Research Development Newsletter

Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) Implementation

Allen Family Philanthropies

Deadline: Letters of Intent are due by 1/15/2026

Amount: A total of $10M is available for 6-7 awards; $1M – $1.5M per award

Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) are nature-based actions that protect, restore, and improve management of forests, wetlands, grasslands, oceans, and agricultural lands, mitigating climate impacts by working with natural ecosystems. This new RFP seeks to support efforts to develop science and technology solutions to accelerate NCS implementation in the United States. Allen Family Philanthropies will host an informational webinar on December 9, 2025 at 9 am PT with a live Q&A about this opportunity. You can register to attend the webinar here.

Learn more about the grant and how to apply on the program website

Scientific Software Research Faculty Award

Simons Foundation

Deadline: Letters of Intent are due by 1/21/2026

Amount: A Scientific Software Fellowship provides five years of salary support for the awardee’s academic-year salary and fringe benefits, whether normally paid over 9 or 12 months, as follows: 100 percent salary for each of the first two years and then 50 percent each year for next three years. For the last three years, the host university is expected to provide the other 50 percent of salary support each year through existing department channels. The fellowship will also provide a yearly $50,000 research allowance for the awardee, plus indirect costs for the host institution (limited to 20 percent of the modified total direct costs).

The Simons Foundation invites applications for funding to support new research professor positions (e.g., “clinical professor,” “professor of practice” or “research professor,” the titles and roles depending on the university) in existing academic departments (the “host institutions”) to be filled by scientific software-focused researchers. The SSRF Award will support researchers who have a strong track record of leadership in scientific software development. The aim of this program is to stimulate the development and maintenance of core scientific software infrastructure in academic environments through creating a new, long-term, faculty-level career path.

Learn more about the grant and how to apply on the program website

Current Calls for Expressions of Interest

Hearing from you that you are interested in a limited submission opportunity helps us determine whether a full internal competition will be needed. The only information you typically need to provide in an expression of interest is your name and department information (and that of your team, if applicable) and your tentative project title. All applications are accepted through InfoReady.

G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation Grant Award Program – Spring 2026 Cycle

Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation

Internal Deadline: 1/12/2026

Limit: 3

The Mathers Foundation supports pivotal scientific research that advances knowledge, enhances human health, and fosters innovation. The foundation empowers researchers whose work holds the greatest promise for advancing mankind and medicine, driving meaningful, long-term contributions to science and society. The Foundation has recently, and with the advent of newer investigative methodologies, technology, and tools, embraced innovative translational research proposals in addition to basic science research. They are focused on biomedical with an emphasis on health and the life sciences. Immunology, Microbiome, Structural Biology, Cellular Physiology, Cancer Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Stem Cell Biology, Neuroscience, etc., are some noteworthy examples of current research support.

Read full guidelines and apply in InfoReady 

Pivot Search BAA’s search – https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/352238

The following list of opportunities is organized by agency.

DOT

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Office Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Transportation – FAA

Solicitation #: 697DCK-25-R-00278

Deadline: White papers accepted through 9/30/2028

Amount: Total funding cap is $24M across FY 2025-2028

The FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) funds research, testing, and demonstration projects that advance the safe integration of UAS (drones) into the National Airspace System (NAS).

The program supports non-system-specific development and applied research that improves the safety, efficiency, and operational readiness of UAS technologies. Funding is provided on a cost-sharing basis (1:1 match), where the FAA pays up to 50% of total project costs. Awards are made through contracts, primarily for projects that include demonstration, validation, or testing at one of the FAA-designated UAS Test Sites.

Funding priorities fall within ten Focus Areas:

1. UAS Traffic Management (UTM)
2. Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) Operations
3. UAS Integration and Industry Consensus Standards
4. Electronic Conspicuity (EC)
5. Noise and Environmental Impacts
6. Command and Control (C2) Link Technologies
7. Detect and Avoid (DAA) Technologies
8. UAS Collision Safety
9. Autonomous Operations
10. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

Read the UAS BAA here

DHS

2024 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Directorate of Science & Technology Long Range BAA

