ONR FY27 NOFO for Young Investigator Program
ONR funds early-career faculty research at eligible U.S. universities or qualifying nonprofit scientific/educational organizations in science, engineering, or mathematics areas of interest to ONR program officers.
⚑ PI must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident · PI must be in first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent faculty position · PI must have received PhD or equivalent on or after 2019-01-01 · limited to U.S. institutions of higher education that award degrees in science, engineering, or mathematics, plus U.S. nonprofit organizations operating primarily for scientific and educational services
This is a broad basic-research YIP in naval science/technology with themes like materials, computing, and defense, which is outside IPPRA’s social-science portfolio. The team’s defense work is on public opinion, risk perception, and warning/communication, not ONR-style technical basic research, so this is not a plausible PI-level fit.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-08-18
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds basic research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | portfolio topic: national_security_defense (primary); social/behavioral work is minor; funds basic research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
The Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program seeks proposals addressing research areas (as described in the ONR Science and Technology Department section of ONR's website at https://www.onr.navy.mil) which are of interest to ONR Program Officers will be considered. Contact information for each division (a subgroup of an S&T Department) is also listed within the S&T section of the website.
Eligibility
Awards under this NOFO will be made only to U.S. Institutions of Higher Education which award degrees in science, engineering, or mathematics. U.S. Non-profit organizations operating primarily for scientific and educational services may also submit proposals. The Principal Investigator of a proposal must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident (on the date proposals are due), holding a first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent faculty position at that university, and has received his/her PhD or equivalent degree on or after 01/01/ 2019. The term "national" of the United States includes a native resident of a possession of the United States, such as American Samoa.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Gina Walker Branch Head <veronica.y.lacey.civ@us.navy.mil>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Department of Defense (BAA-style) conventions SEE A DOD EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Department of Defense (BAA-style)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.