Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI)

MURI (AFOSR)

Supports multidisciplinary university consortia tackling mission challenges in Air Force research domains.

The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) is a DoD-wide program administered in part by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) that supports teams of university researchers conducting basic research at the intersection of two or more traditional scientific disciplines. New MURI awards are funded at up to $1.5 million per year, with a base period of three years and an option to extend for two additional years, for a potential total of up to $7.5 million per award. Topics are defined annually by the DoD services, announced through a competitive solicitation, and evaluated on the basis of scientific merit and relevance to DoD and Air Force priorities. Only U.S. universities are eligible to receive MURI awards; single-institution, single-discipline proposals are not eligible.

The selection process is two-stage. Applicants first submit white papers, which are evaluated against the announced topics. Only teams invited based on white paper review may submit full proposals. This structure allows DoD to focus the most intensive review resources on the most promising teams and reduces the proposal burden on applicants who are not competitive for a given topic cycle. Topics span the full range of AFOSR science areas — from quantum materials to information networks to biology — and vary each year based on emerging Air Force technology priorities.

Organizations preparing MURI proposals should form multidisciplinary teams early, often spanning two to four universities with complementary expertise. The AFOSR program officer contact for MURI is MURI@us.af.mil. White papers must be aligned tightly with the specific topics announced in the annual solicitation; proposals that address general research interests rather than the defined topic are not competitive. Successful MURI teams typically include at least one institution with an established AFOSR research relationship, and the program is frequently used by the Air Force to build sustained research capacity in areas targeted for future capability development.