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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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DARPA DSO Office-wide BAA is a grant from the DARPA Defense Sciences Office that funds innovative research proposals investigating approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems for national security applications. The Defense Sciences Office solicits high-risk, high-reward R&D ideas across all scientific and engineering disciplines that could provide technological surprise for national defense. Eligible applicants include universities, nonprofits, and industry organizations capable of satisfying the government's research needs. Submissions are reviewed by DARPA program managers who are visionary leaders spanning industry, government, and academia.
DARPA-PS-26-04: CyPhER Forge is a grant from DARPA Tactical Technology Office that funds research aimed at revolutionizing defense Test and Evaluation (T&E) by breaking the direct link between physical system complexity and test duration. The Cyber Physical Systems Executing in Real Time (CyPhER) Forge program seeks innovative approaches to accelerate and modernize how the Department of Defense evaluates complex physical systems. The solicitation was published February 25, 2026, with an abstract deadline of April 15, 2026 and an oral proposal package deadline of June 15, 2026. Managed by DARPA's Tactical Technology Office, this opportunity is open to all proposers meeting agency requirements.
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.
DARPA's Non-Volatile Memory for Extreme Environments topic (DPA26BZ04-DV017) is a Direct-to-Phase-II SBIR worth $1.2 million for radiation-hardened NOR Flash that works from -269°C to +600°C. It opened July 22 and closes August 19, 2026. Here is why the no-Phase-I structure narrows the field to a handful of teams, what the rad-hard specs actually demand, and how a qualified company should sequence a proposal in under a month.
Read articleDARPA's FALCON SBIR topic (DPA26BZ04-DV016) is a Direct-to-Phase-II award worth $1.5 million to teams that can marry the statistical rigor of classical machine learning with the contextual reach of large language models. It opened July 22 and closes August 19, 2026. Here is why the no-Phase-I structure changes who can win, what the hallucination-mitigation requirement really demands, and how a small team should sequence a proposal in under four weeks.
Read articleDARPA pre-released two Release 4 SBIR topics on July 1 — FALCON, fusing efficient ML with large language models, and a non-volatile memory system rated for space and deep-cryogenic extremes. Both open July 22 and close August 19, 2026. Here's what each topic is really asking for and how to build a competitive proposal.
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