About $5.00M from the Army for AI in materials design — the recipient of record is Arizona State University while the description names a different university

1The recipient name and the description differ

The recipient field records Arizona State University. The project title quoted in the description opens with the name of the University of Arizona, a different institution. Both sit in the same state and are distinct bodies.

The record does not explain why two names appear. A joint proposal, a title transcribed as-is, or an entry error are all conceivable, but the record alone cannot settle it. Aggregating by institution takes the recipient field as authoritative, yet a mismatch with the description is something to check.

2The broad agency announcement as a form

The BAA opening the description denotes a broad agency announcement, which sets out a wide area of research and development and invites proposals rather than fixing detailed specifications in advance. The number 23-0017 identifies that announcement.

In research and development procurement, the government side cannot always write out what it wants in full. A broad agency announcement has proposers bring the content instead. The same thinking as the Army open topic seen earlier appears here in research procurement aimed at universities.

3An outlay ratio of 41.7 percent

Obligations are about $4,998,407 and outlays about $2,082,670, a ratio of 41.7 percent. The period runs two years, from 2024-03-28 to 2026-03-27, and is near its end.

Among the federal spending records this site holds as of 2026-09-01, the 155 awarded by the Department of Defense carry an outlay ratio of 2.1 percent. The 41.7 percent here sits far from that average. Even within Department of Defense awards, research procurement aimed at universities runs short with a foreseeable sequence, so outlays keep up with obligations.

4Two fields naming different universities

This record names one university in the recipient field and another in the description. Which is authoritative becomes a question when aggregating.

A joint proposal, a topic title transcribed as written, or an entry error are all possible, and the record alone does not settle it. The BAA at the head of the description denotes a Broad Agency Announcement, which sets out a broad area of research and development and invites proposals rather than fixing a detailed specification. In research procurement, government cannot always write out what it wants in full.