DSCU Launches Research Grant Program

March 1, 2024

Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) is excited to introduce its sponsored research program and to announce that it is now accepting grant proposals for projects that contribute to the body of knowledge on Security Cooperation. The growing importance of Security Cooperation as a tool of national security demonstrates the importance of dedicated research, critical inquiry, and scholarship that advances knowledge and practice.


The DSCU Research Grant Program is integral to advancing one of DSCU’s core missions: to produce research, analysis, and lessons learned that expand the intellectual foundations of Security Cooperation,” said Dr. Celeste Gventer, DSCU President. “This grant program uniquely postures the University to fund innovative research projects related to Security Cooperation.”


DSCU is one of five directorates reporting to the Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). Development of a highly professional and competent Security Cooperation workforce (SCW) is critical to achieving foreign policy and National Defense Strategy (NDS) objectives. Initiatives found in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and NDS implementation strengthen the SCW and professionalize the field of Security Cooperation for decades to come.


The FY24 NDAA Section 1204 gives DSCU the authority to both give grants and receive them. DSCU’s Research, Analysis, and Lessons Learned Institute administers these grants. The Institute supports and enables the Security Cooperation enterprise to build and share knowledge from a strong foundation of evidence.


DSCU sponsors research that meets standards of scientific rigor, results in lessons that can be applied to practice, and aligns substantively with the Department of Defense Learning and Evaluation Agenda for Partnerships (LEAP) framework and the  DSCU Research Agenda. The grants competition is open to all researchers anywhere in the world, including university and professional military education (PME) faculty, scholars in think tanks and industry, and the Security Cooperation workforce.


A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) is posted on the DSCU website and Grants.gov with details on project eligibility, research priorities, and the application process.


If you are interested in learning more about DSCU-sponsored research, please sign up here.

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