Solicitation
Young Faculty Award (YFA) 2027
Department of Defense · Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
AI summaryDARPARA2701 requires an executive summary first, due November 5, 2026, 4:00 PM Eastern, before a full proposal, whose response due date is January 13, 2027, 4:00 PM Eastern. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award gives research funding, through cooperative agreements rather than contracts, to early-career researchers at U.S. universities and non-profit research institutions. Awards are up to $500,000 over 24 months, and up to $1,225,000 with all options. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
This summary may miss requirements: 1 of 7 attachments weren't read (Attach_B_Proposal_Summary_Slide.pptx). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
DARPARA2701 requires an executive summary first, due November 5, 2026, 4:00 PM Eastern, before a full proposal, whose response due date is January 13, 2027, 4:00 PM Eastern. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award gives research funding, through cooperative agreements rather than contracts, to early-career researchers at U.S. universities and non-profit research institutions. Awards are up to $500,000 over 24 months, and up to $1,225,000 with all options.
Who can bid (8)
- The PI must be a current tenure-track assistant or associate professor, a tenured faculty member within 3 years of tenure, or an equivalent at a non-profit research institution within 12 years of receiving the doctorate, as of the full proposal deadline.
- The PI must not have received more than $500,000 from DARPA, or $1,250,000 from all Department of War sources combined, as a prime or subawardee PI or co-PI.
- All key and senior personnel and team members, at the prime and any subawardee, must be employed at a U.S. institution (U.S. states and territories); non-U.S. organizations cannot take part.
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- No key or senior personnel may be citizens of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia or Venezuela; the submitting institution must certify this.
- No one at a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, University Affiliated Research Center, National Laboratory or other Government entity, and no former or current DARPA program manager, may serve in any capacity.
- A person who already received a Young Faculty Award as PI cannot be PI again, but may serve as senior personnel.
- Active System for Award Management (SAM) registration with a Unique Entity ID, unless exempt, kept current through the award process.
- Registration in Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF), the electronic invoicing system, is required before any award.
How to submit: Executive summary: DARPA's Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT), as one zip file. Full proposal: Grants.gov.. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (14)
From the version posted Oct 23, 2026.
- Serious: Limited to early-career faculty at U.S. universities and non-profit research institutions. The principal investigator (PI) must be tenure-track or recently tenured faculty, or the non-profit equivalent. The proposal cover sheets list only educational and non-profit organization types, so a for-profit small business would not fit.
- Serious: Required executive summary due November 5, 2026, 4:00 PM Eastern. A conforming executive summary is a required first step before the full proposal. DARPA says it replies within about 45 calendar days, and the reply letter must go in the full proposal.
- Serious: Full proposal needs a conforming executive summary. Only firms that sent a conforming executive summary may send a full proposal, due January 13, 2027, 4:00 PM Eastern. A discouraged reply does not bar a full proposal but signals DARPA is not interested.
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- Serious: Prior funding caps on the PI. A PI with more than $500,000 from DARPA or $1,250,000 from all Department of War sources, as a prime or subaward PI or co-PI, cannot lead the proposal.
- Serious: Citizenship and workplace exclusions for key and senior people. Citizens of six named countries cannot be key or senior personnel, and people at federal research centers, national laboratories or government entities cannot take part in any capacity.
- Worth checking: One topic area, one executive summary, one proposal per PI. A submission that does not clearly address one topic area may be removed, and only the first time-stamped submission from a PI is reviewed.
- Worth checking: Fundamental research only. Proposals judged to be applied research, or needing controlled unclassified information limits, will not be selected for negotiation of an award.
- Worth checking: Director's Fellowship option is not guaranteed. The 12-month option of up to $500,000 goes to a limited number of awardees chosen for strong base-period performance, so only the base period can be counted on.
- Worth checking: Mandatory templates and blind review. Attachments A, C and D must be used as given. Missing or misused templates, or identifying details outside the cover sheet in the executive summary, can make a submission non-conforming.
- Worth checking: Security review of key and senior people. DARPA runs a Fundamental Research Risk-Based Security Review (FRRBS) of personnel on proposals selected for negotiation, and the proposal needs biographical sketch and current and pending support forms.
- Worth checking: Organizational conflict of interest disclosure. Proposers must disclose conflicts and say whether they or team members provide scientific, engineering and technical assistance (SETA) to any DARPA office; DARPA may reject proposals with incomplete disclosure.
- Minor: Font size differs between documents. The announcement says 12-point type, while the Volume 2 template says 11-point. The announcement takes precedence if documents differ, so use 12-point.
- Minor: Model agreement shows different graduate student and total amounts. The reference model cooperative agreement lists the graduate student option at $350,000 and a total of $1,350,000, while the announcement says $225,000 and $1,225,000. The announcement takes precedence.
- Minor: Proposal must stay valid at least 120 days. The Volume 2 cover sheet asks for a proposal validity period of at least 120 days.
Read from the notice and 6 attachments. 1 of 7 not read. Show which files.
