AI Defense Grants

The Department of Defense FY2026 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) provides funding for U.S. universities to acquire research equipment and instrumentation in areas important to national defense, including AI and machine learning hardware. The program is administered jointly by the Army Research Office (ARO), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), with approximately $34 million available and 95 awards anticipated. DURIP funds the acquisition of specialized computing hardware for AI/ML research (GPU clusters, TPUs, neuromorphic processors), robotics and autonomous systems testbeds, sensor arrays and data collection systems for machine learning training, high-performance computing infrastructure for defense-relevant AI research, and laboratory equipment for human-AI interaction studies. The program specifically supports equipment that enhances research-related education in DoD-priority disciplines. While general-purpose computing is not eligible, computing equipment directly supporting DoD-relevant AI research programs qualifies. No cost sharing is required.

The Department of Defense announced the Fiscal Year 2026 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), a major competitive funding program with $170 million total across 22 topic areas. MURI supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education with emphasis on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD. The program is jointly sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Topic areas span autonomous systems, AI and machine learning, quantum science, advanced materials, and other frontier research domains relevant to national defense. Individual MURI grants typically provide $1.25 million to $1.5 million per year for three years, with an option for two additional years. The funding opportunity number is W911NF25S0004. Optional white papers were due May 2, 2025, and full proposals are due September 5, 2025. MURI has operated for over 40 years and is one of the DoD's premier mechanisms for university-based fundamental research. The program emphasizes close management by Service Program Officers and requires true multidisciplinary collaboration.

CIFAR and the Canadian AI Safety Institute fund Catalyst Project proposals addressing sociotechnical considerations in AI safety. The program supports interdisciplinary research in machine learning applications to science and society, with recent funded projects spanning misinformation combat, trustworthy language models, democratic alignment of AI systems, Indigenous AI governance, and real-world safety in autonomous systems. Designed to catalyze new research areas and collaborations at the intersection of social sciences, humanities, and AI safety.

AI for Health Seed Funding Program is sponsored by AI for Health Institute and Washington University in St. Louis Research Development Office. This seed grant program supports innovative and interdisciplinary research that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to address critical challenges in health. It is designed to catalyze collaborations across disciplines, encouraging the integration of AI with public health and healthcare, and requiring projects to bring together researchers from AI and health domains.

AI for Health Seed Grant is sponsored by Washington University in St. Louis (AI for Health Institute). This seed grant program supports innovative and interdisciplinary research that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to address critical challenges in health, encouraging collaborations across AI and public health/healthcare domains. Projects must bring together researchers from at least two different schools within Washington University in St. Louis.

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development is sponsored by National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA. This program focuses on developing the next generation of professionals in food and agricultural sciences through various initiatives, including professional development for K-14 educators, non-formal education for youth, and workforce training at colleges. It addresses workforce shortages and aims to strengthen the workforce pipeline, with an encouraged focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a foundational skill.

Department of Defense (DoD) SBIR/STTR BAA & CSO Release 5 is a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense SBIR/STTR Program that funds innovative research and development by U.S. small businesses addressing specific defense technology needs across military departments and agencies. The program releases multiple topic areas per cycle through Broad Agency Announcements (BAA) and Commercial Solutions Openings (CSO), covering areas such as advanced materials, sensors, software, and autonomous systems. Eligible applicants are U.S. small business concerns; both Phase I proposals and Direct-to-Phase II proposals are accepted. Awards are typically up to $250,000 for Phase I and up to $2 million for Direct-to-Phase II. The most recent deadline was March 25, 2026.

The USDA NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Strengthening Agricultural Systems (SAS) program awards large-scale integrated research, education, and extension projects addressing complex agricultural challenges. USDA anticipates awarding 10-12 grants ranging from $2.5 million to $10 million per award. The program supports projects incorporating AI, machine learning, and data science to strengthen food production, agricultural sustainability, and rural community resilience. Projects may address precision agriculture, autonomous systems, climate-smart farming, supply chain optimization, and workforce development in agricultural technology.

