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The Defense Innovation Unit's Specular MIST Prize Challenge invites commercial and nontraditional performers to compete for a share of an approximately $5 million prize pool by demonstrating advanced AI, machine-learning, and autonomy solutions for sensing, data fusion, and multi-domain situational awareness.
The prize-challenge structure rewards teams that meet or exceed performance benchmarks, providing a fast, non-dilutive path for companies to prove capabilities and win funding without a traditional contract negotiation. Submissions close July 22, 2026.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: U.S.-based commercial companies, including nontraditional defense vendors, startups, and research teams able to demonstrate qualifying AI/autonomy capabilities. Participation is through the DIU prize challenge submission process. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows A prize pool of approximately $5,000,000 is available across challenge winners, awarding AI/autonomy solution providers for demonstrated performance in the Specular MIST challenge. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Specular MIST Prize Challenge for AI-Enabled Autonomous Sensing and Multi-Domain Situational Awareness are due July 22, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Specular MIST Prize Challenge for AI-Enabled Autonomous Sensing and Multi-Domain Situational Awareness is funded by U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). 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.
AFWERX is the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force powered by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), comprising four core arms: AFVentures, Spark, Prime, and SpaceWERX. The 2026 SBIR/STTR program supports U.S.-owned small businesses developing AI, autonomous systems, and dual-use technologies aligned with the Department of the Air Force's strategic goal of becoming an AI-first force. AFWERX uses a predictable monthly cadence with pre-releases on the first Wednesday of each month, followed by one-month open submission windows. The program offers a structured progression from Phase I feasibility studies ($75K-$180K) through Phase II prototype development ($1.25M-$1.8M) to growth-stage funding via TACFI ($375K-$2M) and STRATFI ($3M-$15M), enabling small AI companies to scale from initial concept to operational deployment. AI focus areas align with the DAF AI Strategy released in 2026, including decision-support AI, autonomous platforms, AI for predictive maintenance, computer vision for ISR, and human-machine teaming. Upcoming FY2026 open solicitations include DoW SBIR Specific Topic 26.BZ Release 1 (May 6-June 3, 2026), Release 2 (May 27-June 24, 2026), and STTR Specific Topic 26.TZ Release 1 (May 6-June 3, 2026).
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