DARPA Grants

TRIAGE-X: Autonomous Casualty Triage and Treatment in Chemically Contaminated Mass Casualty Events (DPA26BZ06-DV028) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This DARPA SBIR topic seeks proposals for the development and demonstration of autonomous medical triage systems capable of recognizing chemical toxidromes and delivering corresponding antidotes or life-saving interventions in mass casualty events.

FY2026 Office-Wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a grant from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Innovation Office (I2O) that supports research and work in its focus areas. Records Retention Policy Impacts Old SAM Registration Data # Information Innovation Office (I2O) Office-Wide DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) #### Looking for contract opportunity help?. APEX Accelerators are an official government contracting resource for small businesses. Find your local APEX Accelerator (opens in new window) for free government expertise related to contract opportunities. Eligible applicants include Open to all proposers who can meet the agency's needs, including universities, industry, and consortia. Awards total Varies by project scope. The application deadline is 2026-11-30T00:00:00+00:00.

I2O Office-Wide BAA: HR001126S0001 is sponsored by DARPA. This Broad Agency Announcement from DARPA's Information Innovation Office (I2O) solicits novel research concepts across various areas, including AI. It is a broad call for innovative research, and while not exclusively focused on open-source developer tools for AI local inference, it is a significant avenue for high-risk, high-reward AI research that could encompass such projects. Abstracts are required before full proposals.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (DoD) - AI is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The DARPA SBIR program funds U. S. small businesses to develop innovative technologies, including AI, to advance national security. It targets emerging technologies for use by the military, with a focus on high-risk, high-reward R&D.

I2O Office-Wide BAA for Transformative AI and Cybersecurity Research is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Innovation Office (I2O). DARPA I2O is soliciting innovative research proposals in information science and technology, including cybersecurity, to address national security challenges. The program aims for revolutionary advances rather than incremental improvements.

Office-wide BAA: Information Processing Techniques Office (HR001126S0001) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) - Information Processing Techniques Office (I2O). I2O seeks revolutionary research ideas for topics not being addressed by ongoing programs or other published solicitations, focusing on areas like AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, and human-machine teaming.

Artificial Intelligence Research and Development (R&D) Program (Office-Wide BAA, Information Processing Techniques Office - IPTO) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) from DARPA's Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) invites ideas for breakthrough technologies in information science, computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and software assurance that fall outside the scope of current …

DARPA Information Innovation Office (I2O) Office-Wide BAA (HR001126S0001) is sponsored by DARPA - Information Innovation Office (I2O). This Broad Agency Announcement solicits innovative research concepts across the full spectrum of AI and information technology, including machine learning, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, natural language processing, computer vision, human-AI teaming, and novel computing arch…

The Autonomous Eradication Technologies Challenge is a Department of Defense prize competition offering up to 550,000 US dollars for autonomous drone, robotics, AI and sensor technologies capable of detecting and controlling Guam's invasive brown tree snake. It is sponsored by Headquarters Marine Corps together with SERDP/ESTCP and DARPA, and administered by Central Florida Tech Grove. The underlying problem is a long-standing one that conventional methods have failed to solve: the brown tree snake has driven most of Guam's native forest bird species to local extinction or severe decline and causes roughly 4,500,000 dollars a year in economic losses through power outages when snakes contact electrical infrastructure, while island-wide eradication is considered close to impossible without new technology. The technical brief is unusually demanding and is where the AI content concentrates. Solutions must operate in dense forest canopy, rugged terrain and night conditions, detect concealed targets, and support large-area autonomous surveillance missions, which means the hard problems are persistent autonomy under canopy where GPS is unreliable, detection of a camouflaged nocturnal target against cluttered natural backgrounds, and mission-level autonomy across wide areas rather than single-platform flight. Priority areas named by the sponsors are drones, autonomous robotics, AI and machine learning, predictive modelling and advanced sensors. The deadline is 1 December 2026 at 21:59 CST. Beyond cash, the challenge offers Other Transaction Authority procurement pathways, field demonstration on Guam with military and federal stakeholders, and transition routes toward deployment at scale.

DoD Autonomous Eradication Technologies Challenge for AI-Enabled Drones, Robotics and Sensors to Detect and Control Guam's Invasive Brown Tree Snake is sponsored by U.S. Department of Defense — Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) with the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (SERDP/ESTCP) and DARPA, administered by Central Florida Tech Grove. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

DARPA's TIAMAT (Transfer from Imprecise and Abstract Models to Autonomous Technologies) program develops sim-to-real transfer techniques that train autonomous systems in low-fidelity, abstract simulations and reliably deploy them in unpredictable physical environments. Research targets foundations for rapid sim-to-real generalization, robustness to physics-model error, and transfer learning across morphology and sensor configurations. The program is structured as two 18-month phases and supports applications including ground autonomy, aerial autonomy, and robotic manipulation in adversarial, novel, or contested settings. Awards have included University of Central Florida ($1.2M) and other academic and industry performers. TIAMAT is a core DARPA investment in foundational autonomy R&D.

