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"DARPA and NSF AI Forge Program for University-Led Research on AI Interpretability, AI Control and Adversarial Robustness for National Security" is currently closed and not accepting applications.
AI Forge is a jointly governed DARPA and NSF forum, built with NIST's Center for AI Standards and Innovation, that funds university-led fundamental AI research against three thrusts: AI interpretability, AI control, and adversarial robustness. Its stated aim is AI that is significantly more reliable and predictable in high-stakes settings.
The governance structure is the unusual part and the part worth planning around - rather than issuing a conventional BAA, DARPA and NSF stood up a forum administered by a nonprofit, launching in summer 2026, that combines university, industry and government participants and issues fast-paced Project Ventures reported at roughly USD 750,000 to USD 3,000,000.
The 15 research challenges are drawn from the program's Critical AI Challenges for National Security report and are revisited every six months, so the target set moves faster than a standard program cycle. Entry ran through a Request for Information, DARPA-SN-26-80, posted on SAM.
gov with responses due 22 June 2026, limited to a single unified submission per university and an 8-page response - meaning the institution, not the individual PI, is the unit of response, and internal coordination had to happen before the deadline. DARPA reported receiving nearly 130 RFI responses. Note this is a distinct program from DARPA's earlier AI Forward initiative and should not be confused with it.
Program manager is Matthew Marge in DARPA's Information Innovation Office.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: AI Forge is a university-only funding forum for research teams; industry and government organizations including frontier AI companies participate in the forum but the research awards target university-led efforts. The Request for Information stage (DARPA-SN-26-80, SAM.gov) required a single unified submission per university, limited to 8 unclassified pages, with responses due 22 June 2026 - individual investigators could not submit separately, so proposals had to be consolidated through a university research office. Responses were unclassified. The RFI carried no award; it was used to map university capabilities against the 15 research challenges published in the AI Forge Critical AI Challenges for National Security report. Funded work will be issued as Project Ventures through a nonprofit-administered forum launching in summer 2026, with reported award levels of approximately USD 750,000 to USD 3,000,000. Research challenges are revisited every six months, so the eligible topic set changes on a rolling basis. The RFI deadline of 22 June 2026 has passed. Applicants must monitor the DARPA AI Forge program page and SAM.gov for the forum's launch and the first Project Venture solicitations, and must confirm award levels, eligibility, security requirements and deadlines directly with DARPA or NSF before committing effort. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows AI Forge funds Project Ventures reported at approximately USD 750,000 to USD 3,000,000 each. amount_min of 750,000 and amount_max of 3,000,000 reflect that reported Project Venture range. The RFI stage itself (DARPA-SN-26-80) carries no funding - it is a capabilities solicitation used to shape the forum and the first Project Ventures, so responding costs institutional effort with no award attached. Award levels will be set by the administering nonprofit forum when it launches and should be confirmed against the first Project Venture announcements rather than against the RFI. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
The published deadline was June 22, 2026, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
DARPA and NSF AI Forge Program for University-Led Research on AI Interpretability, AI Control and Adversarial Robustness for National Security is funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), in collaboration with the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 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.
Violence Against Women Discretionary Grants for Indian Tribal Governments is sponsored by Department of Justice. To increase tribal capacity to respond to violent crimes against Indian women, and to develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving violent crimes against Indian women. This listing is currently active. Program number: 16.587. Last updated on 2024-11-26.
The NSF CISE Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) program supports research in computing and communication foundations, intelligent systems, and network systems. The program funds innovative research that advances the frontiers of computing including artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics. This is one of NSF's largest computing research programs with $280 million in total budget. Projects can address fundamental computing challenges, novel AI architectures, scalable intelligent systems, and next-generation network infrastructure.
Congress gave NIST $55 million for AI safety research and a permanent standards center. CAISI now has 17 AI Action Plan taskings, a MITRE partnership, and growing influence over how AI gets built. Here's how researchers and companies can engage.
Read articleOn June 1, DARPA and NSF announced AI Forge — a jointly governed forum that will fund university-led research on three thrusts: AI interpretability, AI control, and adversarial robustness. The RFI on sam.gov closes June 22, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET. Project Ventures awards run roughly $750K to $3M with one-year durations and multiple awards expected annually. Administration runs through a nonprofit, intellectual property will be shared via open-source licensing, and CAISI at NIST is the third partner. Here is what the 15 priority research challenges look like and how U.S. universities should respond.
Read articleThe RFI closed June 22. Now the forum is standing up. AI Forge is a jointly governed, university-led venture funding interpretability, control, and adversarial robustness in one-year Project Ventures — here's how the 15 challenges, the CAISI tie, and the nonprofit administrator reshape who gets funded.
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