AFRI Education and Workforce Development: Food and Agricultural Non-formal Education (FANE) is sponsored by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). FANE supports non-formal education to cultivate food and agricultural interest. The program specifically encourages the use of technology, including AI, to train the next generation of agricultural professionals and the public. Application snapshot: target deadline March 19, 2026; published funding information $50,000 - $750,000; eligibility guidance Nonprofits, state agricultural experiment stations, and universities. Use the official notice and source links for final requirements, attachment checklists, allowable costs, and submission instructions before applying.

Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy (A7501) is sponsored by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes. Application snapshot: target deadline March 19, 2026; published funding information Up to $500,000; eligibility guidance Nonprofits and educational institutions focused on teacher training and curriculum development in agriculture. Use the official notice and source links for final requirements, attachment checklists, allowable costs, and submission instructions before applying.

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program - Education and Workforce Development is sponsored by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes. Application snapshot: target deadline March 19, 2026; published funding information Up to $650,000; eligibility guidance Nonprofits, private organizations, universities, research institutions, and collaborations eligible. Use the official notice and source links for final requirements, attachment checklists, allowable costs, and submission instructions before applying.

The Department of Defense announced the Fiscal Year 2026 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), a major competitive funding program with $170 million total across 22 topic areas. MURI supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education with emphasis on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD. The program is jointly sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Topic areas span autonomous systems, AI and machine learning, quantum science, advanced materials, and other frontier research domains relevant to national defense. Individual MURI grants typically provide $1.25 million to $1.5 million per year for three years, with an option for two additional years. The funding opportunity number is W911NF25S0004. Optional white papers were due May 2, 2025, and full proposals are due September 5, 2025. MURI has operated for over 40 years and is one of the DoD's premier mechanisms for university-based fundamental research. The program emphasizes close management by Service Program Officers and requires true multidisciplinary collaboration.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office issued solicitation DARPA-PA-25-07-02 for the Compositional Learning-And-Reasoning for AI Complex Systems Engineering (CLARA) program on February 10, 2026. CLARA aims to develop high-assurance AI systems that tightly integrate machine learning (ML) and automated reasoning (AR) through hierarchical composition of Bayesian models, neural networks, and logic programs. The program seeks to create a theory-driven, highly reusable, scalable foundation for high-assurance AI by merging machine learning's speed and flexibility with automated reasoning's verifiability and logical explainability. Technical Area 1 (TA1) focuses on developing new high-assurance ML/AR composition approaches including theory, algorithms, and open-source software implementations. Technical Area 2 (TA2) creates a software composition library to integrate validated TA1 tools into a common framework. Application domains include course-of-action planning, multi-condition medical guidance, supply chain and logistics, autonomous systems and command & control, wargaming, and science and technology design. Awards are expected to be executed by June 9, 2026. Proposals must be submitted via the DARPA BAA Tool at baa.darpa.mil.

DARPA's Defense Sciences Office (DSO) released its Office-Wide Broad Agency Announcement HR001125S0013 soliciting proposals that investigate innovative approaches enabling revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems for national security applications. The BAA was initially posted June 3, 2025, with Amendment 1 posted September 16, 2025. DSO will consider any fundamental research concept, idea, or effort that addresses DARPA's mission to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security. The office specifically welcomes proposals in novel areas DSO has not previously considered. For select projects with total costs not exceeding $2,000,000, DARPA offers an accelerated award option with faster processing timelines. Research areas of interest include novel approaches to AI and machine learning, advanced materials, quantum technologies, applied mathematics, and other frontier sciences with defense applications. Proposals may be submitted on a rolling basis until June 2, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Questions may be submitted until May 8, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Multiple awards are anticipated under this announcement, and submissions are evaluated based on scientific and technical merit, relevance to DARPA's mission, and cost realism.