Department of Homeland Security

Solicitation #: DHS_ST_LRBAA_24-01

Deadline: Submissions are accepted through 5/31/2029

Amount: Not specified

The purpose of this LRBAA is to fund scientific and technical projects across a spectrum of science and engineering disciplines that significantly improve or increase a capability to the Department’s operational environment and the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE).The three-step process to apply begins with an Industry Engagement Submission, during which Scientific/Component Subject Matter Experts (SME) and Program Managers (PM) evaluate submissions to the DHS S&T OIP portal from interested sources in the scientific and industrial community to identify a broad range of qualified offerors. The current six key mission areas are:

1. Counter Terrorism and Homeland Security Threats; (CTHOM)
2. Secure U.S. Borders and Approaches (BORAP);
3. Secure Cyberspace and Critical Infrastructure (CYBCI);
4. Preserve and Uphold the Nation’s Prosperity and Economic Security (PROES);
5. Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience (PRRES); and
6. Champion the DHS Workforce and Strengthen the Department (WORDT).

Read the DHS BAA

DOD

Information Innovation Office (I2O) Office-Wide

Department of Defense – DARPA

Solicitation #: HR001126S0001

Deadline: Abstracts are accepted through 11/1/2026

Amount: Not specified

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks revolutionary research ideas for topics not being addressed by ongoing I2O programs or other published solicitations. Potential proposers are highly encouraged to visit the I2O technical office page (https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/i2o) to view current and upcoming I2O programs and solicitations in order to avoid proposing efforts that duplicate existing activities or that are responsive to other published I2O solicitations.

Link to I2O BAA

2025 ERDC Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Defense – Dept of the Army

Solicitation #: W912HZ-25-BAA-01

Deadline: Pre-proposals may be submitted anytime

Amount: Not specified

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has issued this continuously open announcement for research and development concepts for a broad range of topic areas under its purview, including hydraulics, dredging, coastal engineering, instrumentation, oceanography, remote sensing, geotechnical engineering, earthquake engineering, soil effects, vehicle mobility, self-contained munitions, military engineering, geophysics, pavements, protective structures, aquatic plants, water quality, dredged material, treatment of hazardous waste, wetlands, physical/mechanical/ chemical properties of snow and other frozen precipitation, infrastructure and environmental issues for installations, computer science, telecommunications management, energy, facilities maintenance, materials and structures, engineering processes, environmental processes, land and heritage conservation, and ecological processes.

Read the ERDC BAA here

2025 Army Geospatial Center (AGC) Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Defense – Department of the Army

Solicitation #: W5J9CQ25R0002

Deadline: White Papers are accepted through 10/13/2026

Amount: Not specified

The U.S. AGC is a Major Subordinate Command (MSC) under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) located at the Humphreys Engineer Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The AGC focus is on the Army’s Geospatial Enterprise function from Policy to Warfighting; supporting the Army’s Mission Command Systems by facilitating collection, management, exploitation; and dissemination of relevant geospatial information and products to every level across the operational environment. This general announcement addresses a wide variety of geospatial topic areas of research for the Systems and Acquisition Support Directorate. These research areas are described in the full text of the BAA.

Read the AGC BAA here

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Defense – Department of the Navy

Solicitation #: N6893626R0006

Deadline: Open through 9/30/2026

Amount: Not specified

NAWCWD at China Lake, CA is interested in receiving proposals for Naval Air Warfare and Weapons which offer potential for advancement and improvement of Navy and Marine Corps operations. This announcement declares NAWCWD’s broad role in competitive funding of research across a spectrum of science and engineering disciplines. Areas of interest include:

1. Aerospace science research focuses on weapons and aerospace technologies  which directly support naval science and technology requirements for joint  strike warfare involving air superiority and precision attack, and air and surface battle space requirements of joint littoral aircraft involving  aircraft, naval surface fire support and ship self-defense.
2. Air warfare and naval weapons applications focus on applied research and advanced technology development aligned with current and future naval capability gaps and innovative naval prototypes

Read the NAWCWD BAA here

Biological Technologies Office BAA

Department of Defense – DARPA

Solicitation #: HR001126S0003

Deadline: Open through 9/30/2026

Amount: Not specified

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Biological Technologies Office (BTO) is soliciting proposals that leverage biological properties and processes to revolutionize our ability to protect the nation’s warfighters. BTO harnesses advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to create new opportunities for transformative science across the biological spectrum. Warfighter health and well-being are critical to mission success. BTO develops diagnostic and assessment systems to identify chemical and biological threats, medical countermeasures, and novel approaches to tactical care and warfighter performance and recovery on and off the battlefield. BTO also leverages biological processes, technologies, and manufacturing opportunities to create resilient infrastructures and supply chains, protective solutions, and innovative sensors to ensure mission success in any location.

