Dynamically and Controllably Reconfigurable Antennas through Physical Deformation Processes | FA9550 19 S 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for FA9550 19 S 0001

This Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) grant opportunity focuses on creating antennas (and potentially other RF front-end components) that can physically change shape in a controlled, repeatable way to deliver different electromagnetic behaviors on demand. The Air Force and broader Department of Defense interest is driven by the need for antennas that are deployable, multifunctional, and reconfigurable while still remaining mechanically robust and predictable. A central performance expectation is that, once an antenna is placed into any of its intended configurations, it should perform over time as reliably as a traditional fixed, single-purpose antenna rather than behaving like a fragile prototype whose results drift with use, handling, or environmental exposure.

The technical emphasis is on physical deformation as the mechanism for reconfiguration, used alongside or in support of more conventional software-based RF adaptation. The solicitation highlights folding, deforming, and electromagnetic tuning as key pathways, and it explicitly calls out origami and kirigami-inspired approaches as examples of the kind of geometric transformation methods that might enable compact stowage followed by controlled deployment into multiple useful shapes. The intended end state is not just a clever folding structure, but a complete antenna concept whose reconfigurable geometries translate into real, measurable improvements in capability compared to today’s devices, such as being able to change operating frequency, steer or reshape radiation patterns, alter polarization states, and potentially adjust waveforms or coupling behaviors tied to antenna functionality.

The military application space described is broad and practical. Examples include expandable antennas suitable for satellite communications where volume constraints are severe during launch and deployment must be reliable afterward; reconfigurable antennas for air platforms where mission needs, aerodynamic constraints, or available mounting locations can change; and collapsible or packable antennas that reduce carried weight and bulk for ground personnel. Across these use cases, the common requirement is that the antenna’s RF properties must be tunable in a way that is not ad hoc, but engineered so the antenna can be programmed into known configurations with known electromagnetic performance.

AFOSR is looking for multidisciplinary university-led research that can push beyond the current state of the art, which the announcement argues is not yet sufficient to fully realize multi-configuration, physically reconfigurable antennas. Proposed efforts are expected to integrate several areas: antenna and structure design methods; stimuli-responsive actuation or reconfiguration approaches (how the antenna changes shape, what triggers the change, and how it is controlled); mechanical and structural characterization (strength, fatigue, repeatability, tolerances, and deformation mechanics); and rigorous electromagnetic measurement, modeling, and optimization. The opportunity also signals interest in more autonomous concepts, such as feedback loops and sensing that allow a system to measure its own state and self-regulate, folding or deploying intelligently in response to external conditions rather than relying only on open-loop commands.

A recurring theme is that measurement and characterization are not optional. Because many candidate material systems and fabrication approaches may be unfamiliar within the RF antenna community, the solicitation stresses that these materials must be understood in depth and proven suitable for manufacturing deployable hardware. The program expects teams to move beyond idealized theory and simplistic simulations by building and testing concepts, quantifying where real-world behavior deviates from predictions, and iterating toward designs that remain viable under realistic conditions. It specifically encourages addressing real-time measurement of antenna parameters and related structures during physical reconfiguration, meaning the program values experimental setups that can capture how impedance, radiation pattern, gain, polarization purity, efficiency, and other key metrics evolve as the antenna folds, unfolds, bends, or otherwise changes geometry. High-precision electromagnetic measurements in each programmed configuration are described as paramount, underscoring the need for credible verification across the entire reconfiguration space rather than a single “best” configuration.

The scope explicitly includes advanced design and manufacturing techniques that could enable these concepts, including surface topology optimization algorithms and additive manufacturing. The overall framing suggests AFOSR wants proposals that couple modern computational design methods with buildable, testable hardware and that take durability seriously, including the effects of repeated actuation over time and performance across varied environments.

On the funding side, the opportunity is a discretionary DoD grant (CFDA 12.800) released by the Department of Defense, Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Eligible applicants are U.S. public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education. The anticipated award profile is one university award of approximately $4.8 million for up to five years, with the note that additional funding and awards may be possible. Subawards to partner institutions are allowed, which supports multi-university teams assembling expertise spanning electromagnetics, materials, mechanics, manufacturing, sensing, and controls. The opportunity is identified as FA9550-19-S-0001, originally posted November 15, 2018, with an original closing date of January 18, 2019.

• The Department of Defense, Air Force Office of Scientific Research in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dynamically and Controllably Reconfigurable Antennas through Physical Deformation Processes" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.800.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 15, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 18, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for FA9550 19 S 0001

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: