POST-DOCTORAL AND RECENT GRADUATES
Are you a recent graduate looking for an opportunity to take you beyond entry-level understanding and provide you with elements that are essential to a successful professional career? Are you a recent doctoral graduate, or postdoc, and would like to obtain additional training and research opportunities within your field? Various types of opportunities are available for graduates at all levels to take the next step. Review the listings page for the scholarship, research programs, fellowships, and other opportunities available at your level.
HBCU/MI Early Career Program
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is actively soliciting research proposals for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) Early Career Program (ECP).
HBCU/MI faculty are encouraged to submit proposals. This program is designed to provide outstanding scientists and engineers the opportunity to enhance their skillset. Each Army funded award aims to support basic research that contributes to fulfilling Army modernization needs, with a specific focus on early career researchers.
Army Educational Outreach Program – Apprenticeships & Fellowships
Advance your education and career by joining a team that makes scientific discoveries and develops technologies that support America’s innovation goals. AEOP apprentices (high school, undergraduate) and AEOP fellows (graduate, post-doctoral) conduct real-world, Army-sponsored research alongside scientists and engineers in world-class facilities. Whether you are seeking a summer, semester, or long-term STEM research and career development opportunity, AEOP has a program for you.
Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs
The Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs align innovative small businesses with critical U.S. Army priorities to turnover game-changing solutions to our most critical customer—the Soldier. Open to US-based small businesses, the SBIR and STTR programs offer competitive, awards, seeking to identify the top emerging technical solutions to meet critical Army priorities to modernize our world-class Army and transition life-saving technology into the hands of our Soldiers.
xTech Program
The xTech Program manages the Army’s prize competitions to award and accelerate innovative technology solutions that can help solve Army challenges. xTech competitions engage the non-defense business sector and start-up technology companies, with the Army Science and Technology ecosystem to leverage cutting edge technologies. Recent competitions include xTechHBCU, designed to engage with eligible institutions, and highlight opportunities to collaborate with the Army to tackle critical Army challenges, earn prize money, network with Army program managers and provide potential funding opportunities to tackle Army challenges.
DEVCOM Army Research Lab Short-Term Innovative Research Program (STIR)
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory’s Short-Term Innovation Research Program explores high-risk, proof-of-concept ideas within a nine-month time frame. Research proposals are sought from educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, or private industry. If a STIR effort produces promising results, the investigator may be encouraged to submit a proposal for longer-term funding options, such as a Single Investigator Program award.
Pathways Recent Graduates Program
The Pathways Recent Graduate Program provides developmental experiences in the U.S. Federal government for individuals who graduated from qualifying educational institutions within the past two years with an associate’s, bachelor, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate.
Pathways Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program
The Presidential Management Fellows Program offers a prestigious two-year opportunity in the federal government working on various assignments at different agencies. Individuals who have completed a qualifying advanced degree such as a masters or professional degree within the past two years are eligible to apply.
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program
The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program is a highly competitive, portable fellowship that is awarded to U.S. citizens and nationals who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in one of fifteen supported disciplines. The NDSEG Fellowship Program confers high honors upon its recipients who choose the U.S. institution they wish to attend. NDSEG Fellowship Program lasts three years, pays full tuition and all mandatory fees, a monthly stipend, and up to $1,000 USD a year in medical insurance (dental and vision insurances are not included).
SMART Procurement Government Conference
The Strengthening Mid-Atlantic Region for Tomorrow (SMART) Procurement Government Conference is an annual event and provides small business, industry, and academia with vital information necessary to better understand the federal procurement process, mission requirements and forecast opportunities. HBCU-MI affiliates are encouraged to participate as a means to compete for a variety of procurements, such as contracts and grants.
ARI Broad Agency Announcements
Broad Agency Announcements W911NF-21-S-0007 and W911NF-18-S-0005 provide an opportunity for academic institutions, students, and faculty to collaborate with ARI on basic research questions related to personnel, organization, Soldier, and leader development issues. To learn more, click the link and enter the numbers referenced above.
Consortium Research Fellows Program
The Consortium Research Fellows Program provides a unique opportunity for students and faculty to work alongside Army S&T personnel to execute original research in support of Army needs and capabilities. The CRFP is a leading fellowship program that recruits, employs, funds, and mentors student and post-doctoral researchers. Through the CRFP, graduate and undergraduate students and post-doctoral Fellows are matched with government agencies that provide applied research experience in support of the U.S. Department of Defense. With the supervision of mentors and specialists, research Fellows develop research, analytical, and technical writing skills by assisting experts while maintaining classes and pursuing a degree. Research fellowships give students and post-doctoral researchers 1-3 years of experience in applied research settings, making their fellowship as beneficial for their future career as it is for their education.
ORISE Research Participation Program at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
To ensure the robust supply of scientists and engineers to meet the DoD’s future science and technology needs, the ORISE program places individuals from the academic community (students, recent graduates, and faculty) in DoD research projects. Whether you are interested in applying to the program, are a current participant, or are a DoD employee sponsoring or mentoring participants, the Program has an opportunity for you.
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers program funds single-investigator research efforts performed by outstanding academic scientists and engineers early in their independent research careers. The PECASE Award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. The awards are conferred at the White House following recommendations from participating agencies. To be eligible for a PECASE Award, an individual must be a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident. Each Presidential award winner receives a citation, a plaque and funding from their agency for up to five years to advance his or her research. Individuals can receive only one PECASE award in their careers.
DEVCOM Army Research Lab Single Investigator (SI) Program
The DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory’s Single Investigator Program pursues the most innovative, high-risk, and high-payoff ideas in basic research. Research proposals within the SI Program are received throughout the year in a continuously open, worldwide Broad Agency Announcement solicitation. The grant awards in the SI Program typically support one or more faculty members plus graduate students and/or postdoctoral researchers for up to three years. The short grant cycle allows approximately one-third of the extramural portfolio to be reinvested into new or advancing areas each year, which provides the Army with a dynamic method for rapidly investing or divesting in research.
Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI)
The Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative is a tri-service Department of Defense Program, part of the University Research Initiative. The MURI program supports university teams whose research efforts link several traditional science and engineering disciplines. Multidisciplinary team efforts can accelerate research progress in areas particularly suited to the cross-fertilization of ideas by supporting team efforts across multiple universities. MURI grants typically range from $1.25 million to $1.5 million per year for three years and may be extended two more years as an option.
