Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative
White Papers (highly encouraged) Due: January 16, 2024 at 3 PM EST 
OSP Deadline: March 26, 2024. Departments or areas may require additional time for proposal review and submission. Please discuss a timeline with your grants administrator.
Full Application Deadline: April 2, 2024 at 3 PM EST
Award Amount: Up to $1,000,000 per year for 3 to 5 years

The Minerva program aims to promote research in specific areas of social science and to promote a candid and constructive relationship between DoD and the social science academic community. Minerva brings together universities and other research institutions around the world and supports multidisciplinary and cross-institutional projects addressing interest areas determined by the DoD. 

Topics: This year’s Minerva Research Initiative competition is for basic research related to the eight topics listed below. Detailed descriptions of the interest areas—which are intended to provide a frame of reference and are not meant to be restrictive—can be found in Appendix B: Minerva Research Topics of Interest in the Notice of Funding Opportunity document, linked below.

• Topic 1: Societal Cohesion in Crisis
• Topic 2: Considering Societal Resilience at Multiple Scales
• Topic 3: Sociotechnical Adaptation to Climate, Food, and Water Stress
• Topic 4: Social Impact of Technological Change
• Topic 5: Parasocial Relationships, Social Media, and Radicalization
• Topic 6: Temporal Orientation and Strategic Considerations
• Topic 7: Evolving Contexts of Deterrence
• Topic 8: War Termination Processes and Prospects

Each proposal should be submitted to only one topic area, even if there is overlap with another topic area. Innovative white papers and applications related to these research areas are highly encouraged. Proposals will be considered both for single-investigator awards as well as larger teams.  

Questions about white papers should be submitted by January 5, 2024. Interested parties who do not participate in the white paper review stage should contact the appropriate point of contact prior to submission of a full proposal to discuss options, though feedback at that late stage is not guaranteed. More information can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, linked here.