DARPA's REMA (Rapid Experimental Missionized Autonomy) program enhances commercially available and stock military drones by adding an autonomy subsystem that increases the drone's capability and renders ineffective adversaries' electromagnetic countermeasures that disrupt operator-drone communication. The single-phase program develops a drone-autonomy adapter interface and mission-specific autonomy software, utilizing accelerating development spirals for tactical deployment. Focus areas include onboard AI inference for navigation, target recognition, and mission continuation in GPS-denied and jammed environments; foundation models for tactical autonomy; and modular autonomy stacks compatible with diverse commercial drone platforms. Managed by DARPA TTO under PM Phillip Smith.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program (DARPA Topics) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA publishes multiple topic opportunities under the federal SBIR and STTR programs, seeking scientific study and experimentation to advance the state-of-the-art and increase knowledge, rather than focusing on a specific system or hardware solution. Current topics include hyperdimensional neurosymbolic cyber course-of-action planning, autonomous metacognitive collection orchestration for multi-domain intelligence, and non-invasive sensor modalities for warfighter multi-system operations.

Artificial Intelligence Quantified (AIQ) program is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The AIQ program seeks to develop technology to assess and understand the capabilities of AI to enable guaranteed performance, particularly as decision-making becomes faster due to generative AI. This involves developing mathematical foundations for assessing generative AI.

DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) program aims to identify and engage rising research stars in junior faculty positions and introduce them to Department of Defense needs and DARPA's program development process. The program focuses on untenured faculty, particularly those without prior DARPA funding, to develop the next generation of academic scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in key disciplines.

Strategic Technology Office-wide Innovation Solutions Opening Announcement is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Strategic Technology Office (STO). This broad agency announcement from DARPA's Strategic Technology Office solicits innovative solutions. While the summary does not explicitly state 'AI startup', DARPA's focus on advanced technology and innovation suggests potential relevance for AI-driven projects, especially in defense-related applications.

Office-wide BAA: Multi X Office (DARPA-PS-26-115) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The DARPA Multi X Office-wide BAA solicits proposed research that investigates innovative approaches enabling revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. This is part of DARPA's broader effort to fund high-risk, high-impact R&D for national security.

VERIPRO: Verified Probabilistic Cognitive Reasoning for Tactical Mixed Reality Systems is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This cooperative agreement supports research to identify cognitive threats in mixed-reality (MR) systems as part of DARPA's Intrinsic Cognitive Security program. The project aims to model the risks and human behaviors, as well as attacks and mitigations, within MR systems.

Cyber Physical Systems Executing in Real Time (CyPhER Forge) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The CyPhER Forge program aims to revolutionize defense Test & Evaluation (T&E) by developing a real-time digital twin incorporating multi-physics-informed surrogate modeling, uncertainty quantification, and continuous data assimilation, and an AI test agent for statistical safety guarantees.

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks revolutionary research ideas for topics not being addressed by ongoing IPTO programs or other published solicitations. Potential proposers are highly encouraged to visit the IPTO technical office page (https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/ipto) to view current and upcoming IPTO programs and solicitations in order to avoid proposing efforts that duplicate existing activities or that are responsive to other published IPTO solicitations. Funding Opportunity Number: HR001126S0011. Assistance Listing: 12.910. Funding Instrument: CA,G,O,PC. Category: ST.

Defense Sciences Office (DSO) Office-wide BAA -- HR001126S0015 is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The DARPA Defense Sciences Office (DSO) seeks innovative basic or applied research concepts that align with national security imperatives, aiming to create strategic surprise advantage for the DoD. While not specific to sports, proposals involving advanced sensing, measurement, or complex systems that could have dual-use applications in athlete performance monitoring or concussion detection/prevention technology may be considered. Proposals in novel areas DSO has not considered are also welcome.

Small Business Innovation Research Program (DARPA SBIR) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The DARPA SBIR program funds U.S. small businesses to develop innovative technologies that advance national security. It focuses on high-risk, high-payoff research that goes beyond current military capabilities. Opportunities are open to eligible performers from start-ups to larger firms.

DARPA's Strategic Technology Office (STO) Innovation Solutions Opening (DARPA-PS-26-09) invites revolutionary research ideas across defense technology areas including applied artificial intelligence, autonomy and control algorithms, distributed autonomy and teaming (machine-machine and human-machine), robotics, advanced computing, communications and networking, electromagnetic warfare, radar and sensing technologies, directed energy systems, and space systems. STO seeks technologies capable of transforming system behavior such as resilient autonomy, advanced sensor architectures, or disruptive communications platforms. The solicitation uses a two-step process: applicants first submit a short abstract, and if DARPA determines the idea is promising, the team is invited to submit a full proposal. Short-duration exploratory projects such as studies or proof-of-concept experiments may receive priority during abstract evaluation.

The DARPA Strategic Technology Office-wide Innovation Solutions Opening (DARPA-PS-26-09) is a rolling solicitation that accepts proposals for revolutionary advances in national security technology. STO's primary technology interests include advanced computing, AI applications, autonomy algorithms, communications, electromagnetic warfare, radar and sensing, robotics, directed energy systems, space systems, human-machine collaboration, signal processing, and logistics analytics. The program uses a two-phase process: applicants first submit 3-page abstracts describing their innovative idea; promising concepts receive invitations for full proposals. Work must represent revolutionary advances rather than incremental improvements and demonstrate clear national security relevance. This is distinct from DARPA's DSO and I2O office-wide BAAs, focusing specifically on STO's mission of system-level integration and operational capability demonstration. The solicitation remains open through October 31, 2027, providing a long runway for submission. STO particularly values solutions that bridge the gap between laboratory research and operational deployment.