Opportunity ID: 363829
General Information
| Funding Opportunity Number | FA955026S0003 |
| Funding Opportunity Title | Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Young Investigator Program (YIP) |
| Agency | Laura Plati Grantor |
| Document Type | synopsis |
| Version | 4 |
| Opportunity Category | Discretionary |
| Opportunity Category Explanation | Not specified |
| Funding Instrument Type | Grant |
| Category of Funding Activity | Science and Technology and other Research and Development |
| Category Explanation | Not specified |
| Expected Number of Awards | 50 |
| Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement | No |
| Posted Date | Sep 08, 2026 12:00:00 AM EDT |
| Last Updated Date | Sep 08, 2026 03:05:01 PM EDT |
| Original Closing Date | Dec 04, 2026 12:00:00 AM EST |
| Original Closing Date Notes | Not specified |
| Current Closing Date | Dec 04, 2026 12:00:00 AM EST |
| Current Closing Date Notes | Not specified |
| Estimated Synopsis Date | Not specified |
| Estimated Application Due Date | Not specified |
| Estimated Award Date | Not specified |
| Estimated Project Start Date | Not specified |
| Archive Date | Jan 03, 2027 12:00:00 AM EST |
| Estimated Total Program Funding | 4,500,000 |
| Award Ceiling | 450,000 |
| Award Floor | 150,000 |
Assistance Listings
- 12.800 — Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program
Eligibility
| Eligible Applicants | Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education; Public and State controlled institutions of higher education; For profit organizations other than small businesses; Private institutions of higher education; Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education |
Description
This is a special Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), which will hereafter generally be referred to as “we”, “us”, “our”, or “AFOSR.” The Fiscal Year 2027 Air Force Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) intends to support individual early career scientists and engineers who have received their Ph.D. or equivalent degrees by 01 April 2019 or later showing exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. The program objective is to foster creative basic research in science and engineering; enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators; and increase opportunities for the young investigators to recognize the Air Force and Space Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering.
Individual awards are made to U.S. institutions of higher education, industrial laboratories, for- profit, or non-profit research organizations where the principal investigator (PI) is employed on a full-time basis and holds a regular, non-contractor position. A YIP PI must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident. Researchers working at a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), or a Department of War (DoW) Laboratory are not eligible for this competition.
YIP awards are funded up to $150,000 per year for three years, for a total of $450,000. No single year may exceed $150,000. Please review the remainder of this announcement for additional information.
Under this competition, an anticipated thirty-seven (37) traditionally funded YIPs and three (3) YIPs funded in partnership with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) in the Quantum Information Sciences research discipline may be awarded. There may be potential for an additional 37 YIPs funded from other AFOSR research funding. All actions are based on the availability of funds.
Proposers are encouraged to confer with the designated AFOSR Program Officer(s) prior to submitting a full proposal. We will evaluate proposals using an internal review panel. AFOSR reserves the right to select and fund all, some, or none of the proposals from any of the topics below. AFOSR provides no funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and budget proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this NOFO will not be returned. It is the policy of AFOSR to treat all white papers and proposals submitted under this NOFO as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation.
White papers briefly summarizing the proposed institution’s ideas are required. Submit white papers to our whitepaper portal, which is linked below. The topic points of contact (POCs) will coordinate to provide feedback on the white papers.
The proposals will need to include a data management plan, outlining how samples and data collected in the program will be stored and managed. This includes but is not restricted to issues such as standards for data and metadata collection, content and format, data archiving, database management, and data sharing within, outside the awardee and beyond the lifetime of the grant. This precondition is modeled on the National Science Foundation Data Management Plan requirement (e.g., https://www.nsf.gov/eng/data-management-plans).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants should be alert for any amendments that may modify the announcement. Amendments to the original Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be posted to the Webpage:
IMPORTANT DATES: Pre-proposal inquiries and questions, regarding white papers and the submission of those white papers, must be received in writing by electronic mail to the address(es) of this NOFO not later than 17 September 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered. The Government will respond to any pre-proposal inquiries or questions via public posting, or individual responses, no later than COB on 24 September 2026.
