Our Mission
The Basic Research Office is the Department-wide strategic thread in ensuring future capability, and makes investments in areas where the Services may not be able to. We work with academia, industry, and government partners to foster collaborations, shape priorities, and forge pathways in scientific investment areas that aim to establish new and strengthened alliances with international allies, insertion of new innovations into programs of record, and long-term scientific and technological superiority.
Our Goals
- Drive the Direction of DoD Basic Research Investments
Identify emerging research areas of strategic importance to the DoD; maintain support for high-risk, paradigm shifting basic research that may lead to enhanced warfighter capabilities, and strategic and tactical advantage.
- Coordinate and Conduct Oversight of DoD Basic Research Programs
Coordinate activities of Components, Universities, and Industry to ensure a coherent research effort in addressing Defense enterprise needs; improve efficiency and streamline operations to achieve a better return on research investments.
- Improve Science & Engineering (S&E) Workforce and Public Outreach
Contribute to the growth, diversity, and maintenance of the S&E talent pool by identifying and supporting top U.S. science and engineering researchers through basic research programs; enhance programs under the purview of the Basic Research Office that develop a more scientifically capable workforce; raise public awareness of groundbreaking DoD basic research and improve scientific literacy of general public to ensure future DoD workforce needs.
- Enhance University-Industry Collaboration
Develop programs to increase collaboration between the university and industry sectors in areas of relevance to DoD; identify and bring defense-related technologies resulting from basic research to market faster by supporting commercialization and technology transfer initiatives.
- Engage with Academic Research Community and International Partners
Encourage academic community to conduct research of DoD interest; given the changing landscape of R&D, engage with international partners to ensure U.S. scientific superiority, strengthen and leverage the capabilities of our allies, and support other international DoD mission goals.
Basic Research Office within the Department of Defense
