AFRL/DAGSI Research Program

PROGRAM IS ON HOLD INDEFINITELY

DAGSI and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have entered into a formal agreement to conduct basic research in aerospace technologies of interest to the United States Air Force and the State of Ohio.  A key goal of the program is to stimulate effective collaboration between Ohio academic research institutions and the AFRL.  Benefits of this interaction include increased utilization of AFRL facilities; greater Ohio faculty and student involvement in aerospace research at Wright-Patterson AFB; development of new linkages between Ohio's research institutions and the Air Force; and leverage of Ohio's research funding through "cost-free" use of Air Force resources.  Another major goal is to provide seed funding for research that may later receive follow-on funding from the Air Force and/or other external funding agencies.

Highlights of the program are listed below.

• All projects involve basic research in aerospace technologies and arise from formal Research Requests provided mainly by the six AFRL Directorates with a presence at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Vehicles (VA); Propulsion (PR); Sensors (SN); Materials and Manufacturing (ML); Human Effectiveness (HE); and Information (IF).

• The program officially began in Ohio FY99.  In the first round, only the engineering schools of the DAGSI members were eligible to participate.  In the second round (FY00), eligibility was extended to all seventeen (17) members of the OBOR's Research Officers Council, in addition to AFIT.  Therefore, the following schools are eligible to participate: The University of Akron (UA); Bowling Green State University (BGSU); Central State University (CSU); Cleveland State University (CSU); Kent State University (KSU); Miami University (MU); Ohio University (OU); Shawnee State University (SSU); University of Toledo (UT); Youngstown State University (YSU); Medical College of Ohio; Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine; and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).  In the third round (FY01), Miami University was awarded the lead on a project, and other projects include Kent State, Case Western, Ohio, and Toledo as partners.

• Eligibility no longer is restricted to faculty and students of the Ohio graduate engineering schools.  The AFRL research need dictates the expertise required on the team.  For example, a research project in the area of human effectiveness may call for the expertise of a clinical psychologist.  A project in laser sensors may require bench research in optical physics.  The underlying principle in forming the research teams is to bring together the best-qualified people among the eligible institutions to work on the problems.

• A significant portion (at least 25%) of the proposed research program must be conducted at Wright-Patterson AFB.  This requirement helps foster strong linkages between Ohio's academic research institutions and the Air Force.  As set forth in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the AFRL and DAGSI, the AFRL is committed to providing significant on-site support to the various research teams.

• Each collaborative research team must include representation from at least two eligible Ohio research institutions, one of which must be a DAGSI member (AFIT, UD, WSU, OSU, UC, MU).  Each team should have at least one AFRL scientist/engineer.

• Funding for this program comes from the Ohio Board of Regents, with the majority expended to support Ohio faculty and students on the teams.  Details on funding, budgeting, permissible expenditures, and financial reporting are provided in the Request for Proposals (RFP).  Institutions and entities (contractors, etc.) other than those named above are not excluded from participation in a given project; however, Ohio funding is unavailable to them.  The Air Force, industry, or any other entity participating in a project must provide funding from another source.

• Proposals will be solicited every two years, driven by the Ohio biennial budget cycle.

• Funding from DAGSI/OBOR for a proposed research project is not to exceed $400,000.00.  Awards may be lower, depending on the state budget allocation.  Duration of the project is not to exceed 24 months.

• The formal application process involves the development of Research Requests by AFRL; the generation of 4-page preproposals by academic research teams; the selection of preproposals to be developed into full proposals; the generation of full proposals in response to a formal RFP; and the award of research grants to the winning teams.

• To assist DAGSI in selecting the winning proposals, a Peer Review Panel (PRP) comprised of several technical experts from outside Ohio and outside the U.S. Air Force is assembled and tasked to complete a formal proposal evaluation.  Simultaneously, using the same evaluation criteria, the Chief Scientists of the AFRL Directorates conduct an independent technical evaluation.  Finally, a formal review and rank ordering is conducted by the Program Selection Panel (PSP), whose members represent the AFRL, Ohio industry, and the Ohio Board of Regents (OBOR).

Information on participating in this program is provided on this web site, including a master schedule, instructions for submitting preproposals and proposals, contact points, and projects funded to date.

Participating Institutions

  Projects Funded to Date

  Operating Procedures

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Description of Program / Participating Institutions / Projects Funded / Operating Procedures