The Horizon Europe Cluster 4 call HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02 funds research and innovation on next-generation AI agents capable of operating autonomously in complex real-world environments. With a budget of approximately €20 million, this Research and Innovation Action (RIA) call supports projects developing agentic AI systems that can reason, plan, and act in dynamic settings across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, autonomous systems, and public services. The call is part of the broader 2026-2027 Horizon Europe Work Programme, which dedicates an estimated €2,023 million to AI-related topics across Cluster 4. Projects are expected to advance the state of the art in multi-agent coordination, robust decision-making under uncertainty, and safe deployment of autonomous AI systems. This call complements the GenAI4EU initiative and RAISE programme, collectively representing Europe's largest-ever investment in AI research.

NASA SBIR/STTR 2026 Phase I is sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Solicitation for Phase I proposals under the 2026-2027 BAA Appendices A and B, supporting innovative technologies for NASA missions including advanced computing, AI, simulations, and quantum technologies applicable to infrastructure and modeling. Key AI-relevant topics include Autonomous Onboard Health Management for Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems, Fault Management Technologies for Autonomous Systems, Robotic Mobility Manipulation and Sampling for planetary exploration, and High Performance Onboard Computing.

NASA SBIR 2026 Phase I BAA for AI Autonomy Robotics and Intelligent Space Systems is sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA's 2026 SBIR Phase I program includes AI and autonomy-focused subtopics for small businesses developing innovative space technologies. Key AI-relevant topics include Autonomous Onboard Health Management for Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems, Fault Management Technologies for Autonomous Systems, Robotic Mobility Manipulation and Sampling for planetary exploration, and High Performance Onboard Computing.

U.S. Air Force SBIR DAF26BZ01-NV003: Low-Cost is a grant from the U.S. Air Force that funds small businesses developing low-cost defense and aerospace technologies through the DoD SBIR program. This specific solicitation is part of a broader U.S. Air Force SBIR batch covering topics such as low-cost modular payload vehicles for electronic warfare swarms, low-cost phased array antennas for collaborative jamming in small UAS swarms, autonomous systems, AI frameworks, space logistics, and sensor technologies. Eligible applicants are small businesses that submit proposals through the official DoD SBIR application portal. Awards and specific funding amounts are listed in the official solicitation notice. Teams can collaborate via the DoD Team Builder tool.

This DoD SBIR Phase I topic seeks runtime monitoring systems that detect and mitigate errors in AI-driven autonomy for unmanned aerial platforms, ensuring safe flight and mission execution. The system must identify faulty autonomous decisions in real time and trigger corrective actions to maintain operational safety. As autonomous unmanned platforms become central to Air Force operations, ensuring that AI decision-making remains reliable and recoverable during mission execution is a critical safety requirement. The runtime assurance system should monitor AI outputs against defined safety boundaries, detect anomalous autonomy behavior, implement graceful degradation when AI systems malfunction, and provide real-time logging for post-mission analysis. This technology is essential for building the trust and reliability needed to deploy autonomous systems in contested and complex environments. Part of DoD SBIR Release 26.2, this topic addresses the Air Force's need for verified and validated autonomy that can be trusted for operational deployment. Successful Phase I performers may compete for Phase II prototype development funding.

AI Framework for Multimodal Scene Construction and Data Generation is sponsored by Department of the Air Force. This SBIR topic aims to develop an AI framework that generates geo-specific multimodal scenes (RF and EO/IR) using geospatial, environmental, and sensor data. This is to produce high-fidelity synthetic datasets for training autonomous systems and AI/ML models in realistic operational environments.

