DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement W911NF-23-S-0001 for AI, Machine Learning, and Intelligent Autonomous Systems

This is the workhorse vehicle for getting Army basic research money into AI and autonomy work, and its distinguishing feature is duration: BAA W911NF-23-S-0001, the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement for Foundational Research, remains open until November 20, 2027, accepting proposals on a rolling basis rather than through an annual competition. That makes it structurally different from the deadline-driven solicitations that dominate this space - a team can approach ARL when the science is ready rather than when the calendar says so. The AI and autonomy content is concentrated in several named research programs and Collaborative Research Alliances that proposals can align to: Human Autonomy Teaming, which addresses human-machine collaboration; the Distributed and Collaborative Intelligent Systems and Technology CRA, covering collaborative autonomous systems and multi-agent coordination; the Scalable, Adaptive and Resilient Autonomy CRA, focused on autonomy that holds up under degradation and adversarial conditions; Tactical Behaviors for Autonomous Maneuver, targeting autonomous tactical operations; and the Army AI Innovations Institute CRA, ARL's dedicated AI research initiative. ARL frames the whole thing as seeking cutting-edge innovative research across multiple disciplines to produce discoveries benefiting Army capabilities, which in practice means basic and applied research rather than prototype delivery. The eligibility breadth is unusual and worth noting: institutions of higher education, nonprofit organisations, state and local governments, foreign organisations, foreign public entities, and for-profit organisations including both large and small businesses can all submit. Foreign organisation eligibility in particular is rare among DoD research vehicles. Submission runs through Grants.gov.

The NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) program (NSF 25-543) supports foundational computing research and education with a strong emphasis on AI and machine learning. The program funds research that advances the foundations of computing including AI/ML theory, algorithms, systems, and applications. Future CoRe supports small to medium-sized research projects that can have significant impact on computing foundations. The program has target dates of February 5, 2026 and September 10, 2026 for proposal submissions (note: these are target dates, not deadlines, meaning proposals may be submitted at any time but will be reviewed in batches around these dates). Investigators may not serve as PI, co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel on more than two proposals submitted within any consecutive 12-month period across all Future CoRe programs. This is one of NSF's primary mechanisms for funding fundamental AI and machine learning research at U.S. academic institutions, covering areas such as machine learning theory, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics foundations, and human-AI interaction.

The ONR Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (N00014-25-S-B001) is the Office of Naval Research's primary mechanism for soliciting research proposals across all naval science and technology priority areas. The BAA accepts proposals on a rolling basis through September 30, 2026 and covers ONR's full spectrum of research interests with particular emphasis on AI-related topics including autonomous maritime systems, human-machine teaming, machine learning for sensor fusion, cooperative autonomous swarm technology, undersea autonomy, and AI-enabled decision superiority. Proposals can be funded through multiple mechanisms including individual investigator grants, the Young Investigator Program (~$510K over 3 years for early-career faculty), and Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) awards ($1.5M/year for 3-5 years for research teams). ONR recommends contacting relevant program officers before submitting to discuss alignment with current research priorities. The BAA supports basic research (6.1), applied research (6.2), and advanced technology development (6.3) across the full range of naval-relevant science and engineering disciplines.

DE-FOA-0003600 is the DOE Office of Science's FY 2026 open, rolling solicitation for financial assistance, providing roughly $500 million across seven program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Isotope R&D and Production. AI and machine learning research is supported directly through Advanced Scientific Computing Research, while Biological and Environmental Research funds atmospheric process research, environmental systems process research, and earth-energy systems modeling — making this a major channel for AI-enhanced climate and earth system modeling work. DOE anticipates 200 to 350 new awards ranging from $5,000 to $5 million each, with project periods from six months to five years. The FOA opened September 30, 2025 and accepts applications on a rolling basis through the end of FY 2026.