Young Faculty Award (YFA) 2026

The Young Faculty Award (YFA) program, administered by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) through its Defense Sciences Office (DSO), is a federal initiative designed to support and mentor early-career academic researchers who show exceptional promise in fields aligned with DARPA’s mission to create and prevent technological surprise. This program aims to expose rising research stars—especially those without prior DARPA funding—to Department of Defense (DoD) needs and foster the development of cutting-edge technologies relevant to national security. The 2026 YFA cycle (DARPARA2502) has been issued under Amendment 3 dated December 8, 2025. The YFA program seeks proposals in innovative and transformative research across numerous technical areas of interest, including but not limited to quantum information, microelectromechanical systems, plasma diagnostics, AI safety and control, photonic circuits, and biotechnological applications. Proposed research must be original and revolutionary, not incremental improvements, and must clearly address DARPA's goals. The YFA program supports a mentorship model, wherein each awardee is assigned a DARPA Program Manager who also serves as a mentor during the funded period. Funding for each selected project includes a base period of 24 months, with a maximum of $500,000 (divided into two 12-month intervals, each capped at $250,000), plus a possible 12-month Director’s Fellowship option period valued up to $500,000 for exceptional performers. Additionally, proposers may include a concurrent 12-month optional effort for a U.S. Person Graduate Student, with funding up to $350,000, to enhance project support and talent development. Eligibility is strictly limited to U.S.-based faculty members who are in tenure-track positions, are tenured within the past three years, or are at equivalent positions in nonprofit research institutions within 12 years of receiving their Ph.D. Proposers must not have received prior DARPA funding exceeding $500,000 or total DoD funding exceeding $1.25 million. Citizens from certain countries are ineligible. Applicants from Federally Funded Research and Development Centers and similar government-affiliated institutions are excluded. The proposal process includes a strongly encouraged executive summary step, which must be submitted via the DARPA Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT) by October 15, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. ET. The full proposal, regardless of executive summary feedback, is due through Grants.gov by January 20, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET. All proposals must follow the format provided in Attachments B–D of the RA, and applicants must ensure compliance with registration requirements in SAM.gov and WAWF for award payment processing. Multiple awards are anticipated, with a target project start date in August 2026. Evaluation will be based on scientific and technical merit, relevance to DARPA’s mission, and cost realism. Applicants are expected to detail their research plan, anticipated milestones, and risk mitigation strategies. Proposals must address the specific Topic Area selected from the RA and meet all submission and eligibility criteria. For further questions, applicants may contact the RA Coordinator at YFA2026@darpa.mil.

Submit an executive summary to ensure proposal alignment with topic areas. Select only one topic area and adhere strictly to submission format to avoid disqualification.