The DoD’s Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) was created by Congress in the Fiscal
Year (FY) 1991 DoD appropriation and legislatively authorized in 1994 (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995, P.L. 103-
337, §257; Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2705). The program is authorized to award research grants and graduate traineeships in support of two
objectives: (1) to enhance the capabilities of institutions of higher education in eligible States to develop, plan, and execute science and
engineering (S&E) research that is competitive under the peer-review systems used for awarding federal research assistance and (2) to
increase the probability of long-term growth in the competitively awarded financial assistance that institutions of higher education in
eligible States receive from the Federal Government for S&E research. Section 241 of the FY 2008 Defense Authorization required an
assessment of the DEPSCoR program. The assessment includes a description of the tangible results and progress toward the program
objectives and an evaluation of the activities undertaken by the DoD and the State planning committees. This volume contains summary findings and recommendations for improvement of the DEPSCoR program.