ARO Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR)

ARO Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) is the Army Research Office component of the Department of Defense's EPSCoR analogue. It is designed to build research capacity at institutions in states and territories that have historically received less DoD research funding. The program uses grants, follows an annual solicitation cycle, and offers up to $600,000 over three years per team. Eligibility is limited to institutions of higher education in the listed DEPSCoR jurisdictions, which include places such as Alaska, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and many mainland states. For-profit applicants are not eligible. DEPSCoR is a good fit for universities that want to strengthen research infrastructure while pursuing science and engineering work relevant to DoD priorities and the National Defense Strategy. The strongest submissions will show both institutional development value and a concrete research program that can raise the institution's competitiveness over time. Because the program is built for capacity building, the case should make the local impact as visible as the technical aim.

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