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AI Exploration (AIE) is DARPA's streamlined funding instrument for rapidly testing high-risk artificial intelligence concepts, and it is the primary vehicle through which the agency's AI Forward initiative pursues trustworthy AI for national security missions.
AIE opportunities use an abbreviated program announcement with simplified proposal requirements and compressed contracting timelines — DARPA's goal is to move from announcement to award in roughly 90 days rather than the many months a conventional BAA requires. Individual AIE efforts are typically capped around $1 million over an 18-month feasibility study, with successful efforts positioned to feed into full DARPA programs.
AI Forward specifically targets the gap between today's statistical machine learning and the assured, explainable, context-aware AI that defense missions demand, spanning topics such as foundations of trust in AI, reasoning and world models, human-AI teaming, and defenses against adversarial manipulation.
New AIE opportunities are posted continuously across DARPA's technical offices, so the practical approach is to monitor the DARPA opportunities feed rather than wait for an annual cycle.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Open to all responsible sources including universities, large and small businesses, nonprofits, and nontraditional defense contractors; DARPA actively encourages first-time and nontraditional performers, and AIE's simplified process is designed partly to lower their barrier to entry. Proposals are submitted via the DARPA BAA Tool against the specific AIE announcement posted on SAM.gov. Foreign participation is restricted per the terms of each individual announcement. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows AI Exploration awards are typically up to $1,000,000 for an 18-month feasibility study, structured as a firm-fixed-price or cost-type agreement under a simplified DARPA program announcement. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
DARPA AI Exploration (AIE) Opportunities under the AI Forward Initiative for Trustworthy AI in National Security is funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (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.
The FY2026 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education, with emphasis on multidisciplinary research where more than one traditional discipline interacts. The Army, Navy, and Air Force basic research offices are seeking applications across 22 topic areas including artificial intelligence and autonomy, information sensing and processing, and systems manipulation. MURI grants typically provide $1.25 million to $1.5 million per year for three years with option to extend two additional years. Approximately $170 million in total funding is available annually across all topics. The program is administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Army Research Office (ARO), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).
The NSF Convergence Accelerator is a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that funds multidisciplinary teams working to solve national-scale societal challenges through convergence research and innovation. Launched in 2019 under NSF's Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, the program operates in two phases: Phase 1 awards are up to $750,000, with successful teams advancing to larger Phase 2 awards. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education and nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Track I and Track K focus on specific high-priority topics announced each funding cycle. The next deadline is June 15, 2026. Proposals must comply with updated NSF research security policies effective July 2025.
The AI3 Action Institute is a federal effort to build dedicated AI capacity within Native communities rather than fund a single applied AI project. The awardee establishes and operates an AI resource hub for Native communities, providing technology information, facilitating information sharing and technology deployment across tribal and Native-serving organizations, and conducting stakeholder engagement and coalition building across industry, government and academic sectors. Notably, allowable costs cover short-to-medium-term staff costs including the Institute's director as well as facility setup - a recognition that the binding constraint in this space is institutional infrastructure and staffing, not project ideas. The financial structure is the detail that most shapes strategy: with a $2,500,000 floor, a $3,500,000 ceiling and $3,500,000 in total expected program funding across a three-year period, this is effectively a single-award competition, so applicants should assume they are competing for the entire program rather than for a slot in a cohort. Eligibility is restricted to Native-serving entities - federally recognized Indian tribes, incorporated non-federally or state-recognized tribes, consortia of Indian tribes, Native community-based organizations, Urban Indian Organizations, Alaska Native villages and entities, Native Hawaiian serving agencies, Native Pacific Islander serving agencies, and tribal colleges and universities. That eligibility list is broader than many ACF opportunities, extending to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander serving agencies as well as tribal entities. Applicants should expect the strongest proposals to combine an existing convening role in Native technology or education with a realistic plan for standing up durable staff capacity within the grant period, since a hub that dissolves when funding ends would not serve the program's purpose. The deadline is August 27, 2026, and applications are submitted through Grants.gov under opportunity number 362270.
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