Novel Experiential Technologies Assisting Individual Learning Hubs (NExT AI Hubs) is sponsored by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) - NIH. This initiative seeks to advance NICHD's mission through a Centers program that will carry out research on understudied, highly innovative, and high-risk research topics related to the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies on developmental outcomes in children at r…

The AWS Imagine Grant 2026 supports US-based nonprofit organizations leveraging cloud technology and AI to accelerate their missions. The program offers three distinct award tracks. The Pathfinder Award is designed for organizations with strong data practices that are building frontier AI applications including generative AI, agentic AI, and autonomous systems, providing up to $200,000 in unrestricted cash plus $100,000 in AWS credits with implementation support from the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center. The Go Further, Faster Award supports innovative cloud projects with up to $150,000 cash and $100,000 credits. The Momentum to Modernize Award helps organizations modernize their infrastructure with up to $50,000 cash and $20,000 credits. Since 2018, AWS has distributed over $21 million in grants through this program. The two-round selection process evaluates Round 1 applications before inviting finalists to submit full proposals.

NHMRC-SNSF Joint Research Projects (JRP) Call for Proposals 2026 is sponsored by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) & Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). This joint call invites research proposals addressing key challenges related to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare for populations of diverse sex, gender or sexual orientations or other underrepresented population groups.

DARPA's Tactical Technology Office (TTO) Office-Wide Broad Agency Announcement (HR001125S0011) solicits revolutionary defense platforms, systems, and manufacturing approaches. TTO organizes its interests around four thrust areas: Design/Build/Buy, Surge and Sustain, Long Range Effects, and Disruptive Innovation. The Disruptive Innovation thrust specifically targets low-cost autonomous systems that can use mass to overwhelm defensive systems, approaches that disrupt sensor-stealth dynamics, and capabilities that undermine adversary readiness. AI and autonomous systems feature prominently across all thrust areas. TTO is distinct from DARPA's I2O (software/information) and DSO (science) offices by focusing on physical systems, platforms, and tactical capabilities. Executive summaries are encouraged before full proposal submission to receive early feedback on relevance.

AI Forge Program: University Research Capabilities for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategic Thrusts Request for Information (RFI) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA, in collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is seeking input from U.S. universities on their AI research capabilities. This RFI is part of the AI Forge initiative, which aims to accelerate breakthroughs in AI for national security. The program focuses on high-impact, fundamental AI research to address critical AI challenges, including reliability, predictability, explainability, and security in high-stakes settings.

NEARNG Targeted Advertising with AI Capabilities is sponsored by Nebraska Army National Guard (NEARNG). This is a Request for Quote (RFQ) for comprehensive lead generation services and Artificial Intelligence (AI) marketing tools to increase enlistments for the Nebraska Army National Guard (NEARNG). The acquisition is set aside for small business concerns.

AI Forge: Accelerating AI breakthroughs for national security is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). A joint DARPA and NSF research and development program to catalyze breakthroughs in AI for national security, working with the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) at NIST. It aims to accelerate progress towards AI that is significantly more reliable, predictable, understandable, and secure in high-stakes settings. The program will establish a forum of universities, industry, and U.S. government representatives to fund and manage fast-paced, university-led research projects.

The DARPA Tactical Technology Office (TTO) Office-Wide BAA (HR001125S0011) solicits innovative proposals for revolutionary defense platforms, systems, and manufacturing approaches. The TTO mission is to reimagine military hardware design, development, test, manufacture, and sustainment with a focus on rapid, affordable, and scalable deployment. Three focus areas are targeted: Design/Build/Buy (disrupting systems engineering and acquisition processes), Long Range Effects (enabling decisive military effects at tactical to strategic distances), and Disruptive Innovation (rapidly fielding novel engineering approaches that disrupt the battlefield). The Disruptive Innovation area specifically includes low-cost autonomous systems that use mass to overwhelm defensive systems, making this highly relevant for AI-driven autonomy and robotics companies. This BAA is distinct from DARPA's DSO and I2O office-wide BAAs which focus on basic science and information innovation respectively. TTO focuses on operational technology demonstrations and system prototyping.

