DESI: Defense Enterprise Science Initiative
Accelerating impact through university-industry partnerships
DESI is a pilot program that supports university-industry research collaboration focused on accelerating the impact of basic research on defense capabilities. The goals of DESI are twofold. First, it seeks to foster sustainable university-industry partnerships to identify and apply new discoveries and knowledge on existing capabilities and address technological gaps. DESI also aims to charter a new pathway to accelerate the transfer of basic research to innovative technologies and complement the Department’s other basic research programs such as the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), and the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP).
DESI is sponsored by the Basic Research Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research administers the program in collaboration with the Army Research Office.
Teams were chosen from five topical areas, and each will receive up to $1.5 million over two years to further fundamental knowledge and understanding in the context of end-use applications. Learn more about the topic areas and awarded teams below.
DESI recently featured on Federal News Radio. Click here to listen to the interview and read the article.