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When in Rome, as the saying goes, do as the Romans do. So, when in Britain, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global does what the British do – take tea at least once a month with potential industry partners. Jeffrey Brewer, co-director, ONR Global London Tech Bridge (LTB), said the Tea and Tech engagement is more than just a fun event. Its aim is to find solutions to problems that have been identified by U.S. Navy and Marine personnel or by the Royal Navy. Most of the companies that are invited are based in the U.K., although other European-based companies as well as U.S. companies may be approached. “We meet with several innovative companies in a rapid-fire format,” said Brewer. “Companies have a limited time to make their pitches, and we have subject matter experts from both navies on hand to ask questions and provide feedback. It’s almost a “Shark Tank” format.”

See a list of the 2024 recipients of the U.S. Department of the Navy's Young Investigator Program.

The Department of Defense (DoD announces the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of accredited United States (U.S.) institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation.

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh, best known for his daring dive to the deepest spot on Earth, nearly 36,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, has died at age 92. Walsh was a co-pilot of the Trieste bathyscaphe, a deep submergence vehicle acquired by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1958. Two years later, on January 23, 1960, Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard, son of the inventor of the bathyscaphe, became the first humans to descend into the Challenger Deep, located in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. “ONR sponsored the Trieste, but it was then-Lt. Don Walsh who made the very daring decision to make the first descent into the deepest spot of the earth’s ocean. Walsh was a Navy officer, a submariner, an adventurer, and an oceanographer. To his family, we extend our deepest condolences and gratitude for allowing him to explore, and share his extraordinary experiences and knowledge with us,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus.

For excellence in research areas such as rocket engines and autonomous vehicles, the Department of the Navy’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions Program recently presented $15,000 scholarship awards to five students competing in the 2024 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California.

Two Office of Naval Research (ONR)-supported professors — Dr. Terrence Sejnowski of the University of California, San Diego and Dr. Haim Sompolinsky of Harvard University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem — recently won the 2024 Brain Prize for pioneering contributions to computational and theoretical neuroscience.

ONR Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) N0001424SF006 Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Department of the Navy (DoN) Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) Program

The DoN HBCU/MI Program recently hosted its Distinguished Fellows Symposium at the Office of Naval Research. The DoN HBCU/MI Distinguished Fellows Program provides HBCU/MI professors with faculty release time for three years, enabling them to focus exclusively on naval-relevant research.

ONR Announcement N0001424SF007 Class of 2025 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) Program

The Office of Naval Research recently sponsored the Defend the Republic STEM competition at George Mason University in Virginia. The contest featured lighter-than-air vehicles, also called blimps.