CALL 1 2026 INFORMATION

**PRE-PROPOSAL IS NOW CLOSED**

The AFRL Regional Network – Midwest is excited to announce the availability of funding for projects that can immediately and significantly benefit the technology and development of AFRL scientist and engineers. This call seeks proposals from researchers who are members of the Midwest Regional Network, along with their AFRL and additional collaborators. This will be an open topic call to reach the best solutions for Air Force problems.

Please read BEFORE submission:

We cannot fund basic research (6.1). All proposals submitted should be fundamental or applied research (6.2 or above).

The majority of funding MUST be executed in the Midwest region. The Midwest Region was defined by the AFRL as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

PI’s must be located in the Midwest region and be an existing member of the AFRL Regional Network – Midwest. Please see below for information on Network Membership.

Proposals without an AFRL co-PI will NOT be accepted. To find an AFRL co-PI, please enter your information on Tech Connect. The AFRL co-PI can be from any AFRL location. The AFRL co-PI must be either military personnel or civil servants. Contractors do not meet the requirement. Please discuss your topic and proposal with your co-PI prior to submission.

Do NOT submit CUI or distribution limited materials to Qualtrics. Qualtrics is not a secure channel. Please contact us (afrlmwst@purdue.edu) before submitting any materials that may be sensitive, distribution limited, or CUI.

Funding

Projects will be funded at $50,000 each 6 months, with a potential maximum of $100,000. AFRL Technical Directorates may contribute additional funding as deemed necessary and appropriate. Milestones and deliverables will be based on six-month cycles. Funding continuation will be evaluated in six-month intervals and will depend on meeting transition milestones and deliverables. All funding is contingent upon security checks, availability, and is at the discretion of the AFRL Regional Network – Midwest. Additional funding from the AFRL Technical Directorates may be applied to the projects as available.

Deliverables

Milestones and deliverables will be based on six-month cycles.

Video deliverables may be required as part of this program. We will assist in making your video.

Application Process

Before applying for funding, you must have an established relationship with an AFRL Scientist and/or Engineer (S&E). If you still need to connect with an AFRL S&E, please submit your ideas through TechConnect available here: https://midwesthub.afresearchlab.com/tech-connect/

If you have distribution limited materials or CUI information, please do NOT submit it to Qualtrics. Qualtrics is not a secure channel.

Please contact us (afrlmwst@purdue.edu) before submitting any materials that may be sensitive, distribution limited, or CUI.

Submit by clicking:The submission portal is now closed.

The following questions will be on the pre-proposal submission form:

Describe your project (max 2-3 paragraphs, 2000 character max). Please include the problem you are addressing, what you are going to do, how it’s different from what’s being done right now, how it advances state of the art, brief methodology and facilities used, etc.

Why is this problem significant to the Department of the Air Force/ Space Force? (1000 character max)

How do you plan to embed the AFRL S&E’s in your project? Embedding refers to the opportunity for an AFRL S&E to come to your facility or your collaborator’s facility to learn new skills and/or directly participate in research activities. (1000 character max)

What is your project’s potential for dual use, transition, and commercialization? (Anticipated patents, manufacturing, prototyping, possible partners, commercialization, further study, TRL/MRL changes, publications, etc.) (1000 character max)

How will this impact the AFRL mission? Be clear in the programs that this directly applies to (for example, IPT’s in general terms). You may need to consult with your AFRL co-PI. (1000 character max)

The application process consists of two phases:

Pre-Proposal (Phase I): Submit 1-3 paragraphs describing the project, collaborator information, and connection to the AFRL mission, AFRL interest, opportunities for AFRL S&E personnel exchanges, and potential for technical transition. Proposals will be reviewed against established criteria and AFRL needs, and comments will be provided to the proposers. Based on the assessment, you may be invited to submit a full proposal for Full Proposal (Phase II) review.

