Air Force Fiscal Year 2019 Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) | FA9550 18 S 0002

Opportunity Information: Apply for FA9550 18 S 0002

The Air Force Fiscal Year 2019 Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) is a discretionary research grant opportunity run by the Department of Defense through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). It is designed to back early-career scientists and engineers who have already shown strong potential for high-impact basic research. The program is aimed at people who earned a Ph.D. or an equivalent terminal degree on or after April 1, 2012, and who can demonstrate exceptional ability and promise as independent researchers. In practice, the Air Force uses YIP to help launch the next generation of research leaders while also building a stronger connection between cutting-edge academic or nonprofit research and Air Force mission needs.

At its core, YIP focuses on basic research in science and engineering, with an emphasis on creativity, technical excellence, and long-term relevance. Beyond the research results themselves, the program explicitly targets professional development: it is meant to accelerate the early career trajectory of outstanding investigators and to give them clearer exposure to Air Force challenges that can shape future research directions. This makes YIP both a research funding mechanism and a career-building platform, helping recipients establish credibility, build a research team, and produce foundational results that can support future programs.

Awards are made to U.S.-based organizations rather than directly to individuals. Eligible host organizations include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, and certain other organizations as allowed by the full announcement. A key condition is that the principal investigator must be employed full-time by the submitting organization and must hold a regular position there. The investigator must also be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. permanent resident. The program also draws a clear boundary around who cannot apply: researchers working at a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) or at a Department of Defense laboratory are not eligible to compete under this opportunity.

Funding is typically structured as a three-year grant, with most awards supported at about $150,000 per year, totaling $450,000 over the full period of performance. The stated award ceiling is $450,000, but the announcement notes that truly exceptional proposals may be considered on a case-by-case basis for higher funding levels and/or a longer duration. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the activity category is science and technology and other research and development. The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 12.800, which is commonly used for Air Force research and development assistance listings.

From a logistics standpoint, this opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number FA9550-18-S-0002, with a creation date of March 8, 2018. Proposals had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov, with a deadline of June 1, 2018 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The announcement also set an earlier deadline for questions: technical or general pre-proposal inquiries needed to be submitted by email no later than April 27, 2018 in order to be considered. In terms of scale, the program anticipated making roughly a few dozen awards, listing an expected 36 awards contingent on available funds.

Overall, YIP is best understood as a competitive, prestige-oriented early-career program that combines steady multi-year support with an explicit goal of aligning promising basic research with Air Force-relevant scientific and engineering challenges. It targets investigators who are still relatively close to their terminal degree but who are positioned to lead independent research programs, and it provides a meaningful funding runway to generate foundational results, publish, train students, and establish a longer-term research relationship with AFOSR and the broader Air Force research enterprise.

• The Department of Defense, Air Force Office of Scientific Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Air Force Fiscal Year 2019 Young Investigator Research Program (YIP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.800.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 08, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 01, 2018 Proposals must be received electronically through Grants.gov by Friday, 01 Jun 2018 at 1159 PM Eastern time to be considered.Technical or general Pre-proposal inquiries and questions must be received in writing by electronic mail not later than Friday, 27 April 2018 to be considered.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $450,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 36 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for FA9550 18 S 0002

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