Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI)

MURI, the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, is a Department of Defense basic-research program administered at the Air Force level by AFOSR. It supports multidisciplinary university teams working on problems that cut across scientific fields and matter to both the Department of Defense and the Air Force. New awards can reach $1.5 million a year, and the full award period can run for five years. The program uses a two-stage process: white papers first, then invited full proposals. It is open to U.S. universities, requires university participation, and is limited to teams rather than individuals. Over a full award period, the funding can total $7.5 million, which is why the program is often used for large, coordinated basic-research efforts. MURI is strongest when a team can show genuine cross-disciplinary depth and a defense-relevant problem that no single field can solve cleanly. Applicants win by being precise about the science, disciplined about the team structure, and realistic about how the work will develop across the base period and option years.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.