The Department of Defense has awarded a total of $14.6 million to 23 collaborative teams as part of two capacity-building competitions in fiscal year 2021 designed to increase the research infrastructure at higher education institutions in underutilized states and territories.
DOD said Friday it awarded up to $1 million to two winning teams of the Defense Established Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research program’s capacity building competition to develop the capabilities of higher education establishments to support military-related research.
Executive offices at New Mexico State University and the University of North Dakota will lead the two selected teams.
Finalists in DEPSCoR’s research collaboration competition received $600,000 each to conduct science and engineering research addressing key areas of the National Defense Strategy over a three-year period.
More than 120 white papers were submitted for the competition and 21 collaborative teams led by universities across the U.S. were selected as finalists.
“The Department’s research mission relies on an ecosystem of creative and insightful researchers in every State of the nation. DEPSCoR enhances our science and engineering research capacity both now and in the long term, and increases the number of researchers pursing research in DOD-relevant area,” said Bindu Nair, director of DOD’s Basic Research Office.
