RDT&E Program Element · President's Budget PB2027

University Research Initiatives

PE 0601103A·U.S. Army·Approp. 2040 — RDT&E·BA1 — Basic Research
FY2027 Request
$63.1M
Army · RDT&E
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U.S. Army funding falls 18% to a $63.1M request in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House added 32% (to $83.1M); the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators added 21% (to $76.3M).

FY2027 Request
$63.1M
▼ 18% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$77.2M
▲ 2.5% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$75.3M
Prior year

For fiscal year 2027, the U.S. Army is requesting $63.1M for University Research Initiatives under RDT&E program element 0601103A, down 18% from FY2026.

Funding trajectory

Funding profile, FY2025–FY2031

Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.

255075075.3FY25ACTUAL77.2FY26ENACTED63.1FY27REQUEST72.3FY2875.9FY2976.7FY3077.4FY31
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
Fiscal YearEstimate TypeAmount ($M)
FY2025Actual75.3
FY2026Enacted77.2
FY2027Request63.1
FY2028Outyear72.3
FY2029Outyear75.9
FY2030Outyear76.7
FY2031Outyear77.4
Where it sits

Acquisition lifecycle

This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 1 — Basic Research.

Current
Research
BA 1–2
Later
Advanced Technology
BA 3
Later
Prototyping
BA 4
Later
Development & Fielding
BA 5–7
Inside the program element

1 project rolls up into PE 0601103A

Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it. Program elements and projects carry the full five-year plan; activities stop at the budget year. This PE moves -18% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.

Project AB3

MURI/PECASE/DURIP

$63.1MFY2027 request ▼ 18%
FY2025 actual$75.3M
FY2026 enacted$77.2M
FY2027 request$63.1M

This project supports the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), and the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) program. The MURI program funds university based basic research in a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines pertinent to maintaining land combat technology superiority. Army MURI efforts involve teams of researchers investigating high- priority, transformational topics that intersect more than one traditional technical discipline. For many complex problems, this multidisciplinary approach serves to accelerate research progress and expedite transition of results to application. The DURIP provides funds to acquire major research equipment to augment current, or devise new, research capabilities in support of Army transformational research. The PECASE program funds single-investigator research efforts performed by outstanding academic scientists and engineers early in their research careers. Work in this project provides a foundation for applied research initiatives at the Army laboratories and centers. Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

Accomplishments / planned programs (R-2A) — prior, current and budget year only
FY2025 actual$61.1M
FY2026 enacted$63.1M
FY2027 request$50.4M

Will provide continued support for active MURI efforts made in prior years, and award four to six new MURI efforts with research focusing on scientific questions posed in the FY 2027 and published by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.

Read the FY2027 plan →
Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers▼ 10%
FY2025 actual$5.8M
FY2026 enacted$5.7M
FY2027 request$5.2M

FY2027 planned work Will assess and recommend two to three PECASE candidates in FY 2027 in support of the call for nominees from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and continue support for prior year awardees.

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects the strategic reallocation of resources to support evolving priorities and objectives.

FY2026 plans — current year Will assess and recommend two to four PECASE candidates in FY 2026 in support of the call for nominees from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and continue support for prior year awardees.

FY2025 accomplishments Assess and recommend two to four PECASE candidates in FY 2025 in support of the call for proposals to be released from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and continue support for prior year awardees.

Defense University Research Instrumentation Program▼ 10%
FY2025 actual$8.4M
FY2026 enacted$8.4M
FY2027 request$7.5M

FY2027 planned work Will assess and award competitive research instrumentation grants to enhance universities' capabilities to conduct world class research in support of Army-relevant scientific questions, and to enhance research capabilities critical to Army transformation and modernization.

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects the strategic reallocation of resources to support evolving priorities and objectives.

FY2026 plans — current year Will assess and award competitive research instrumentation grants to enhance universities' capabilities to conduct world class research in support of Army-relevant scientific questions, and to enhance research capabilities critical to Army transformation and modernization.

FY2025 accomplishments Assess and award competitive research instrumentation grants to enhance universities' capabilities to conduct world class research and enhance educational capabilities critical to Army transformation and modernization.

Congressional action

Congressional marks

Committee marks on the FY2027 request. Adds and cuts are reconciled in conference before they become law.

RequestPresident's Budget
$63.1M
House NDAA (HASC)HASC
$83.1M +$20.0M · +32%
Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC
$63.1M full · +$0
House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D
$76.3M +$13.2M · +21%
▲ $20.0M chamber gap — unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.
Program detail

Mission & acquisition strategy

This Program Element (PE) supports the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), and the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) program. The MURI program funds university based basic research in a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines pertinent to maintaining land combat technology superiority. Army MURI efforts involve teams of researchers investigating high-priority, transformational topics that intersect more than one traditional technical discipline (e.g., Intelligent Luminescence for Communication, Display, and Identification).

Project AB3 — MURI/PECASE/DURIP
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Answers are generated from the figures on this page — the FY2027 justification exhibits and the marks tracked above — and nothing else is consulted. Confirm any figure against the cited exhibit before you use it externally.

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Provenance

Cite this page

Sources
FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 0601103A (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.
Suggested citation
HitchAI, "University Research Initiatives (PE 0601103A)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/0601103A
Machine access
Markdown twin /programs/0601103A.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.combudget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marks