DARPA Robotics Programs

DARPA Robotics Programs is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA offers funding opportunities for advanced robotics technologies, often for defense and national security.

Department of War organization. The DARPA mission is to create and prevent technological surprise for our national security. We push transformational breakthroughs – innovations that not only solve current challenges but also establish the U.S. as the leading driver of strategic technological invention.

| More information on DVIDS Source: DARPA | Tom Shortridge The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an independent research and development agency within the U.S. Department of War (DOW). Created in response to the launch of Sputnik in 1957, DARPA stands as our nation’s commitment to never again face a strategic technical surprise.

Working with innovators inside and outside government, we have delivered on our mission many times over – transforming the seemingly impossible into world-changing defense and national security capabilities. Often, DARPA innovations also become fixtures of modern civilian life. Unlike other agencies, DARPA is not satisfied with incremental advances.

We push transformational breakthroughs – innovations that not only solve current challenges but also establish the U.S. as the leading driver of strategic technological invention. Transforming Military and Civilian Realities DARPA programs focus on the fundamental research required to establish proof of concept.

Performer teams define the path for putting new technologies into use in service of our nation’s warfighters, and transition partners lead the work of implementation, technology transfer, and commercialization. Our results speak for themselves.

We’ve created game-changing military capabilities – precision weapons, stealth technology, nerve implants that return sensation to warriors who have lost limbs, and more – that stand as a marvel to militaries around the globe.

Our innovations have also transformed civilian society, leading to the internet as we know it today, automated voice recognition and language translation, GPS receivers small enough to fit in consumer devices, and early investments in mRNA vaccine technology. We do this by fueling an innovation ecosystem that engages academic, industry, and government partners.

By fostering a nurturing environment, we empower diverse collaborators to succeed faster. The secret to our success lies in the skill and tenacity of our program managers and our unique funding approaches. These are extraordinary individuals who lead their fields and are hungry to push the limits of their disciplines.

They define their programs, setting the course for research performers to deliver revolutionary concepts, foundational discoveries, and tactical innovations. Constantly probing for the next big thing, program managers reach across scientific and engineering disciplines to uncover new challenges and potential solutions at the seams. Alternative contracting vehicles allow DARPA to seize every opportunity to advance our mission.

In addition to multi-year programs focused on developing technology from possibility to field-ready capability, our approach to funding includes: Challenges that invite ideas from nontraditional inventors, with prizes up to $10M Seedlings that move concepts from “disbelief” to “mere doubt” Explorations that accelerate the timeline from concept to award SBIR/STTR initiatives that can lead to new programs What comes next is limited only by the imagination.

Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Stephen Winchell joined DARPA as its 24th director in May 2025. Prior to this appointment, he led the artificial intelligence and autonomy portfolio for the Defense Department’s Strategic Capabilities Office. Previously, he was chief engineer for the Pentagon’s Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team, commonly known as Project Maven.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he later taught as a faculty member in the electrical and computer engineering department. He also served as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy and as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He has been a Presidential Innovation Fellow at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity and worked with a venture-backed start-up focused on AI security.

He is a rescue SCUBA diver, skydiver, and avid student of military history. MBA, University of Virginia M. S.

, Systems Engineering, Johns Hopkins University M. S. , Applied Physics, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School B.

S. , Physics, U.S. Naval Academy Deputy Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Tyler McQuade rejoined DARPA in August 2025 as the agency’s deputy director. He most recently served as the chief of research and development at On Demand Pharmaceuticals, as well as an advisor to leadership at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), providing guidance on how to find and nurture program manager candidates.

He previously served at DARPA from 2013-2017, first as a program manager, during which he focused on the acceleration of new molecule discovery for medical, military, and civilian applications, and then as the deputy director and acting office director for DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office.

Immediately following his DARPA tenure, Tyler joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Medicines for All Institute as Chief Technology Officer and Virginia Commonwealth University as a professor of chemistry and life science engineering. Prior to joining DARPA in 2013, McQuade was a professor of chemistry.

During his academic career, McQuade received numerous awards, including the Beckman Young Investigator and MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35. In addition, McQuade was a visiting group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and a visiting professor in the Food and Nutrition Toxicology Department at the ETH-Zurich.

He was a National Institutes of Health Post-Doctoral Fellow at MIT prior to his independent research career. Ph. D.

, Chemistry, University of Wisconsin B. S. , Chemistry and Biology, University of California, Irvine From pioneering the internet to spearheading the next generation of autonomous technology, DARPA’s innovation timeline showcases 60 years of groundbreaking advancements.

Our six technical offices put DARPA’s mission into action. Their leaders and program managers plan and execute a constantly evolving portfolio of research programs, challenges, and transition activities.

Biological Technologies Office Information Processing Techniques Office Strategic Technology Office Tactical Technology Office These offices receive vital support from a dedicated team of management, science and technology, and administrative professionals. | Learn more The President’s FY2027 budget request for DARPA is $5. 039 billion.

The FY2026 enacted budget was $4. 322 billion. Read the budget-related Congressional testimony by DARPA leadership.

The Defense Department also maintains a searchable database for budget information. | Learn more DARPA could not fulfill its mission of developing breakthrough technologies for national security without consistent broad support from Congress. DARPA’s congressional authorizers and appropriators sit on the Senate and House Armed Services Committees and the Appropriations Committees.

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