The Department of Defense (DoD), Office of the Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) has established the National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowships (NSSEFF) program. The NSSEFF program provides extensive, long-term financial support to distinguished university faculty scientists and engineers to conduct unclassified, fundamental research on topics of interest to DoD. NSSEFF ensures that our nation has an active, long-term, well informed, and aggressive research and engineering portfolio that attracts creative and energetic scientists, engineers, and their students.

Accredited, degree-granting educational institutions may nominate distinguished faculty scientists and engineers to receive National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowships. The Fellows will be selected based on competitive evaluations of the scientific and technical merit of the nominees' white papers and proposals. It is anticipated that as many as 10 fellowships will be awarded each fiscal year.

Each Fellow will receive up to $3,000,000 in long-term financial support (up to $600,000 per year for up to 5 consecutive years) to conduct basic research on topics of interest to DoD. Fellows are expected to produce quantifiable research results over the five-year period of the grant. Fellows are also expected to participate in one or two multiple-day informational meetings per year to be held at military bases and government laboratories. These events will include opportunities for discussions with DoD technical personnel.

Although the intent for the fundamental research is to be unclassified, each Fellow must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of Defense Secret security clearance. NSSEFF will expose Fellows to classified information necessary to inform the objectives, approach, and conduct of their fundamental research. A current Secret security clearance is not required at the time of application. However, Fellows must be granted and maintain a final Secret clearance to receive program funding.

Grants will be made to the faculty member's university in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, but the award is portable with the individual Fellow. The Fellows will be required to be full and active participants in all NSSEFF activities, provide annual reports of research progress and financial management to the Department, and brief DoD leadership in person at least once each year on their research progress and results.