Basic Research Initiatives

Basic Research Initiatives under the Office of the Secretary of Defense, aims to provide the Department of Defense (DoD) with a comprehensive understanding of current research directions crucial to U.S. military capabilities. This includes support for strategic initiatives such as the Strategic Support for Basic Research (SSBR), the Minerva Research Initiative (MRI), and the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) Program. The program's objectives include sustaining scientific and engineering communities, generating critical technical knowledge for DoD capabilities, and fostering exploration and discovery to yield disruptive advances that can enhance military capabilities, strategy, and operations.

The Basic Research Initiatives project, Project Code 010, focuses on supporting oversight, policies, and initiatives to create conditions that allow defense basic research investments to produce transformative scientific breakthroughs for the Department. This includes enhancing university-industry collaboration, improving the science and engineering workforce, and engaging with the academic research community and international partners. Additionally, the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) Program aims to support highly creative and innovative university researchers while fostering long-term relationships between university researchers and the Department. The Minerva Research Initiative (MRI) seeks to revitalize connections between the DoD and academic social science communities while building cultural and foreign area knowledge on topics relevant to national defense strategy. These efforts aim to provide a more informed basis for shaping doctrine, analysis, and strategic decisions made by war planners and warfighters.