AFWERX is the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force powered by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), comprising four core arms: AFVentures, Spark, Prime, and SpaceWERX. The 2026 SBIR/STTR program supports U.S.-owned small businesses developing AI, autonomous systems, and dual-use technologies aligned with the Department of the Air Force's strategic goal of becoming an AI-first force. AFWERX uses a predictable monthly cadence with pre-releases on the first Wednesday of each month, followed by one-month open submission windows. The program offers a structured progression from Phase I feasibility studies ($75K-$180K) through Phase II prototype development ($1.25M-$1.8M) to growth-stage funding via TACFI ($375K-$2M) and STRATFI ($3M-$15M), enabling small AI companies to scale from initial concept to operational deployment. AI focus areas align with the DAF AI Strategy released in 2026, including decision-support AI, autonomous platforms, AI for predictive maintenance, computer vision for ISR, and human-machine teaming. Upcoming FY2026 open solicitations include DoW SBIR Specific Topic 26.BZ Release 1 (May 6-June 3, 2026), Release 2 (May 27-June 24, 2026), and STTR Specific Topic 26.TZ Release 1 (May 6-June 3, 2026).

Cures Within Reach – Clinical Trials to Validate AI-Driven Drug Repurposing is sponsored by Cures Within Reach. This grant supports investigator-initiated, proof-of-concept, Phase I or Phase IIA clinical trials to validate artificial intelligence (AI)-driven repurposing opportunities in any unsolved disease. The therapies supported by AI models must already be approved, and eligible trials must include AI-generated data as part of the preclinical support for the trial. This could be highly relevant for identifying existing drugs that AI suggests could be effective in colorectal cancer.

Biotechnology Applications from Space for Earth is sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This STTR program seeks proposals to accelerate commercial scale production in space of superior biotechnology materials and products for Earth applications that meet FDA standards. A special focus is on projects that use space to accelerate solutions to intractable childhood diseases, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) analyses and modeling of microgravity dynamics for medical applications and analysis of biomedical spaceflight results.

FY2026 TechLeaders: Critical Emerging Technologies Exchange is sponsored by U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). This program strengthens America's technological edge and industry dominance by promoting U.S. leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Space Technology, Biotechnology/Health Technology, Supply Chain/Cold Chain Technology, and Agricultural Technology (AgriTech). It engages foreign participants from various regions through intensive placements in the United States, where they collaborate with U.S.-based mentors and companies to develop actionable solutions in critical technology sectors.

AI Forge Program: University Research Capabilities for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategic Thrusts Request for Information (RFI) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and National Science Foundation (NSF). AI Forge is a joint DARPA and NSF initiative, in collaboration with NIST's Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), designed to fund university-led research on critical AI problems for national security, including AI interpretability, control, and adversarial robustness.

AI Upskill Accelerator Pilot Program is sponsored by U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). This program funds industry-led training programs that teach workers how to use artificial intelligence (AI) on the job. It supports partnerships between companies within the same sector to help upskill and reskill workers around AI technologies, strengthening business competitiveness and expanding access to high-paying career pathways.

Tarbell offers grants of $1,000 to $20,000 to support original reporting on artificial intelligence and its societal impacts. The program funds journalism across six priority areas: accountability reporting on AI companies, AI policy and politics, AI explainers and analysis for general audiences, AI in government and militaries, AI labor and economic impacts, and AI developments in China. The program emphasizes published written journalism in established outlets but also considers podcasts, video, and other formats. Selection criteria prioritize impact potential, reach to influential audiences, demonstrated journalistic experience, and feasibility of the proposed project.

Leading Edge Acceleration Projects in Health Information Technology (LEAP in Health IT) (NAP-AX-22-001) - Special Emphasis Notice: Develop innovative ways to improve healthcare-data quality to support responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in healthcare. is sponsored by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). This funding opportunity seeks to develop innovative ways to evaluate and improve the quality of healthcare data used by artificial intelligence (AI) tools in healthcare. It also aims to accelerate the adoption of health IT in behavioral health settings.