University and Industry Research Centers

Will conduct research to provide distributed intelligent analytics at scale through cooperative data communication, fusion, and processing; continue research and development of algorithms that prioritize and filter information from vast amounts of ubiquitous heterogenous sensors/actuators; investigate novel methods for joint sensing…

Will develop adaptive machine learning models for use in resource-constrained tactical environments to enable distributed analytics; develop improved methods for machine learning model training with limited or unlabeled data; investigate local and global optimization schemes for network and computational resource monitoring…

Will unify joint perception, action, and communication capabilities previously developed to establish the common foundation for learning-based multi-robot collaboration in complex, adversarial environments; expand a new science of deception in autonomous maneuver that links adversarial reasoning, team coordination, autonomous behaviors…

Will investigate and identify brain areas that allow humans to reason and understand new environments to inform artificial intelligence models and deep neural networks to better recognize and respond to dynamic changes in the environment; conduct experiments to understand the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of complex decision…

Will investigate theory-of-mind approaches to allow for humans and agents to predict each other's capabilities and strategies to improve team performance in tasks that require flexibility and adaptability; identify new methodologies to create agents based on the brain's spatial reasoning and decision making networks and conduct…

Will conduct lab experiments to investigate multi-robot coordination algorithms in Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) environments; create neural networks for Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT) edge-network resource management; investigate joint understanding and dialogue interface for improved natural language communications…

Will develop the theoretical understanding and experimental techniques needed to create UWBG devices that exceed state-of-art technology with respect to signal gain, output power density, and power added efficiency; develop an artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) augmented theoretical framework and experimental validation…

Will create a Design-Build-Test-Learn framework comprised of novel computational and high-throughput tools for elucidating sequence-structure-function-property relationships for engineered biological materials; explore the ability of the Design-Build-Test-Learn framework to enable the predictive design of multifunctional biomaterials…

Will explore non-traditional synthetic methodologies to enable novel energetic materials; conduct experiments with new diagnostic and modeling techniques to study the role of microstructure and geometry on energetic release; develop a novel technique that enables in-operando fast response and high resolution imaging of the thermal and…

Will investigate methods and techniques that allow small teams of agents to mimic human navigation tactics based on limited training samples; conduct fundamental research on strategies to counter anticipated movement through partial unknown environments; continue to investigate theoretical approaches to gaining tactical advantages with…

Will investigate approaches to rapidly assess samples of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and other defect systems for use in quantum sensors and clocks; investigate collective effects in nanofiber over 10x longer ranges; develop stable cryogenic ion traps; discover methods to reduce background noise when generating…

Will investigate non-reactive hybrid additive manufacturing processes to study dissimilar metal-metal and metal-ceramic interfaces using novel embedded design technique; validate working convergent manufacturing (CM) platform by converging two manufacturing processes (additive and subtractive) and two dissimilar materials in one…

Will examine the performance of Geiger and linear mode avalanche photodiode arrays; identify mitigation strategies for blinking pixels; develop breakdown simulation models for wide band gap/ultrawide band gap devices.

Will continue to support three to five HBCU/MI research partnerships selected to enhance existing research under an individual Army CRA, CTA, or center, and recruit, educate, and train students and post-doctoral researchers in science and technology areas relevant to the Army.

Will continue to conduct foundational research through annual, competitively awarded seedling efforts in areas such as photonics, autonomy, power and energy, quantum sensing, cyber operations, materials for hypersonic systems, and recommendations for policy and strategy in ethics, operations, business, and legal domains for Army…

Will refine models in context of a defined domain (such as, inclusion/exclusion criteria) to characterize fundamental mechanisms of how human-technology relationships drive belief formation; explore how coordinated information presentation at extremely high-rates and multiple sources leads to biases, limitations, and misperceptions in…

Will design a reflexive controls architecture coupled with a highly dynamic morphology to optimize the maneuverability of the platform; explore skeletal-musculature for an autonomous agent capable of exceptional maneuverability; develop control responses via perception and actuation within the platform, and design control architectures…

Will identify most promising physics-informed models and investigate validation methodologies; conduct experiments on natural language processing for data-mining of materials literature; investigate high-throughput synthesis of artificial intelligence-predicted materials; investigate utilization of machine learning to expand sparse data…