Read the BTO BAA here

NRL: Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Basic and Applied Research

Department of Defense – Dept of the Navy

Solicitation #: N00173-24-S-BA01

Deadline: White papers accepted through 3/31/2026

Amount: Not specified

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is interested in receiving innovative proposals that offer potential for advancement and improvement in a broad range of technical topic areas listed in the BAA. The purpose of this amendment is to extend the deadline for accepting white papers as well as update summary topics and email addresses of relevant contacts.

Read the BAA here

NeedipeDIA Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Defense – Defense Intelligence Agency

Solicitation #: HHM402-23-S-0001

Deadline: Submissions are accepted through 12/26/2028

Amount: Not specified

NeedipeDIA is a mechanism by which the Defense Intelligence Agency solicits and leverages ideas, practices, and capabilities created anywhere outside the organization that enhance the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission. Needs are derived throughout the year and are listed within the open BAA and the open CSO. Current broad areas of interest include: artificial intelligence and machine learning, enhancing counterintelligence and security, intelligence collections, mission enhancing science and technology, improving mission support capabilities, increasing organizational effectiveness, empowering partnerships, machine-assisted analytic rapid-repository systems, quantum information sciences, and emerging technologies.

Learn more and access the BAA here

Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) – Energy and Environmental Technology Demonstrations – Open Topics Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

Department of Defense – Dept of the Army

Solicitation #: W912HQ25S0005

Deadline: White Papers are accepted through 8/21/2026

Amount: A total of $10M is available and multiple awards are anticipated

The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) is the Department of Defense’s (DoD) demonstration and validation program for environmental and installation energy technologies. The ESTCP Office is interested in receiving white papers for innovative technology demonstrations that address DoD environmental and installation energy requirements as candidates for funding. ESTCP supports the demonstration and validation of technologies that:

1. a) Increase energy security and grid independence through enhanced domestic energy production, microgrids, and advanced power generation
2. b) Improve operational efficiency by reducing sustainment costs, enhancing logistics, and ensuring mission continuity
3. c) Enhance installation resilience against extreme weather events, cyber threats, and physical disruptions
4. d) Optimize defense infrastructure to ensure military bases, training grounds, and facilities remain fully functional and cost-efficient.

The program gives priority to technologies that strengthen the American industrial capacity, reduce reliance on foreign supply chains, and align with U.S. national security objectives. Technologies must be sufficiently mature for field demonstration, with proven feasibility and the potential for rapid transition into widespread DoD use.

Read ESTCP BAA

Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) – Open Topics Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

Department of Defense – Dept of the Army

Solicitation #: W912HQ25S0004

Deadline: White Papers are accepted through 8/21/2026

Amount: A total of $10M is available and multiple awards are anticipated

The Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) Office is interested in receiving white papers for research focusing in the areas of Environmental Restoration, Munitions Response, Resource Conservation and Resilience, and Weapons Systems and Platforms technologies. SERDP supports environmental research relevant to the management and mission of the DoD and supports efforts that lead to the development and application of innovative environmental technologies or methods that improve the environmental performance of DoD by improving outcomes, managing environmental risks, and/or reducing costs or time required to resolve environmental or resilience problems. The initial step is submission of a White Paper. Topic areas and research priorities within these topic areas include the following:

• Environmental Restoration: Characterization and monitoring, reduction in cost to compete, reduce source loading of munitions constituents, stormwater treatment, wastewater treatment, and risk assessment.
• Munitions Response: Wide area and/or detailed survey techniques, cost-effective recovery and disposal methods, and mobility of munitions in the dynamic underwater environment.
• Resource Conservation and Resilience: Managing wildland fire, natural resources, and resilience of build and natural infrastructure.
• Weapons Systems and Platforms: Manufacturing and maintenance; energetic materials and formulations; firefighting; and critical minerals, chemicals, and materials.

Read SERDP BAA

FY25-29 Strategic Trends Research Initiative Broad Agency Announcement

This is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) soliciting strategic research on challenges related to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) 5–10 years in the future in support of the mission of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The BAA covers Fiscal Year (FY) 2025–2029 with a total funding amount of $35,880,000, subject to availability of funds. This BAA will remain posted on the Government point of entry, https://sam.gov/content/home until superseded.

