AFRL/AFOSR Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 University Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity
Air Force Office of Scientific Research · Other Federal · FA955027S0001
Source: Grants.gov · View original posting ↗
- AwardWhat a single award can be worth — the funder's published per-award amount or floor–ceiling range.
- $8.3M – $13.8M
- DeadlineFinal application due date.
- Apr 2, 2027
- Letter of intentDue date for the letter of intent (a short pre-application some funders require or request before the full proposal).
- —
- MechanismNIH activity code — the grant type (R01 research project, R21 exploratory, K series career development, F series fellowship, …).
- —
- DurationMaximum project period for a single award.
- —
- Expected awardsHow many awards the funder anticipates making under this opportunity.
- —
- Funding cycleHow often the program accepts applications (annual, multiple cycles per year, rolling, or one-time).
- Unknown
- Open dateWhen applications open (or opened).
- Oct 29, 2026
- Total fundingThe overall pool the funder expects to commit across ALL awards under this opportunity — not what one project receives.
- $13.8M total
- Clinical trialWhether proposed projects must, may, or must not include a clinical trial.
- Unspecified
Research areas
Auto-classified from the title and description (keyword-based) — may be imperfect.
Description
The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Air Warfare Directorate (RA), intends to provide support for a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at U.S. universities to establish a university-led Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity. This multidisciplinary, basic research initiative focuses on investigating complex problem sets involving the fundamental physics at the intersection of high-speed fluid mechanics, thermal transport, and structural sciences. By supporting a balanced, integrated approach across computational simulation, theoretical modeling, and ground experimentation in these three areas, the Center will tackle critical aerothermoelasticity challenges for the Air Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering. This opportunity is a chance to work closely with the Air Force Research Lab Air Warfare Directorate (AFRL/RA) on computational simulations and ground and flight experiments in the field of high-speed aerothermoelasticity. We seek unclassified proposals from a highly collaborative, qualified and responsible university-led team that bridges the traditional silos of fluid dynamics, thermal transport, and structural mechanics. The program requires an interdisciplinary roster of up to ten investigators (including computational and experimental leads) and strongly encourages partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in alignment with Executive Order 14283. Beyond technical discovery, the Center acts as a vital connection between academia and DoW scientists at facilities such as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). This ensures that breakthrough academic research translates into tangible capabilities for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and access to a well-trained future aerospace workforce. It is important that your proposal shows strength in as many of the evaluation areas as practical for maximum competitiveness. The award shall be made to U.S. institutions of higher education, where the principal investigator is employed on a full-time basis and holds a regular, non-contractor position. Researchers working at the Federally Funded Research and Development Centers and DoW Laboratories are not eligible for this competition.