# Natural Materials and Systems

**R-2A activity** of project 613003 — Mathematics, Information and Life Sciences  
**Program element:** 0601102F — Defense Research Sciences  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force · **Budget Activity:** 1  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613003/a3  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613003

## Summary

This activity requests $27.0M in FY2027, 28% of project 613003, up 4.9% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2026–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue investigating multidisciplinary approaches for studying, using, mimicking, synthesizing, and adapting to the ways natural systems are built, assembled and organized, and functioning to accomplish their objectives. - Continue to develop a fundamental understanding of biochemical mechanisms and control procedures for the production and manufacture of natural materials and develop reverse-engineering approaches to optimize the biochemical functionality. - Continue to develop approaches to adapt, blend, and mimic existing natural sensory systems and neural systems of varying complexity, to add existing capabilities to these organisms and design in-silico replicas with similar or advanced capabilities.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 increased compared to FY 2026 by $1.255 million due to increased emphasis on Natural Materials and Systems. This increase reflects programmatic adjustments to the DAF Science and Technology portfolio for strategic realignment to optimize core research areas and improve resource efficiency. This will result in approximately 5 more grants awarded in Natural Materials and Systems.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Investigate multidisciplinary approaches for studying, using, mimicking, synthesizing, and adapting to the ways natural systems are built, assembled and organized, and functioning to accomplish their objectives. - Develop a fundamental understanding of biochemical mechanisms and control procedures for the production and manufacture of natural materials and develop reverse-engineering approaches to optimize the biochemical functionality. - Develop approaches to adapt, blend, and mimic existing natural sensory systems and neural systems of varying complexity, to add existing capabilities to these organisms and design in-silico replicas with similar or advanced capabilities.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 27.6 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 25.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 27.0 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Other activities in project 613003

- [Dynamical Systems, Optimization, and Control](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613003/a2) — FY2027 27.5
- [Decision Making](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613003/a1) — FY2027 21.2
- [Information and Complex Networks](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613003/a0) — FY2027 21.1

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0601102F project 613003 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*