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"ONR Young Investigator Program FY2026 for AI Autonomous Systems and Machine Learning" is currently closed and not accepting applications.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) FY2026 (N0001425SF004) identifies and supports early-career academic scientists and engineers who show exceptional promise for creative research in areas of interest to the Navy and Marine Corps. The FY2026 cycle awarded approximately $17 million across 23 researchers at 22 academic institutions in 11 states. Each award is approximately $750,000 over three years.
Research topics include AI and autonomous systems (coordinating autonomous swarms, autonomy learning from heterogeneous experiences), machine learning, coastal forecasting, additive manufacturing, advanced sensors, dexterous robotics, hypersonics, decision superiority, ocean acoustics, and advanced composites.
Notable AI-focused 2026 awardees include Dr. Negar Mehr (UC Berkeley) on cooperative autonomous swarm communication and Dr. Md Jahidul Islam (University of Florida) on autonomy learning. The program has operated since 1985 and is one of the most prestigious early-career awards in defense research.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent faculty in their first or second full-time academic appointment at U.S. institutions of higher education. Must have received PhD or equivalent degree on or after January 1, 2018. Non-profit sector researchers also encouraged to apply. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows approximately $750,000 per award over three years. FY2026 total program funding approximately $17 million shared among 23 awardees. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
The published deadline was August 1, 2025, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
ONR Young Investigator Program FY2026 for AI Autonomous Systems and Machine Learning is funded by Office of Naval Research (ONR). 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 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.
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.
GeoPEX is AFRL's standing vehicle for geospatial intelligence research and it is unusually well-suited to AI teams because the problem set - turning imagery and geospatial data into intelligence at scale - is fundamentally a machine learning problem. The BAA seeks research, development, integration, test and evaluation of technologies and techniques that provide GEOINT in all its forms and from whatever source, whether imagery, imagery intelligence, or geospatial data and information. Named focus areas include Full-Spectrum GEOINT, AI and machine learning techniques, multi-peak data production, cloud-based high-performance computing, and photogrammetry. The funding envelope is substantial and the range is wide: individual awards run USD 250,000 to USD 10,000,000 over periods normally not exceeding 36 months, against estimated total programme funding of approximately USD 99,900,000 - which means both a focused university effort and a large integrated industry programme can find a home here. Submission mechanics are the standard AFRL two-step and should be planned for accordingly: only white papers are accepted as initial submissions and formal proposals are accepted by invitation only, so the white paper is the whole competition from the proposer's perspective. Award instruments include procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and other transactions, which gives flexibility on the university side. Submissions require Standard Form 424 and a Security Program Questionnaire, and awards are subject to science and technology protection requirements under AFRLI 61-113 and to FASCSA compliance. The BAA is open and continuous with white papers accepted through 30 September 2026; the BAA programme manager contact is afrl.rig.geopex@us.af.mil.
NOFO N0001426SF004 offers roughly 25 awards at $750,000 over 36 months to first- and second-appointment faculty. No cost share, no white paper stage — and an eligibility clock that admits PhDs earned on or after January 1, 2019 and nobody earlier. The program officer conversation, not the proposal, is the part most applicants get wrong.
Read articleThe Department of the Navy pre-released FY26 Release 3 SBIR/STTR on June 3, 2026 — 12 BAA topics and one Commercial Solutions Opening for Counter-Unmanned Air Systems. Topics span adaptive sensor management, anomalous behavior detection, satellite imagery optimization, real-time zero-trust data for combat systems, and gun weapon systems modernization. Technical questions cut off June 23. Proposals open June 24 and close July 22. NAVAIR and NAVSEA co-host a Counter-UAS webinar June 16. Phase I funding tops out at $315,000. The CSO open topic for AI-powered drone defense is the structural news: it's the first time NAVAIR has used a CSO vehicle to fund counter-drone work outside the conventional Phase I/II structure, and it changes how small businesses can engage with the Navy's most urgent capability gap.
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