Read BAA

Scientific Feasibility (SciFy)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative and revolutionary computational approaches that measure the feasibility of technical claims to enable accurate assessments of scientific content.

Read BAA

NRL Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Basic and Applied Research

NRL requests white papers for long-range Science and Technology (S&T) projects which may offer advancement and improvement potential for Navy and Marine Corps operations. This announcement emphasizes NRL’s broad role in the competitive funding of meritorious research across a spectrum of science and engineering disciplines.

Read BAA

DOD Strategic Capabilities Office Broad Agency Announcement

Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) is an organization within the Office of the Secretary of Defense which seeks to identify, analyze, and prototype disruptive applications of new systems, unconventional uses of existing systems, and implement emerging technologies to create operational strategic effects. SCO is a rapid prototyping organization focused on delivering capabilities in 3-5 years to address high priority operational and strategic challenges.

Read BAA

DARPA Defense Sciences Office Office-wide

This opportunity is to identify and create the next generation of scientific discovery to fuel innovation throughout the Agency and beyond. DSO frames its office according to the thrust areas described further below, but encourages any fundamental research concept, idea, or effort that addresses DARPA’s mission to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security.

Novel Materials & Structures: This thrust includes, but is not limited to, science and technology in quantum devices, atomic scale systems, and functional and structural materials.

Sensing & Measurement: This thrust includes but is not limited to, science and technology in quantum sensing and metrology, seeing (sensing) the unseen, and novel light sources.
Computation & Processing: This thrust includes, but is not limited to, science and technology of quantum computing, cryptography, and modeling of complex systems.
Enabling Operations: This thrust includes, but is not limited to, technologies to support spacebased operations, tactically remote environments, and resource assurance.
Collective Intelligence: This thrust includes, but is not limited to, exploration of complex social systems, adaptable Artificial Intelligence (AI), and AI-accelerated learning.
Emerging Threats: This thrust includes, but is not limited to, national security concerns related to global issues associated with raw material availability, environmental catastrophes, and digital societies.

Read BAA

U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Broad Agency Announcement on Enabling Cyber-Linked Physical Sensing Exploitation Accepting White Papers

This Broad Agency Announcement (FA8650-21-S-1016) on Enabling Cyber-Linked Physical Sensing Exploitation (ECLPSE) will be a Two Step, Open BAA to support research and analysis on cyber-physical sensing and Electronic Warfare (EW)-kinetic effects to enable understanding how cyber-connected devices interact with the physical environment found in manufacturing automation, utilities, transportation, agricultural, medical, and other common applications. This effort will also support research and analysis regarding the prevention and exploitation of information leakages similar to electromagnetic security (EMSEC) vulnerabilities in the cyber/EW-physical domain. Individual contracts will be up to $20M. The first step is submission of a white paper. Approved white paper offerors will receive Requests for Proposals. This BAA closes on February 25, 2026.

Read BAA

Advanced Manufacturing Research in support of the Sciences of Extreme Materials Competency – Closing date Nov. 19, 2027

Army modernization requires a set of robust manufacturing strategies and integrated capabilities that enable a highly connected and collaborative enterprise. Agile manufacturing involves digitally enabled advanced manufacturing (AdvM) technologies with ubiquitous access to rapid prototyping, small-scale production, materials by design, etc. that are capable of scalable, and on-demand distributed production of components and systems. Agile manufacturing integrates the procedures, resources, and preparation that are needed to respond to changes in the demand utilizing systems, resources, and practice to react to these demands and adapt quickly without jeopardizing the Army’s ability to meet the performance requirements.

This area seeks transformational materials that can operate in extreme conditions, and methods to manufacture them readily in the organic US industrial base as well as in austere environments at the point of need. Next generation Army components and systems will need to integrate novel structures of unmatched geometric complexity, and novel materials produced using novel data driven digital manufacturing methods. Topics of interest include:  Additive manufacturing, Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques for AdvM, Printed hybrid electronics including multi-functional devices and structures, Novel and robust design methodologies for convergent manufacturing, and more. 

