Young Faculty Award (YFA) 2026

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), through its Defense Sciences Office (DSO), has issued the Young Faculty Award (YFA) under opportunity number DARPARA2502. This prestigious initiative aims to identify and support rising research stars in academia and nonprofit research institutions, particularly those with no prior DARPA funding, by providing mentorship and research funding to advance the Department of Defense's (DoD) mission. The YFA program plays a vital role in exposing early-career researchers to DoD challenges, encouraging innovation that addresses national security threats and promotes technological leadership in a rapidly evolving global landscape. The YFA offers funding to principal investigators (PIs) in tenure-track positions or recently tenured roles at U.S.-based institutions or nonprofit research organizations. Proposals must be submitted by U.S. organizations and led by a PI who has received their doctorate within the past 12 years. To ensure wide participation, individuals who have received more than $500,000 from DARPA or over $1.25 million from all DoD sources are ineligible to serve as PIs, though they may participate as senior personnel. The program specifically prohibits participation by individuals who are citizens of or affiliated with certain foreign countries unless they meet specific U.S. residency or citizenship criteria. The program structure includes a 24-month base period with up to $500,000 in funding, divided into two 12-month intervals not exceeding $250,000 each. An optional 12-month Director’s Fellowship extension is available for high-performing awardees, providing an additional $500,000. Moreover, an optional component allows for the inclusion of a U.S. person graduate student, funded up to $350,000, to support the project during the base period. This optional graduate student funding must run concurrently with the base period, and proposers must outline the scope, timeline, and costs associated with the graduate student component in their application. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov by January 20, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Prior to this, proposers are strongly encouraged to submit an executive summary via the DARPA Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT) by October 15, 2025. Although submission of an executive summary is not mandatory, DARPA advises against submitting a full proposal if the executive summary is not recommended for advancement. Proposals will be evaluated based on three weighted criteria: overall scientific and technical merit, relevance to DARPA’s mission, and cost realism. DARPA also conducts a security risk assessment process on proposed key and senior personnel. Research proposals must fall within one of 24 defined topic areas spanning disciplines such as quantum information, AI safety, biophysics, microfluidics, and advanced materials. Each proposal must align with a single technical area and technical office and demonstrate how the proposed research contributes to solving national security challenges. Applications must include a technical proposal, administrative documents, and a detailed budget. Awardees will be expected to attend three two-day meetings in the Washington, D.C., area during the base period and one during the option year. The estimated project start date is August 2026. The point of contact for this grant is the BAA Coordinator, reachable at [email protected]. This opportunity is part of DARPA’s ongoing effort to engage new research communities in the national defense innovation ecosystem and foster the development of the next generation of scientific leaders focused on transformative defense technologies.

Submit an executive summary for DARPA feedback before proceeding. Proposals must align to one topic area. Use the Heilmeier Catechism.