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Minerva Research Initiative (DoD) Grant Opportunity FAQs

What is the Minerva Research Initiative?

The Minerva Research Initiative is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) grant program managed through the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). It funds university-led social science research focused on questions with clear strategic relevance to U.S. national security.

What is the main purpose of this grant program?

The program is designed to build deeper, fundamental understanding of the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that shape stability, conflict, cooperation, and influence globally. It emphasizes that modern security challenges cannot be addressed through military capability alone and aims to expand DoD's long-term social science "intellectual capital," improve anticipation of future challenges, and strengthen relationships between the defense community and academic researchers through candid, constructive engagement.

Who manages the Minerva program and who makes final funding decisions?

The program is managed through OSD. While Minerva is described as a multi-service effort that incorporates technical input from the military services, final funding decisions are made by OSD personnel.

What kinds of submissions are invited under this competition?

This competition invites innovative white papers and full proposals.

What research areas are eligible or encouraged?

Proposed work should align with one of five DoD-defined topic areas: (1) Identity, Influence, and Mobilization; (2) Contributors to Societal Resilience and Change; (3) Power and Deterrence; (4) Analytical Methods and Metrics for Security Research; and (5) Innovations in National Security, Conflict, and Cooperation.

What is covered under the topic area "Identity, Influence, and Mobilization"?

This topic focuses on how culture and identity intersect with security dynamics, and how influence operates within societies to mobilize people for social or political change.

What is covered under "Contributors to Societal Resilience and Change"?

This topic examines conditions that help societies adapt, remain stable, or shift under stress. It includes governance and the rule of law, migration and urbanization, demographic change, environmental and natural resource pressures, and economic drivers.

What is covered under "Power and Deterrence"?

This topic explores how global order is evolving, how power is projected or diffused across states and non-state actors, and how deterrence functions beyond traditional military models. It also includes area studies that bring deep regional expertise to these questions.

What is covered under "Analytical Methods and Metrics for Security Research"?

This topic encourages improved tools, measurements, and methodological approaches for studying security-related social science problems.

What is covered under "Innovations in National Security, Conflict, and Cooperation"?

This topic supports research on new and emerging ways states, groups, and societies compete, fight, or collaborate, with an emphasis on forward-looking insights.

Can an individual researcher apply, or does it require a team?

The program accepts proposals from both single investigators and larger multi-institution research teams.

When are team-based proposals encouraged?

Team-based proposals are encouraged when the research problem requires expertise across different disciplines, departments, or universities, and when collaboration is likely to produce meaningful synergy across linked research questions.

What leadership structure is required for collaborative proposals?

Collaborative projects must designate one Principal Investigator (PI) as the primary technical point of contact and identify one lead institution as the main recipient responsible for executing the award.

What should proposals include about partner roles and responsibilities?

Proposals are expected to clearly explain the roles of each participating organization, how responsibilities are divided, and how the work will be coordinated across the team.

What budget and funding allocation details are expected for multi-institution projects?

Applicants should explain how funds will be allocated, including any subawards. The level of detail should be consistent across the proposal narrative and the budget.

What type of grant opportunity is this?

This is a discretionary grant opportunity.

What is the activity category and CFDA number for this opportunity?

The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The CFDA number listed is 12.630.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants are U.S. public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education.

What are the key dates for the opportunity?

The opportunity was posted on January 12, 2016, and the closing date was June 17, 2016.

How much funding is available per award?

The anticipated maximum award amount is up to $5,000,000.

How many awards are expected?

Roughly 12 awards are expected under this competition.

Is the Minerva initiative limited to military-focused research only?

No. The program explicitly emphasizes that security challenges require understanding beyond military capability, and it seeks fundamental social science insight into the drivers of stability, conflict, cooperation, and influence.

What is DoD hoping to gain from funding this research?

DoD aims to expand its long-term intellectual capital in the social sciences, improve its ability to anticipate future challenges, and strengthen working relationships with academic researchers through candid, constructive engagement.