Defense Security Cooperation University - Research Grants

The Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU), under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), is offering research grants. The main focus of these grants is on "security cooperation," which refers to interactions between the Department of Defense and foreign military entities that work towards building and enhancing security capabilities.

The funded research will contribute to the current body of knowledge on security cooperation and ideally, provide valuable insights that can be applied in this practice area. Those interested may be asked to submit a one-page white paper which overviews the proposed research. Only those who effectively address the program description in their white paper will be invited to submit a comprehensive application for review.

The research grants are part of DSCU’s mission to boost the professionalism and quality of security cooperation through evidence-driven research and analysis. The DSCU partners with individual researchers, educational institutions, and policy-focused research organizations for these projects. The research should align with the U.S. Department of Defense Learning and Evaluation Agenda for Partnerships and the DSCU Research Agenda.

Two DSCU components currently provide these grants: the Research and Lessons Learned Institute (RALLI) and the Irregular Warfare Center (IWC). RALLI grants are open to individual researchers, academic institutions, U.S. and international research institutions, federally funded research centers, U.S. interagency security cooperation communities, and the security cooperation workforce. IWC grants, on the other hand, are available to researchers or teams associated with an accredited college or university, as well as professional military education and civilian academic institutions.

Grant recipients are expected to engage in events like seminars, conferences, and focus groups, to promote the dissemination of their research findings and application of the acquired knowledge in policy, practice, and workforce professionalization. For further information, refer to the attached Notice of Funding Opportunity.