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DURIP is the quiet infrastructure grant behind a large share of university AI research that DoD later builds on, and it is frequently overlooked because it funds equipment rather than people.
Under opportunity W911NF26S0095, the FY2027 competition provides funds for accredited U.S. institutions of higher education to acquire major research equipment and instrumentation supporting defense-relevant research and the education of scientists and engineers.
For AI groups the relevant use is direct: GPU and accelerator clusters, high-performance computing and storage for large model training, robotic platforms and manipulators, sensor and perception rigs, autonomous ground and air testbeds, and instrumented environments for human-machine teaming experiments.
Awards are one year and range from $50,000 to $3,000,000 against roughly $28 million in total FY2027 funding, which is about $6 million below the FY2026 level - a tightening that makes the fit between the requested instrument and an existing DoD-relevant research portfolio more decisive than in past cycles.
The structural point applicants often miss is that DURIP is not a standalone equipment purchase program: proposals are evaluated on how the instrumentation enables defense-relevant research, so the strongest submissions are anchored to active or planned ARO, ONR or AFOSR research and are written by PIs with a visible track record in the sponsoring service's portfolio.
Eligibility is narrower than most DoD basic research announcements - accredited U.S. institutions of higher education with degree-granting programs in science, mathematics or engineering, explicitly excluding for-profit educational institutions, with University Affiliated Research Centers also permitted to apply.
There is no cost-share requirement, but institutional commitment to house, maintain and staff the instrument is a practical evaluation factor. Full proposals are due November 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern, and because the three service research offices issue parallel solicitations under the same program, applicants should read the specific service announcement matching their research area rather than a generic DURIP summary.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Eligible applicants are accredited U.S. institutions of higher education with degree-granting programs in science, mathematics and/or engineering, explicitly excluding for-profit educational institutions. University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) may also apply. Foreign institutions, industry, nonprofits and federal laboratories are not eligible to apply directly. The opportunity number is W911NF26S0095, issued through Department of the Army - Materiel Command on behalf of the Department of War, with parallel solicitations released by the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research and Air Force Office of Scientific Research; applicants should submit to the service research office whose portfolio matches their research area. Awards are one-year instrumentation grants ranging from $50,000 to $3,000,000, with approximately $28,000,000 in total FY2027 program funding. Funds may be used only for the acquisition of major research equipment and instrumentation - including high-performance computing and GPU clusters, robotic and autonomous system testbeds, sensing and perception hardware, and instrumented experimental facilities - that improves the institution's capability to conduct defense-relevant research and educate scientists and engineers. Proposals are evaluated on the defense relevance of the research the instrument enables, so submissions should be tied to existing or planned DoD-supported research programs and to a PI record in the sponsoring service's research area. Full proposals are due no later than November 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows individual one-year awards range from an award floor of $50,000 to an award ceiling of $3,000,000, against approximately $28,000,000 in total program funding for FY2027 - roughly $6 million less than the FY2026 estimate. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for FY2027 Department of War Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) for Acquisition of AI, GPU Computing and Autonomy Research Instrumentation are due November 6, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
FY2027 Department of War Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) for Acquisition of AI, GPU Computing and Autonomy Research Instrumentation is funded by U.S. Department of War (formerly Department of Defense), administered by the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research and Air Force Office of Scientific Research; opportunity issued through Army Contracting Command. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
The FY2026 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education, with emphasis on multidisciplinary research where more than one traditional discipline interacts. The Army, Navy, and Air Force basic research offices are seeking applications across 22 topic areas including artificial intelligence and autonomy, information sensing and processing, and systems manipulation. MURI grants typically provide $1.25 million to $1.5 million per year for three years with option to extend two additional years. Approximately $170 million in total funding is available annually across all topics. The program is administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Army Research Office (ARO), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).
The NSF Convergence Accelerator is a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that funds multidisciplinary teams working to solve national-scale societal challenges through convergence research and innovation. Launched in 2019 under NSF's Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, the program operates in two phases: Phase 1 awards are up to $750,000, with successful teams advancing to larger Phase 2 awards. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education and nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Track I and Track K focus on specific high-priority topics announced each funding cycle. The next deadline is June 15, 2026. Proposals must comply with updated NSF research security policies effective July 2025.
The AI3 Action Institute is a federal effort to build dedicated AI capacity within Native communities rather than fund a single applied AI project. The awardee establishes and operates an AI resource hub for Native communities, providing technology information, facilitating information sharing and technology deployment across tribal and Native-serving organizations, and conducting stakeholder engagement and coalition building across industry, government and academic sectors. Notably, allowable costs cover short-to-medium-term staff costs including the Institute's director as well as facility setup - a recognition that the binding constraint in this space is institutional infrastructure and staffing, not project ideas. The financial structure is the detail that most shapes strategy: with a $2,500,000 floor, a $3,500,000 ceiling and $3,500,000 in total expected program funding across a three-year period, this is effectively a single-award competition, so applicants should assume they are competing for the entire program rather than for a slot in a cohort. Eligibility is restricted to Native-serving entities - federally recognized Indian tribes, incorporated non-federally or state-recognized tribes, consortia of Indian tribes, Native community-based organizations, Urban Indian Organizations, Alaska Native villages and entities, Native Hawaiian serving agencies, Native Pacific Islander serving agencies, and tribal colleges and universities. That eligibility list is broader than many ACF opportunities, extending to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander serving agencies as well as tribal entities. Applicants should expect the strongest proposals to combine an existing convening role in Native technology or education with a realistic plan for standing up durable staff capacity within the grant period, since a hub that dissolves when funding ends would not serve the program's purpose. The deadline is August 27, 2026, and applications are submitted through Grants.gov under opportunity number 362270.
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