The MURI program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.
S.
institutions of higher education (hereafter referred to as "universities") that is of potential interest to DoD.
The program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than
one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD.
As defined in the DoD Financial Management Regulation:
Basic research is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind.
It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long term national security needs.
It is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological progress (DoD 700 0. 14-R, vol.
2B, chap.
5, para.
05020 1. B).
DoD’s basic research program invests broadly in many specific fields to ensure that it has early cognizance of new scientific knowledge.
The FY 2019 MURI competition is for the topics listed below.
Detailed descriptions of the topics and the Topic Chief for each can be found in Section VIII, entitled, “SPECIFIC MURI TOPICS,” of this FOA.
The detailed descriptions are intended to provide the applicant a frame of reference and are not meant to be restrictive to the possible approaches to achieving the goals of the topic and the program.
Innovative ideas addressing these research topics are highly encouraged.
White papers and proposals addressing the following topics should be submitted to the Army Research Office (ARO):
Topic 9:
Clearing Your Head:
The Glymphatic System and Restorative Effects of Sleep, Munson-Gregory; Topic 10:
Foundations of Emergent Computation and Self-Organized Adaptation, Stanton- Baker; Topic 11:
Multi-layer Network Modeling of Plant and Pollen Distribution across Space and Time, Strand-Garcia; Topic 12:
Near Field Radiative Heat Energy Transfer between Nanostructured Materials, Varanasi-Ulrich; Topic 13:
Networked Interactions Governing Community Dynamics, Kokoska-Garcia; Topic 14:
Prediction and Control in Particulate Systems, Myers-Barzyk; Topic 15:
Reactive and non-Reactive Scattering from Targeted Molecular Quantum States, Parker-Baker; Topic 16:
Unified Decision Theory:
From Bounded to Unbounded Rationality, Iyer-Myers Proposals from a team of university investigators are warranted when the necessary expertise in addressing the multiple facets of the topics may reside in different universities, or in different departments in the same university.
By supporting multidisciplinary teams, the program is complementary to other DoD basic research programs that support university research through single-investigator awards.
Proposals shall name one Principal Investigator (PI) as the responsible technical point of contact.
Similarly, one institution shall be the primary awardee for the purpose of award execution.
The PI shall come from the primary institution.
The relationship among participating institutions and their respective roles, as well as the apportionment of funds including sub-awards, if any, shall be described in both the proposal text and the budget.