Whitepapers must be received by 09 October 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time via submission to https://afosr.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKuTqm9qezoDYep to be considered. White paper evaluation is meant to initially assess the capability of a proposed effort. White papers must be no more than five (5) pages in length. References and CV/bios will not count against the page limit. Please review this announcement in its entirety prior to submitting a white paper.
The government will respond to the white paper determination before COB on 06 November 2026.
Proposals must be received electronically through by 04 December 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered.
We anticipate that we will notify proposers of selection or non-selection for award no later than 26 April 2027. We anticipate awards to be made by 01 May 2027, barring delays.
Additional Information
| Contact | Laura Plati Grantor |
| Contact Information | AFOSR RBKR Grantor Phone 703-696-9517 |
| afosryip@us.af.mil | |
| Email Description | Grantor |
| Phone | 703-696-9517 |
Additional information
Version History
| Id | 363829 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Opportunity number | FA955026S0003 |
| Opportunity title | Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Young Investigator Program (YIP) |
| Owning agency code | DOD-AFOSR |
| Opportunity category / Category | D |
| Opportunity category / Description | Discretionary |
| Synopsis / Opportunity id | 363829 |
| Synopsis / Version | 4 |
| Synopsis / Agency code | DOD-AFOSR |
| Synopsis / Agency name | Laura Plati Grantor |
| Synopsis / Agency phone | 703-696-9517 |
| Synopsis / Agency address desc | Grantor |
| Synopsis / Agency details / Code | AFOSR |
| Synopsis / Agency details / Seed | DOD-AFOSR |
| Synopsis / Agency details / Agency name | Air Force Office of Scientific Research |
| Synopsis / Agency details / Agency code | DOD-AFOSR |
| Synopsis / Agency details / Top agency code | DOD |
| Synopsis / Top agency details / Code | DOD |
| Synopsis / Top agency details / Seed | DOD |
| Synopsis / Top agency details / Agency name | Department of Defense |
| Synopsis / Top agency details / Agency code | DOD |
| Synopsis / Top agency details / Top agency code | DOD |
| Synopsis / Agency contact phone | 703-696-9517 |
| Synopsis / Agency contact name | Laura Plati Grantor |
| Synopsis / Agency contact desc | AFOSR RBKR Grantor Phone 703-696-9517 |
| Synopsis / Agency contact email | afosryip@us.af.mil |
| Synopsis / Agency contact email desc | Grantor |
| Synopsis / Synopsis desc | This is a special Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), which will hereafter generally be referred to as “we”, “us”, “our”, or “AFOSR.” The Fiscal Year 2027 Air Force Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) intends to support individual early career scientists and engineers who have received their Ph.D. or equivalent degrees by 01 April 2019 or later showing exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. The program objective is to foster creative basic research in science and engineering; enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators; and increase opportunities for the young investigators to recognize the Air Force and Space Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering.
