# Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) Program

**R-2A activity** of project 060 — Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship  
**Program element:** 0601110D8Z — Basic Research Initiatives  
**Component:** Defense-Wide · **Budget Activity:** 1  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601110D8Z/060/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601110D8Z/060

## Summary

This activity requests $44.5M in FY2027, 100% of project 060, down 8.3% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2025–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** • Continue FY 2026 efforts at a reduced scale. • Explore additional ways for bringing transformative scientific research into the DoW research environment.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease of $4.045 million between FY 2026 and FY 2027 reflects the DoW's scale down of the VBFF Program, specifically to focus department resources on essential technologies that will support our core national mission, the defense of our homeland.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** The VBFF program is being sunset. Plans include 1) supporting previously selected classes of the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) program through the completion of their awards; 2) continuing the Laboratory University Collaboration Initiative (LUCI) program. Continue the BFRST program to create a systematic exchange of information under secure environment and procedures, to increase leverage of the VBFF Fellow scientific exploration for new technology solutions to DoW challenges, from near-term to far-term. Plans will also explore pilots and prioritize other mechanisms to accelerate the transition of high-impact research into DoW applications through earlier integration with service laboratories and expanded cross-program collaboration.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Continue selection and funding of classes for the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) program and the Laboratory University Collaboration Initiative (LUCI) program.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 36.7 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 48.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 44.5 |

> 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.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0601110D8Z project 060 (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.*