The FAA mission is to ensure the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace in the United States; to regulate air commerce in such a manner as to best promote its development and safety; to promote a common system of air traffic control and navigation for both military and civil aircraft; and to promote, encourage, and develop civil aeronautics.

The FAA Aviation Research Grants Program is one means by which the FAA supports this mission. Research grants and cooperative agreements, which range from several thousand to several million dollars, support aviation-related research in topics with the potential to gain further knowledge in emerging aviation technologies.

Aviation is an ever-evolving blend of science, innovation, art, and creativity. From the first recorded flights over Kitty Hawk to the development of the first jet engines, to the design of today's sophisticated navigational systems, aviation innovation has repeatedly broken through existing boundaries to open new areas of thought and progress.

As the next millennium approaches, we begin a period in civil aviation that is every bit as bold and limitless as the era during which the pioneers of aviation developed the first civil aircraft nearly 100 years ago. By continuing to look toward the future, the United States can maintain its historical role as global leader in civil aviation, an industry that will continue to be crucially important for the long-term economic growth and vitality of the country.

It is in this spirit of fostering ever-increasing excellence in civil aviation that the FAA initiated its Aviation Research Grants Program.