# Project 613004 — Science Alliances and Talent Development for DAF Superiority

**Program element:** 0601102F — Defense Research Sciences  
**Project:** 613004  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 1 — Basic Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613004  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F

## Summary

Project 613004 — Science Alliances and Talent Development for DAF Superiority requests $26.9M in FY2027, 9.1% of the $296.5M requested for program element 0601102F, up 8.2% on FY2026. 2 R-2A activities decompose the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 30.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 24.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 26.9 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 25.7 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 41.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 43.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 43.8 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0601102F; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 613004 buys

The major efforts in the Science Alliances and Talent Development for DAF Superiority Project are to facilitate interactions between the international and domestic research communities and Department of the Air Force researchers, and to develop scientists and engineers with an awareness of Department of the Air Force basic research priorities. These professional interactions and collaborations benefit the Department of the Air Force by increasing awareness of basic research priorities in the research community as a whole and attracting talented scientists and engineers to address Department of the Air Force needs. International interactions foster relationships with scientific partners and leverage international expertise in nascent scientific developments. This project also seeks to enhance interactions with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and other institutions, in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4144, Research and Educational Programs and Activities: Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-serving Institutions of Higher Education.

## Activities (R-2A) — 2

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leveraging International S&T for DAF Advantage | 15.3 | 15.4 | 14.6 | −5% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613004/a0) |
| Building the Pipeline of DAF Science and Technology (S&T) Talent | 15.5 | 9.5 | 12.3 | +29% | [a1](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613004/a1) |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Leveraging International S&T for DAF Advantage

- Continue funding disruptive basic research opportunities at international universities and organizations discovered by engaging with and leveraging the worldwide research community. - Continue to explore foreign investments and influence premier scientific leaders on specific topics of interest to the Department of the Air Force…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613004/a0

### Building the Pipeline of DAF Science and Technology (S&T) Talent

- Continue identifying, recruiting, and increasing opportunities for new investigators to participate in critical Department of the Air Force research. - Continue to support basic science, mathematics, and engineering research efforts to include funding in microelectronics, materials, energy, aerospace, quantum science, and other fields…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F/613004/a1

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0601102F project 613004 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0601102F")`.

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