Read BAA

Electric- and Magnetic-Field Sensor Technology – Closing date Nov. 19, 2027

Research proposals are desired that are related to small, rugged, low-power electric- and magnetic-field sensors that can be deployed on a battlefield using artillery-based delivery systems, or scattered from air or ground vehicles, or emplaced by individual soldiers. These sensors should be passive or semi-active (i.e., with no local field-generating element), and may operate at low frequencies in the quasi-static zone (or “near field”), where the electric and magnetic fields are not coupled. These sensors should be characterized by exceptionally low power, size, weight, and cost, and/or by exceptionally high sensitivity and low noise (i.e., with performance limited by the background environment). Sensor bandwidth generally falls between DC and ~1 MHz, but may be further limited for specific applications: e.g., 0.001-10 Hz for anomaly detection; 30-3000 Hz for electric-power sensing; 3-30 kHz for very low frequency (VLF) sensing.

Read BAA

Invincible Materials Research in support of the Sciences of Extreme Materials Competency – Closing date Nov. 19, 2027

The invincible materials portfolio focuses on the fundamental, basic and applied material science and engineering to identify novel and emerging materials, systems and technologies for use across multiple high valued platforms and systems. The portfolio seeks to expand knowledge of materials and the related science and engineering of all materials classes with respect to synthesis, processing, development of novel materials or feedstocks, methods, advanced manufacturing techniques, experimentation, high through put techniques, machine learning, characterization, and modeling and simulation. The portfolio seeks to enable the discovery, development, design and integration of emerging structural, chemical and biological protection, electronic, laser and energy, materials in traditional and extreme environments such as materials under high rate and dynamic conditions. The portfolio also seeks material science and manufacturing technologies that supports the soldier, combat vehicles, combat support vehicles and other high valued assets to enable improved performance and survivability.

Read BAA

Invisible Materials Research in support of the Sciences of Extreme Materials Competency – Closing date Nov. 19, 2027

The Invisible Materials Portfolio seeks to identify novel electromagnetic spectrum materials (EMS) for use in a wide range of military applications. The portfolio seeks materials with advanced capabilities to increase, decreases or alter the energy emitted, scattered or absorbed in a controlled manner.

Read BAA

Multimodal Synthetic Data for Machine Learning – Closing date Nov. 19, 2027

The use of artificial intelligence solutions for Army field applications will rely heavily on machine learning (ML) algorithms. Current ML algorithms need large amounts of mission-relevant training data to enable them to perform well in tasks such as object and activity recognition, and high-level decision making. Battlefield data sources can be heterogeneous, encompassing multiple sensing modalities. Present open-source data sets for training ML approaches provide inadequate representation of scenes and situations of interest to the Army, in both content and sensing modalities. There is a push to use synthetic data to make up for the paucity of real-world training data relevant to military multi-domain operations of the future. However, there are no systematic approaches for synthetic generation of data that provide any degree of assurance of improved real-world performance of the ML techniques trained on such data. The problem of effective synthetic data generation for ML raises deeper questions than that of artificially generating speech or imagery that humans find realistic.

Read BAA

DOD Tactical Heterogeneous Sensing in Complex Environments, Aerosols, and Impacts- November 19, 2027

 This program focuses on basic and applied research investigations designed to enhance situational and operational awareness with respect to operations in complex, multi-domain environments enabling C4ISR and maneuver capabilities. The research covers a broad portfolio including aerosol sciences, propagation of electro-optic (EO), electro-magnetic (EM), radio-frequency (RF) and acoustic signals in complex environments, impacts thereof, and heterogeneous sensing. Areas of specific interest are optical spectroscopy and characterization of aerosols, modeling of light interaction with material, atmospheric aerosol composition, heterogeneous remote sensing, and propagation modeling. Complex environments of particular interest are urban, littoral, forested, and domain interfaces.

Read BAA

DOD Quantum networking for communications, distributed entanglement and information processing – November 19, 2027

 The Army seeks proposals in the development of quantum networks to advance performance metrics across a range of applications, including information distribution/security/processing, logistics, conventional networking and computing.

Read BAA

DARPA – Microsystems Technology Office: Intensity-Squeezed Photonic Integration for Revolutionary Detectors (INSPIRED) 

DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office seeks innovative proposals to develop compact, ultralow-noise optical detectors that employ squeezed-light measurement techniques to advance precision optical sensing. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

The principal objective of the Intensity-Squeezed Photonic Integration for Revolutionary Detectors (INSPIRED) program is the development of optoelectronic detector modules that integrate squeezed-light measurement techniques into form factors comparable to commercial photodetector modules, thereby achieving sensitivity significantly beyond the quantum shot-noise limit. Such “squeezed-light detectors” will be transformative in advancing squeezed-light quantum measurement beyond laboratory environments as practical, general-purpose detector components that can be employed in diverse optical systems. The superior sensitivity of squeezed-light detectors is expected to provide decisive quantum advantages in wide-ranging application domains such as active imaging; atomic sensing; navigation; microscopy; and communications.