Will explore equivalence classes to map complex multi-disciplinary concepts and associated capabilities to families of strategies within a mathematical framework; investigate what-if algorithmic assessment over dynamic sets of decision trees to identify optimal conditions that lead to desired outcomes; examine the combination of…

Advanced Energetics Center: Will conduct research on the inclusion of metal particles in energetic material formulations to enhance energy release; explore new techniques for optical and thermal characterization of post-detonation analysis; investigate additive manufacture methods to identify structure-function relationships in…

Will support three to five HBCU/MI research partnerships each with a duration of five years, selected to enhance existing research under an individual Army CRA, CTA, or Center, and recruit, educate, and train students and post-doctoral researchers in science and technology areas relevant to the Army.

Will explore electrolyte phase behavior for new battery chemistries; investigate the influence of ion dynamics on battery degradation; analyze selective metal deposition for enhanced energy density; study morphological properties that induce increased battery stability; conduct research on the effects of temperature on mechanical…

Investigate the molecular basis of enzyme-substrate reactions in anaerobic fungi that, if successful, enable tunable binding affinity and substrate specificity of synthetic enzyme complexes for environmental sensing; examine the snake infrared (IR) sensing pathway using molecular genetic techniques to inform new designs for efficient…

Investigate neuroscience-based models of attention to develop design aids for virtual reality environments that, if successful, build the foundations of a framework for immersive content creation capable of better engaging individuals in synthetic environments; conduct research with an artificial neural network trained with deep learning…

Study the topological physics of electrons and photons in a variety of materials (e.g., Weyl semimetals niobium phosphide and Cobalt monosilicide) that, if successful, may lead to very sensitive detection of far infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) radiation; examine fundamental process-structure-property relationships of long, crystalline…

Will initiate a new, five-year collaborative research and education program to explore frontier areas relevant to the Future Vertical Lift, Launched Effects, and Uncrewed Aerial Systems; the centers of excellence will develop relevant graduate education and robust experimental, computational, and analytical fundamental research in…

Continue work towards solving the complex, multi-physics, inter-disciplinary, multiscale problems that are required to develop the advanced modeling and simulation tools needed to assess the performance of off-road autonomous mobility systems; research to include off-road autonomy algorithm development, human-machine trust advancement…

Will launch up to three Centers focusing on research in the physical sciences, life sciences, or information sciences by HBCU/MI research teams to pursue innovative basic research leading to potential technology development in areas of strategic importance to the Army and national defense.

Continue Army sponsorship of students and STEM education opportunities; provide incentives in STEM competitions that include scholarships, experiences and mentorships, as well as expose students to DoD career opportunities; streamline processes, leverage funding and build educational partnerships, and perform annual comprehensive reviews…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects termination of this effort.

FY2026 plans — current year Will continue to scout for foreign S&T within geographic areas of responsibility on behalf of Army labs and centers to identify early emerging technologies of interest to the Army's research and development efforts in support of the Army's Modernization Priorities. In accordance with the Army S&T Strategy and Army Modernization Priorities, seek and connect foreign technology developers with Army science and technology enterprise. The ITCs will fund promising technologies and relevant research through grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or other existing award mechanisms (e.g., Coalition Warfare Program, Foreign Technology and Science Assessment Support, Foreign Comparative Testing…

FY2025 accomplishments Continue to scout for foreign S&T within geographic areas of responsibility on behalf of Army labs and centers to identify early emerging technologies of interest to the Army's research and development efforts in support of the Army's Modernization Priorities. In accordance with the Army S&T Strategy and Army Modernization Priorities, seek and connect foreign technology developers with Army science and technology enterprise. The ITCs will fund promising technologies and relevant research through grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or other existing award mechanisms (e.g., Coalition Warfare Program, Foreign Technology and Science Assessment Support, Foreign Comparative Testing, etc.)…

FY2025 accomplishments Continue to solicit proposals, assess scientific quality/alignment to Army priorities of candidate proposals, and fund highly relevant and rigorous projects for potential contribution to the Army's S&T programs. Funds will be used to support research grants, innovation challenges, procurement of foreign technology, partnering with international allies and partners to include non-traditional entities, and enabling efforts for international research and technology collaboration with the Army Modernization Enterprise; provide funding for approved proposals to support development and/or assessment of foreign technologies by U.S. Army laboratories and foreign partners in topical areas supporting…