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AI Exploration (AIE) opportunities under DARPA AI Forward Initiative is sponsored by DARPA. The 'AI Forward' initiative is DARPA's effort to explore new directions for artificial intelligence (AI) research that will result in trustworthy systems for national security missions. Funding flows through AI Exploration (AIE) opportunities with streamlined contracting procedures designed to rapidly advance promising AI concepts.
This includes proposals in offensive and defensive cybersecurity and trustworthy AI.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Open to qualified researchers and experts in artificial intelligence including U.S. universities, research institutions, nonprofit research organizations, small businesses, and large defense contractors. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
AI Exploration (AIE) opportunities under DARPA AI Forward Initiative is funded by DARPA. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
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DoD Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI) is sponsored by Department of Defense (DoD) - Office of Naval Research (ONR). The Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI), administered by the Department of Defense Office of Naval Research, supports basic research in science and engineering at U. S.
SBIR SF254-D1206: Knowledge-Guided Test and Evaluation Frameworks for proliferated Low Earth Orbit Constellations is sponsored by U.S. Air Force. DOD SBIR topic SF254-D1206: Knowledge-Guided Test and Evaluation Frameworks for proliferated Low Earth Orbit Constellations. Component: U.S. Air Force. Command: SDA. Solicitation: DoD SBIR 2025.4. Phase(s): D2PII, II, SPII. Status: Pre-Release. Open date: 3/4/2026.
DPA26BZ05-DV019 asks small businesses to reduce ISR video transmission from small drones by 90 to 99 percent while preserving what an operator actually needs, on a Jetson-class board at a 2-watt final power budget. It is Direct-to-Phase-II, up to $1.5 million base plus a $500,000 option, and its exclusion list — no weapon release, no lethal engagement, no named-person identification — is the most strategically revealing paragraph in DARPA's FY26 Release 5.
Read articleDPA26BZ05-DV018 is the largest award in DARPA's FY26 SBIR Release 5 — up to $3 million over 18 months, Direct-to-Phase-II only. It funds four subsystem tracks for an underwater 3D concrete printer that uses seafloor sediment and seawater with under 20 percent binder. Here is what the Trenton program already proved, why the track structure is really a supplier-qualification exercise, and who can clear the prior-feasibility bar in the four weeks that remain.
Read articleTwo weeks after the DARPA Lift Challenge ended with the winner at 3.84:1 — short of the 4:1 target — DARPA posted a Direct-to-Phase-II SBIR that requires empirical proof of a 4:1 payload-to-weight ratio to bid. DPA26BZ05-DV022 offers up to $1.5 million over 24 months across two tracks that map exactly onto the Challenge's two design prizes. Here is who can actually clear the entry bar, what the month-9, month-18, and month-24 gates demand, and why the certification language is the real story.
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