Read BAA

NIST

CHIPS Research and Development Office (CRDO) Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Commerce – NIST

Solicitation #: 2025-NIST-CHIPS-CRDO-01

Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through 9/30/2029

Amount: Project budgets should be at least $10M for up to 5 years

NIST is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants for research, prototyping, and commercial solutions that advance microelectronics technology. Proposals will grow U.S. leadership in semiconductor technology and accelerate the pace of commercialization in the industries of the future, in areas including advanced microelectronics research and development with a nexus to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Technology, Biotechnology, Biomanufacturing, Commercialization of Innovation, and/or Standards Development.

CRDO will host an informational webinar to provide general information regarding this BAA, offer general guidance on preparing White Papers and if invited, Pre-negotiation Packages, and answer questions submitted in advance. The date for the webinar has not yet been announced; RTT will share this date once it is announced. Interested parties may also sign up for the CHIPS mailing list to ensure they receive future communications about this opportunity.

Read the BAA here

NOAA

SCO

Let Us Help You Get the Recognition Your Work Deserves

If you are aware of an honorific award that you would like to be nominated for, reach out to Jenny Crawford at jennycrawford@mines.edu for assistance with the nomination process.

Five Upcoming Opportunities with the Emerging Technology Accelerator (ETA): Notice of Intent and Proposers Day

Office of the Director of National Intelligence — IARPA

Notice ID #: n/a

Date: Proposers Day is 1/7/2026

The Emerging Technology Accelerator effort seeks to create new Intelligence Community (IC) technology advantage by bridging the technical gap between emerging solutions and successful application in the IC through lean, agile programs scoped to deliver capabilities directly applicable to intelligence needs with rigorous assessment of relevant performance. IARPA has five new topic areas for industry engagement and is hosting this proposers’ day to communicate expectations for the new type of program, discuss the technical goals, and to answer questions about them. Register for the proposers day here.

• IARPA – COSMIC will allow the Intelligence Community to integrate temporally relevant geospatial information and imagery to answer key questions.
• IARPA – DECIPHER’s goal is to create capabilities to detect specialized language of interest to a user and generate probable definitions for unfamiliar, coded and novel terms.
• IARPA – LocUS will improve the geolocation capabilities of the Intelligence Community (IC) considerably beyond imagery-only methods and thereby increase the volume of content that can be accurately geolocated.
• IARPA – MOVES seeks create algorithms that aid clinicians in making diagnoses of a small set of neurological conditions using less than ideal or challenging video that may be taken from non-clinical angles and which may also include obstructed views and fully clothed subjects.
• IARPA – ARCADE seeks to accelerate electrical circuit design within the Intelligence Community to enable faster response to emerging national security threats at an unprecedented level of speed, reliability, and innovation.

Future Program Announcement: I-MaDe

Department of Defense – DARPA

Solicitation #: DARPA-SN-26-10

Anticipated Release Date: Not specified

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) is contemplating a new research area of interest in the Inorganic Materials on Demand (I-MaDe) program and is providing notice of a potential future call. I-MaDe aims to accelerate microsystem innovation by creating new tools and techniques to enable therapid development of new complex thin film inorganic materials at scale, ensuring the demands of future Department of War (DoW) systems are met.

Read the notice of intent here

Notice of Intent: High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) Initiative

Department of Energy – AMMTO/EERE

NOI #: HPC4EI25posting

Anticipated Release Date: Not specified

The HPC4EI program provides U.S. manufacturers access to Department of Energy National Laboratory expertise and cutting-edge supercomputing resources. These collaborations allow companies to tackle complex challenges in energy and materials, reduce costs, improve efficiency and performance, strengthen supply chain resilience, and expand U.S. industrial competitiveness in global markets. The solicitation will target qualified industry partners to participate in short-term, collaborative projects with DOE national laboratories. Eligibility for the program is limited to entities that manufacture products or conduct operations in the United States for commercial applications, as well as to organizations that support these entities. This focus ensures the equitable use and benefits of HPC national laboratory resources and technologies. Selected projects will be awarded up to $400,000 to support computing cycles and work performed by DOE national laboratories, universities, and non-profit partners.