Individual awards are made to U.S. institutions of higher education, industrial laboratories, for- profit, or non-profit research organizations where the principal investigator (PI) is employed on a full-time basis and holds a regular, non-contractor position. A YIP PI must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident. Researchers working at a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), or a Department of War (DoW) Laboratory are not eligible for this competition. YIP awards are funded up to $150,000 per year for three years, for a total of $450,000. No single year may exceed $150,000. Please review the remainder of this announcement for additional information. Under this competition, an anticipated thirty-seven (37) traditionally funded YIPs and three (3) YIPs funded in partnership with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) in the Quantum Information Sciences research discipline may be awarded. There may be potential for an additional 37 YIPs funded from other AFOSR research funding. All actions are based on the availability of funds. Proposers are encouraged to confer with the designated AFOSR Program Officer(s) prior to submitting a full proposal. We will evaluate proposals using an internal review panel. AFOSR reserves the right to select and fund all, some, or none of the proposals from any of the topics below. AFOSR provides no funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and budget proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this NOFO will not be returned. It is the policy of AFOSR to treat all white papers and proposals submitted under this NOFO as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation. White papers briefly summarizing the proposed institution’s ideas are required. Submit white papers to our whitepaper portal, which is linked below. The topic points of contact (POCs) will coordinate to provide feedback on the white papers. The proposals will need to include a data management plan, outlining how samples and data collected in the program will be stored and managed. This includes but is not restricted to issues such as standards for data and metadata collection, content and format, data archiving, database management, and data sharing within, outside the awardee and beyond the lifetime of the grant. This precondition is modeled on the National Science Foundation Data Management Plan requirement (e.g., https://www.nsf.gov/eng/data-management-plans). IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants should be alert for any amendments that may modify the announcement. Amendments to the original Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be posted to the Webpage: IMPORTANT DATES: Pre-proposal inquiries and questions, regarding white papers and the submission of those white papers, must be received in writing by electronic mail to the address(es) of this NOFO not later than 17 September 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered. The Government will respond to any pre-proposal inquiries or questions via public posting, or individual responses, no later than COB on 24 September 2026. Whitepapers must be received by 09 October 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time via submission to https://afosr.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKuTqm9qezoDYep to be considered. White paper evaluation is meant to initially assess the capability of a proposed effort. White papers must be no more than five (5) pages in length. References and CV/bios will not count against the page limit. Please review this announcement in its entirety prior to submitting a white paper. The government will respond to the white paper determination before COB on 06 November 2026. Proposals must be received electronically through by 04 December 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered. We anticipate that we will notify proposers of selection or non-selection for award no later than 26 April 2027. We anticipate awards to be made by 01 May 2027, barring delays. |
| Synopsis / Response date | Dec 04, 2026 12:00:00 AM EST |
| Synopsis / Response date desc | Not specified |
| Synopsis / Posting date | Sep 08, 2026 12:00:00 AM EDT |
| Synopsis / Archive date | Jan 03, 2027 12:00:00 AM EST |
| Synopsis / Cost sharing | No |
| Synopsis / Number of awards | 50 |
| Synopsis / Estimated funding | 4500000 |
| Synopsis / Estimated funding formatted | 4,500,000 |
| Synopsis / Award ceiling | 450000 |
| Synopsis / Award ceiling formatted | 450,000 |
| Synopsis / Award floor | 150000 |
| Synopsis / Award floor formatted | 150,000 |
| Synopsis / Applicant eligibility desc | Not specified |
| Synopsis / Create time stamp | Sep 08, 2026 03:10:58 PM EDT |
| Synopsis / Created date | Sep 08, 2026 02:58:36 PM EDT |
| Synopsis / Last updated date | Sep 08, 2026 03:05:01 PM EDT |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 1 / Id | 13 |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 1 / Description | Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 2 / Id | 06 |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 2 / Description | Public and State controlled institutions of higher education |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 3 / Id | 22 |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 3 / Description | For profit organizations other than small businesses |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 4 / Id | 20 |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 4 / Description | Private institutions of higher education |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 5 / Id | 12 |
| Synopsis / Applicant types 5 / Description | Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education |
| Synopsis / Funding instruments 1 / Id | G |
| Synopsis / Funding instruments 1 / Description | Grant |
| Synopsis / Funding activity categories 1 / Id | ST |
| Synopsis / Funding activity categories 1 / Description | Science and Technology and other Research and Development |
| Synopsis / Response date str | 2026-12-04-00-00-00 |
| Synopsis / Posting date str | 2026-09-08-00-00-00 |
| Synopsis / Archive date str | 2027-01-03-00-00-00 |
| Synopsis / Create time stamp str | 2026-09-08-15-10-58 |
