DARPA - Defense Sciences Office
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award (YFA) program aims to identify and engage rising stars in junior research positions in academia and equivalent positions at non-profit research institutions, particularly those without prior DARPA funding, to expose them to Department of War (DoW) needs and DARPA’s mission to create and prevent technological surprise for national security. The YFA program provides high-impact funding to researchers early in their careers to develop innovative new research that enables transformative DoW capabilities. Ultimately, the YFA program developes the next generation of researchers focused on national security issues.
Varies, see official page
All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal that shall be considered by DARPA. See the Eligibility Information section of the BAA for more information.
Who can apply:
Nationwide (USA)
Federal Government
Apply through Grants.gov. Your organization needs active SAM.gov (UEI) and Grants.gov registrations. These can take several weeks, so start early.
U.S. Department of Defense (SBIR)
Inexpensive, highly maneuverable, commercially available unmanned aerial systems (UAS) threaten tactical forces, critical infrastructure, and installations. Current defenses are limited by cost, by the operator attention they require, and by their...
Last verified Oct 23, 2026
U.S. Department of Defense (SBIR)
The Air Force requires light weight, compactly packaged optical systems to perform critical beam control functions for airborne high energy laser systems. The purpose of this topic is not to develop new outer moldlines or turret designs for airborne systems...
Last verified Oct 23, 2026
U.S. Department of Defense (SBIR)
The PF300 flash bulbs, that provide high-intensity illumination for high-speed video acquisition, are no longer in production. The objective is to award a contract to a small business to engineer, design, and manufacture a modern, robust, reusable replacement...
Last verified Oct 23, 2026
U.S. Department of Defense (SBIR)
This topic seeks the development of a computationally efficient engineering-level model to predict the formation and characteristics of the "spurt" in fluid cavity created jets. The hydrodynamic spurt is the initial, often unsteady, ejection of material from...
Last verified Oct 23, 2026