Read HPC4EI Notice of Intent

Notice of Intent: Mission Atlas

Department of Energy – Office of Science

NOI #: n/a

Anticipated Release Date: November 2025

The DOE is preparing to launch Mission Atlas, a major initiative under its Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security and Technology (FASST) program, which was announced last summer. The effort is designed to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence across national laboratories, universities, and industry to “double scientific efficiency to increase GDP.” Mission Atlas will fund research partnerships that use AI to advance both basic and applied science. The goal is to develop large language models, sometimes described as a “physicsGPT” to enhance discovery and innovation.

Collaboration opportunities will be centered at DOE National Laboratories and involve partners from academia and industry. The formal announcement was expected this week but has been delayed to next week. Congressional staff were briefed only recently on the project’s scale and scope. The initiative seeks to demonstrate how advanced AI applications can improve the pace and impact of federally funded research, serving as a model for future science and technology programs. DOE anticipates initial funding of up to $750 million, with potential growth to $2 billion annually to support partnerships across sectors. A full-year continuing resolution (CR) could significantly impact implementation, but OSTP Director Kratsios has confirmed that the administration views this program as a model for structuring future federal research initiatives. More information will be shared as it becomes available.

Screening for Conditions by Electronic Nose Technology (SCENT III)

National Institutes of Health

Solicitation #: RFA-TR-26-001

Anticipated Release Date: 2/5/2026

This NOFO seeks to develop electronic nose technologies that mimic the olfactory system, leading to a robust diagnostic platform subject to validation and regulatory approval. A previous iteration demonstrated the feasibility of developing safe and effective biosensing technologies for volatile organic compound (VOC) signatures from human skin through systems engineering and artificial intelligence. VOCs are biomarkers that underlie the effects of a wide array of diseases. Under this iteration of the NOFO, improved sensing, detection, and analytical technologies will be developed for integration into tools for disease diagnosis and monitoring in everyday settings. These novel technologies will complement traditional blood analysis and other invasive, expensive, and highly technical procedures to monitor the onset, progression, and resolution of disease. The vision of the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) is to bring more treatments for all people more quickly. The electronic nose platform is noninvasive and makes diagnosis in real time, in situ. This NOFO seeks to improve the translation of existing knowledge for the prevention and treatment of various diseases conditions.

Learn more about this forecasted funding opportunity here

Notice of Intent: Bioengineering Research, Innovation and Technology Education (BRITE) Program

National Institutes of Health

Solicitation #: PAR-26-025

Anticipated Release Date: 2/9/2026

The Bioengineering Research, Innovation and Technology Education (BRITE) Program is designed to foster the development of undergraduate freshmen and sophomores to pursue further studies and careers in bioengineering, biomedical imaging or other STEM fields relevant to NIBIB’s scientific mission. Applications are encouraged to propose integrated educational activities that include three elements: 1) a summer bridge program for incoming freshmen, and 2) in the freshman and sophomore years, educational activities during the academic year, and 3) summer research experiences. The BRITE program is intended to expose students to bioengineering and biomedical imaging and provide research, innovation and entrepreneurship training early in their college careers by incorporating didactic, experiential, mentoring and career development opportunities. Student participants will receive support for the first two years of their undergraduate training. To enhance capacity for rigorous bioengineering training, this program will support programs at baccalaureate degree granting institutions with modest levels of NIH research project grant funding.

Learn more about this forecasted funding opportunity here

Notice of Intent: Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG)

National Institutes of Health – National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Solicitation #: PAR-25-458

Anticipated Release Date: 9/30/2025

Amount: Not specified

The purpose of this NOFO is to encourage collaborations between the life and physical sciences that: 1) apply a multidisciplinary bioengineering approach to the solution of a biomedical problem; and 2) integrate, optimize, validate, translate or otherwise accelerate the adoption of promising tools, methods, and techniques for a specific research or clinical problem in basic, translational, or clinical science and practice. An application may propose design-directed, developmental, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven research and is appropriate for small teams applying an integrative approach to increase our understanding of and solve problems in biological, clinical, or translational science. The NOFO is anticipated to be released on 9/30/2025 and applications will be due 2/5/2026.

Learn more about this forecasted funding opportunity here