Official funding announcement — preliminary draft
Funder: Daniel P Smith Procurement Analyst
Opportunity number: FA955027S0001
Official listed status: posted
Closing information: 2027-04-02 (official deadline clock time and time zone must be checked in NOFO)
Award disclosure: Official federal synopsis lists an award ceiling of 13,750,000; applicant-level applicability requires full-NOFO review.
Applicant categories in federal synopsis: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education; Private institutions of higher education
Federal synopsis
The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Air Warfare Directorate (RA), intends to provide support for a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at U.S. universities to establish a university-led Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity. This multidisciplinary, basic research initiative focuses on investigating complex problem sets involving the fundamental physics at the intersection of high-speed fluid mechanics, thermal transport, and structural sciences. By supporting a balanced, integrated approach across computational simulation, theoretical modeling, and ground experimentation in these three areas, the Center will tackle critical aerothermoelasticity challenges for the Air Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering. This opportunity is a chance to work closely with the Air Force Research Lab Air Warfare Directorate (AFRL/RA) on computational simulations and ground and flight experiments in the field of high-speed aerothermoelasticity.We seek unclassified proposals from a highly collaborative, qualified and responsible university-led team that bridges the traditional silos of fluid dynamics, thermal transport, and structural mechanics. The program requires an interdisciplinary roster of up to ten investigators (including computational and experimental leads) and strongly encourages partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in alignment with Executive Order 14283. Beyond technical discovery, the Center acts as a vital connection between academia and DoW scientists at facilities such as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). This ensures that …
Draft intake record. Eligibility, program terms, current amendments and applicant ceiling must be independently verified before publishing.