SMART Scholar SEED Fiscal Year 2022 Grants Recipients> United States Department of Defense> Publication

The Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) program recently announced awards to 21 SMART PhD students under its competitive SMART Scholar SEED scholarship program for the fiscal year. (AF) 2022. The SMART Scholar SEED Scholarship The program awards research grants of up to $ 100,000 per year for a period of up to three years to promising SMART scholars as they move on from pursuing their doctorate to active professionals of the Department of Defense (DoD). Grants help academics establish fundamental research and engineering projects in their areas of expertise.

A highly competitive service scholarship program, SMART is one of the largest science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-focused education and workforce initiatives under DoD STEM, the ministry’s comprehensive effort in STEM K-20 education and talent development. SMART is empowered to award full scholarships to any phase of an academic’s education at a regionally accredited US university or college. The program sponsors undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies in 21 academic disciplines critical to national security and the future of the DoD. After graduation, students go directly into employment at the DoD facilities. The scholarships can be awarded at any stage of an academic’s education and their duration varies from a minimum of one year to a maximum of five years. The service commitment is one year of DoD employment for each academic year of SMART funding. Since its inception in 2006, the program has awarded more than 3,700 scholarships.

The SMART Scholar SEED Grants Program aims to develop a cadre of future DoD subject matter experts who will conduct high impact research at SMART sponsorship facilities. It offers academics who have pursued doctorates under the SMART program the opportunity to deepen their expertise in targeted and strategically important STEM areas, enabling them to lead their own research efforts while benefiting from valuable mentorship within of their sponsoring facilities.

The SMART Scholar SEED grant program proposals for fiscal year 2022 were reviewed by a panel of science and technology experts from all components of the DoD, who assessed them on their scientific and technical merit, suitability in relation to the DoD mission, development potential and budget rationale. The funding opportunity announcement received 39 eligible proposals, with 21 named grant recipients across the military, navy, air force and other components of the DoD. The “garden” of SEED Fellows for FY2022 joins the 20 scholars selected in FY2022, the inaugural year of the SEED Fellowship program.

Mentoring of SEED grant recipients by established members of the DOD science and technology workforce is a key component of the SEED Grants initiative. This year, to demonstrate SMART’s commitment to mentoring, SEED applicants were able to request an additional $ 25,000 to support mentoring activities. Not only does this help the mentor in their technical support to the SEED researcher, but it also encourages mentor-mentee activities such as joint participation in conferences or program reviews that help the SEED researcher to develop their network and improve their understanding. of the science and technology enterprise of the DoD. .

“I am impressed with the caliber of proposals received by the program and I am particularly proud of our outstanding winners,” said Ms. Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “This year’s 21 awards really showcase the kind of mission-oriented work that DoD employees do. They present the unique research that helps the DoD accomplish its overall mission of defending the nation and promoting the safety and success of its military personnel. “

To learn more about the SMART Scholarship-for-Service program and participating DoD sponsorship facilities, visit www.smartscholarship.org. Information on the SMART Scholar SEED scholarship program is available at https://www.smartscholarship.org/smart?id=seed_grant.

Interested in becoming a SMART scholar? The application period for the 2022 SMART Fellowship Cohort started on August 1, 2021 and ends on December 1, 2021. More information can be found on the website.