| Agency details / Code | AFOSR |
| Agency details / Seed | DOD-AFOSR |
| Agency details / Agency name | Air Force Office of Scientific Research |
| Agency details / Agency code | DOD-AFOSR |
| Agency details / Top agency code | DOD |
| Top agency details / Code | DOD |
| Top agency details / Seed | DOD |
| Top agency details / Agency name | Department of Defense |
| Top agency details / Agency code | DOD |
| Top agency details / Top agency code | DOD |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Id | 81276 |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Opportunity id | 363829 |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Folder type | Full Announcement |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Folder name | Full Announcement |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Zip lob size | 652642 |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Created date | Sep 08, 2026 03:10:23 PM EDT |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Last updated date | Sep 08, 2026 03:10:58 PM EDT |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Synopsis attachments 1 / Id | 354995 |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Synopsis attachments 1 / Opportunity id | 363829 |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Synopsis attachments 1 / Mime type | application/pdf |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Synopsis attachments 1 / File name | FA955026S0003FY27YIPFINAL.pdf |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Synopsis attachments 1 / File description | Full Announcement FA955026S0003 |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Synopsis attachments 1 / File lob size | 676582 |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Synopsis attachments 1 / Created date | Sep 08, 2026 03:10:58 PM EDT |
| Synopsis attachment folders 1 / Synopsis attachments 1 / Synopsis att folder id | 81276 |
| Synopsis document urls | Not specified |
| Syn att change comments | Not specified |
| Cfdas 1 / Id | 435362 |
| Cfdas 1 / Opportunity id | 363829 |
| Cfdas 1 / Cfda number | 12.800 |
| Cfdas 1 / Program title | Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Id | 294142 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Topportunity id | 363829 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Family id | 14 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Dialect | XFDL2.2 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Opportunity number | FA955026S0003 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Opportunity title | Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Young Investigator Program (YIP) |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Cfda number | 12.800 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Opening date | 2026-09-08 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Closing date | 2026-12-04 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Owning agency code | DOD-AFOSR |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Agency details / Code | AFOSR |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Agency details / Seed | DOD-AFOSR |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Agency details / Agency name | Air Force Office of Scientific Research |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Agency details / Agency code | DOD-AFOSR |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Agency details / Top agency code | DOD |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Top agency details / Code | DOD |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Top agency details / Seed | DOD |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Top agency details / Agency name | Department of Defense |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Top agency details / Agency code | DOD |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Top agency details / Top agency code | DOD |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Program title | Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Contact info | AFOSR RBKR Grantor E-mail: afosryip@us.af.mil Phone: 703-696-9517 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Grace period | 0 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Competition id | FA955026S0003 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Competition title | Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Young Investigator Program (YIP) |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Electronic required | Y |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Expected application count | 500 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Open to applicant type | 3 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Is multi project | N |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Extension | |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Mimetype | application/pdf |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Last update | Sep 08, 2026 03:08:51 PM EDT |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Workspace compatible flag | Y |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Package id | PKG00294142 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Opening date str | 2026-09-08-00-00-00 |
| Opportunity pkgs 1 / Closing date str | 2026-12-04-00-00-00 |
| Closed opportunity pkgs | Not specified |
| Original due date | Dec 04, 2026 12:00:00 AM EST |
| Original due date desc | Not specified |
| Synopsis modified fields | Not specified |
| Forecast modified fields | Not specified |
| Error messages | Not specified |
| Syn post date in past | Yes |
| Doc type | synopsis |
| Forecast hist count | 0 |
| Synopsis hist count | 0 |
| Assist compatible | No |
| Assist url | Not specified |
| Related opps | Not specified |
| Ost | POSTED |
Related Documents
There are no related documents on this grant.
Packages
| Agency Contact Information: | AFOSR RBKR Grantor Phone 703-696-9517 |
| Assistance Listing Number | Competition ID | Competition Title | Opportunity Package ID | Opening Date | Closing Date | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.800 | FA955026S0003 | Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Young Investigator Program (YIP) | PKG00294142 | 2026-09-08 | 2026-12-04 | View |
