-level strategy to expand DoD-relevant basic research. Dr. Miltie is not a standalone eligible prime applicant under the published IHE structure, and a direct N9+ vendor path is not established by the NOFO. Delaware applicant execution should be institution-specific and should confirm the institution’s single-application strategy before any outreach or package work.