Full Proposal (Phase II): Full Proposal is by invitation only. Submit a 3- to 6-page proposal for review based on these criteria:

Mutual interest to AFRL

Potential for rapid transition

Technical merits

Opportunity for leveraging AFRL research, including opportunities for embedding AFRL S&Es within the Network

Call Schedule

Project Submission portal OPENS: Monday, April 13, 2026 at 8 a.m. EDT

Pre-proposal (Phase I) DUE: Friday, May 1, 2026 at 5 p.m. EDT

Program Contacts:

For any questions, please contact us at afrlmwst@purdue.edu.

Estimated Number of Awards:

The award selection process is prioritized first by proposal quality and AFRL mission alignment followed by the availability of funds. The selection committee may allocate funding recommendations in any cycle to any proposals based on project alignment with AFRL goals and quality of proposal.

Who May Submit Proposals and Serve as PI:

Proposals are to be submitted by members of the AFRL Regional Network – Midwest; however, only members within the Midwest region may serve as PIs. PIs may not be changed from Pre-Proposal to Proposal phase. Please see the full PI Requirements here

All proposals require a co-PI from the US Air Force or Space Force. Midwest Network members preparing proposals without an AF/SF co-PI or AF/SF PI’s are encouraged to leverage the Tech Connect function on the Midwest Network website to identify (co-)PI’s as necessary here.

Please see the full co-PI requirements here

There is a limit of one proposal per PI per cycle.

Currently funded PIs may not submit additional proposals while they are still funded.

The AFRL Regional Network Midwest can accommodate proposals with sensitive information through a special process. Further our contract allows this through:

RIK-9004 SAFEGUARDING COVERED DEFENSE INFORMATION AND CYBER INCIDENT REPORTING (MAY 2024); however, this is clause is as needed.

All PI and proposal team members to comply with:

RIK-3001 INFORMATION REGARDING NON-US CITIZENS ASSIGNED TO THIS PROJECT

Recipient employees requiring access to USAF bases, AFRL facilities, and/or access to U.S.

Government Information Technology (IT) networks in connection with the work on this award must be U.S. citizens. For the purpose of base and network access, possession of a permanent resident card (“Green Card”) does not equate to U.S. citizenship. This requirement does not apply to foreign nationals approved by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. State Department under international personnel exchange agreements with foreign governments. It also does not apply to dual citizens who possess U.S. citizenship, to include Naturalized citizens. Any waivers to this requirement must be granted in writing by the Grants/Agreements Officer prior to providing access. Specific format for waiver request will be provided upon request to the Grants/Agreements Officer. The above requirements are in addition to any other award requirements related to obtaining a Common Access Card (CAC)

6.010 EXPORT CONTROL (NOV 1999) (TAILORED)

(a) Access to the technology developed under this agreement by foreign firms, institutions or individuals shall be controlled by the recipient under applicable U.S. export control laws.

(b) If required under a Research Project Plan agreed to in writing in advance by the Recipient, the Recipient shall obtain Grants Officer approval before assigning or granting access to any work, equipment, or technical data generated or delivered under this agreement to foreign persons or their representatives. The notification shall include the name and country of origin of the foreign person or representative, the specific work, equipment, or data to which the person will have access. The Grants Officer will not provide approval until a favorable Foreign Disclosure Office determination is received.

All team members will be screened by Air Force Research Laboratory security prior to award.

Network Membership

To join the Network, simply visit: midwesthub.afresearchlab.com/join/

Fill out the form, and we will be in contact.

As a member of the network, you will have access to collaboration opportunities, events, news, and funding calls.

Members do not need to be part of our region to join. The Midwest Region was defined by the AFRL as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

We welcome non-regional members. You can collaborate with us. You can attend events. We will also help you connect with an AFRL scientist and/or engineer.

If you are interested in hosting an event to expand the network and increase your collaboration opportunities, please email afrlmwst@purdue.edu.

Evaluation Rubrics

Please click below to access the evaluation rubrics:

AFRL Regional Network – Midwest Phase I Evaluation Rubric

AFRL Regional Network Phase II Evaluation Rubric

The submission portal is now closed.