AI Grants for Autonomous Systems and Robotics: From DARPA Labs to Factory Floors

February 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Claire Cummings

The Pentagon's FY2026 budget request carved out $13.4 billion specifically for autonomy and AI systems -- the first time the Department of Defense has dedicated a separate budget line to the category. The Navy alone accounts for $5.3 billion across unmanned maritime, aerial, and undersea platforms, a $2.2 billion jump over FY2025. On the civilian side, NSF continues to fund foundational robotics research at $250,000 to $1.5 million per award, and the ARM Institute just signed an $87.66 million cooperative agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory. For anyone building autonomous systems -- whether surgical robots, warehouse manipulators, or reconnaissance drones -- the funding pipeline has never carried this much volume.

Looking for robotics and autonomous systems funding? Browse our AI Defense Grants page for current opportunities.

The Defense Department's $13.4 Billion Autonomy Push

The FY2026 defense budget request breaks down into unmanned aerial vehicles at $9.4 billion, maritime autonomous systems at $1.7 billion, undersea platforms at $734 million, autonomous ground vehicles at $210 million, and cross-domain software integration at $1.2 billion. These are not aspirational research dollars -- the Navy is procuring three MQ-25 Stingray tanker drones and funding new unmanned surface and undersea vessels. The Army is proposing $1.7 billion in flexible funding across UAS, counter-UAS, and electronic warfare.

DARPA sits at the research end of this pipeline. The TIAMAT program (Transfer from Imprecise and Abstract Models to Autonomous Technologies) is funding teams to solve sim-to-real transfer -- training autonomous systems in low-fidelity simulations and deploying them in unpredictable physical environments. UCF received a $1.2 million TIAMAT award; Johns Hopkins landed a multimillion-dollar grant under the same program. TIAMAT runs in two 18-month phases, progressing from sim-to-sim transfer to sim-to-real deployment across ground navigation, aerial flight, and maritime domains.

The REMA program (Rapid Experimental Missionized Autonomy) targets a different problem: converting commercial off-the-shelf drones into autonomous platforms that can continue missions when operator links fail. DARPA awarded five contractor teams 18-month contracts and requested $13.8 million for REMA in FY2025, up from $5 million the prior year. The SAFRON program (Safe and Assured Foundation Robots for Open Environments) tackles foundation-model safety for robots that take natural language commands in unstructured environments -- a critical gap as large language models move from screens into physical actuators.

For small businesses, DARPA's SBIR/STTR topics regularly include autonomy and robotics focus areas. The ALIAS Missionized Autonomy for Emergency Services SBIR XL topic, for example, funds autonomous wildfire response using manned-unmanned teaming. These rolling solicitations typically offer Phase I awards of $250,000 and Phase II awards up to $1.5 million.

NSF's Civilian Robotics Portfolio

The National Science Foundation funds robotics through two primary tracks. The Foundational Research in Robotics (FRR) program supports core science in perception, manipulation, locomotion, and human-robot interaction. The National Robotics Initiative 3.0 (NRI-3.0) focuses on integration -- getting robots out of controlled labs and into workplaces, homes, and field environments. NRI-3.0 awards range from $250,000 to $1.5 million over four years, with total program funding between $12.5 million and $14.1 million per cycle.

What makes NRI-3.0 distinctive is its multi-agency backing. NSF coordinates with USDA, NASA, DOT, NIH, and NIOSH, which means a single proposal can align with agricultural automation (USDA), space exploration robotics (NASA), autonomous vehicle safety (DOT), or surgical and rehabilitation robotics (NIH). Proposals that demonstrate cross-domain relevance without diluting their technical contribution tend to score well.

NSF also funds robotics startups through its SBIR/STTR Seed Fund, with Phase I awards up to $305,000 for 6-18 month projects and Phase II awards of $1.25 million. The robotics topic covers AI-driven perception, manipulation, voice and image recognition, and emotional response systems. One important caveat: NSF paused new SBIR/STTR project pitch submissions in late 2025 after the program's congressional authorization lapsed. The reauthorization fight is ongoing -- monitor sbir.gov for updates before investing time in a submission.

Manufacturing Robotics and the ARM Institute

The ARM Institute (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing), part of the Manufacturing USA network, operates at the intersection of robotics research and factory-floor deployment. In November 2025, ARM announced a new cooperative agreement with the Department of the Air Force and Air Force Research Laboratory valued at up to $87.66 million in combined government funding and institute cost-share.

ARM funds projects through periodic technology project calls. The 25-01 Core Technology Project Call selected projects in multi-modal AI inputs for manufacturing robotics. The 26-01 Technology Project Call plans to distribute approximately $2 million across multiple projects, with individual budgets capped at $500,000. Only ARM Institute members can submit proposals, but membership is open to companies, universities, and nonprofits -- the consortium now exceeds 450 members.

For robotics companies focused on industrial applications -- bin picking, welding automation, quality inspection, flexible assembly -- ARM project calls are among the most direct paths from research prototype to manufacturing deployment. The institute also runs workforce development programs and technology roadmapping that give members early visibility into future solicitation themes.

Drones, Counter-Drones, and Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security has entered the autonomous systems funding picture through its Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) Grant Program, created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act with $500 million in appropriated funding. For FY2026, DHS is prioritizing $250 million for the 11 states hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 events and the National Capital Region. While the grants target counter-drone technology rather than drone development, the program creates substantial demand for autonomous detection, tracking, and mitigation systems -- a market that robotics and AI companies can serve.

On the offensive side, Congress has allocated $1 billion to expand the attack drone industrial base, plus $50 million specifically for one-way attack drones with advanced autonomy. The DoD's Replicator initiative continues to accelerate procurement of autonomous systems at scale, creating transition pathways for SBIR-funded prototypes that can demonstrate operational readiness.

Positioning for the Current Window

The convergence of defense spending, civilian research, and manufacturing investment makes this an unusually dense moment for robotics funding. But the landscape has real constraints. The SBIR/STTR reauthorization gap creates uncertainty for small businesses across every participating agency. NSF faces a proposed 57 percent budget cut in the FY2026 request, which Congress has not enacted but which signals political headwinds for civilian research. And defense programs, while growing fast, increasingly favor performers who can demonstrate technology readiness levels above the basic-research stage.

Researchers competing for NRI-3.0 or FRR awards should emphasize integration and real-world deployment, not just algorithmic novelty. Small businesses eyeing defense SBIR topics should track the DoD SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal for rolling Army topics in UAS and autonomy. And any team building manufacturing robotics should seriously evaluate ARM Institute membership as a prerequisite for accessing the $87.66 million AFRL pipeline.

Whether you are translating sim-to-real research into a DARPA proposal or pitching a warehouse manipulation system to NSF's Seed Fund, Granted can help you identify the right solicitation and build a competitive submission before the window closes.

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