Air Force Office of Scientific Research

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), founded in October 1951, is a U.S. government organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, as part of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) under Air Force Materiel Command. It manages the U.S. Air Force's global basic research investments, funding alliances with academia, industry, and government agencies to advance revolutionary science for aerospace capabilities. Evolving from the 1948 Office of Air Research, AFOSR was integrated into AFRL during its 1997 consolidation of labs at Wright-Patterson AFB. Key activities include sponsoring high-risk, disruptive research in physics, materials, engineering, and information sciences. Notable achievements encompass 70+ years of innovations underpinning Air Force and Space Force technologies. Currently active, it champions bold scientific discovery for future warfighter needs.