- DARPARA2701.pdf (read)
- Attach_G_Model_Cooperative_Agreement.docx (read)
- Attach_F_US_Citizen_Grad_Student_Option.docx (read)
- Attach_D_Vol_2.docx (read)
- Attach_C_Vol_1.docx (read)
- Attach_A_Executive_Summary.docx (read)
- Attach_B_Proposal_Summary_Slide.pptx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- New basic research proposals in one of 18 topic areas, such as prompt engineering math, plasma electron emission, low-precision computing, quantum algorithms, deep tissue modulation and photonic activation functions
- A 24-month base research period in two 12-month intervals, each up to $250,000
- A Statement of Work and cost proposal for a 12-month Director's Fellowship option after the base period, up to $500,000
- A Statement of Work and cost proposal for an optional U.S. Citizen Graduate Student option, up to $225,000, running at the same time as the base period (encouraged)
- Travel budgeted for two 2-day meetings in the Washington, D.C. area and one 2-day meeting in the San Diego, California area during the base period, plus one more 2-day D.C. area meeting in the Fellowship year
- Work guided by an assigned DARPA program manager who acts as project manager and mentor
- After award: monthly status reports on any foreign national and U.S. permanent resident personnel, and written notice within 5 business days when they join, leave or change status
- Contract type
- Cooperative agreement (a research funding agreement with substantial government involvement, not a contract); no other award type will be issued
- Period of performance
- 24-month base period (two 12-month intervals) + a 12-month Director's Fellowship option after it + a U.S. Citizen Graduate Student option of up to 12 months that runs within the base period. A target start date of August 2027 may be assumed for planning.
- Estimated value
- Up to $500,000 for the base period (no more than $250,000 per 12-month interval). Up to $1,225,000 per award including the Director's Fellowship option (up to $500,000) and the U.S. Citizen Graduate Student option (up to $225,000).
- How they'll choose
- Each conforming proposal gets a scientific and technical review and is not ranked against others. Awards go to the proposals most advantageous to the Government, subject to funding.
- Offers due
- January 13, 2027, 4:00 PM Eastern
- How to submit
- Executive summary: DARPA's Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT), as one zip file. Full proposal: Grants.gov.
- Page limits
- Executive summary: 1 page, not counting the cover sheet. Volume 1 (Technical and Management): 8 pages. Volume 2 (Administrative and National Policy Requirements): no page limit.
What they'll judge offers on
- Overall Scientific and Technical Merit: innovative, feasible, achievable and complete approach; team expertise; complete, logical tasks and clear deliverables; major technical risks and mitigation; efficient schedule
- Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission: strengthens the national security technology base and prevents technological surprise; any intellectual property restrictions must not significantly limit transition of the technology
- Cost Realism: costs fit the technical and management approach, are necessary for the program metrics, and are backed by detail (labor hours, materials, travel, basis of estimate)
What to include when you submit
- Executive summary first: use the Attachment A template, name one topic area, keep pages 1 to 4 anonymous (name the PI and organization only on the cover sheet), and upload one zip file of 100 MB or less through BAAT.
- Each topic area has its own BAAT listing (DARPARA2701-01, DARPARA2701-02 and so on); a submission must name one and only one topic area on its cover sheet.
- Each principal investigator (PI) may send only one executive summary and one full proposal; DARPA reviews only the first time-stamped one and rejects later ones.
- Full proposal: include the DARPA letter answering the executive summary as Attachment E.
- Volume 1 uses the Attachment C template and must cover the full 36-month program (base and option periods); it needs a signed transmittal letter from the organization, a one-slide summary (Attachment B, PowerPoint, sent as a separate file), a Statement of Work, schedule and milestones.
- Volume 2 uses the Attachment D template, completed in full: team members, conflict of interest answers, intellectual property assertions, human subjects and animal use answers, and tax and felony representations.
- Attachment F (U.S. Citizen Graduate Student Option template) is required if proposing that option and the student is already known.
- Send the budget on the SF 424 Research & Related Budget form with the Budget Justification in Section L, and attach the biographical sketch and current and pending support forms to the SF 424 Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form.
- Cost proposal must cover the base period, the Director's Fellowship option and the graduate student option, and show the organization's negotiated Facilities & Administrative (F&A) rate.
- Disclose any organizational conflict of interest, and state whether the prime or any team member provides, or in the last calendar year provided, scientific, engineering and technical assistance (SETA) or similar support to any DARPA office; if yes, give the office, prime contract number, team member and a mitigation plan.
- Give the Unique Entity ID in each proposal; the proposal must stay valid for at least 120 days.
- Write in English with type no smaller than 12-point, label every document with the RA number, organization and proposal title, state money in U.S. dollars, and mark proprietary pages.
- Submit files as .pdf, .odx, .doc or .docx (the summary slide as .ppt or .pptx).
After award, you must have
- For the graduate student option, the institution must name the student once known and certify U.S. citizenship on Attachment F before the option can start; a replacement must also be a U.S. citizen. From DARPARA2701.pdf:
…proposing the U.S. Citizen Graduate Student option, an eligible student must be identified…
- Foreign nationals and U.S. permanent residents working on the award must register through DARPA using the link in the notification letter, if selected for award negotiation. From DARPARA2701.pdf:
All non-official FNs and USPRs working on DARPA programs are subject to screening…
Current contractor
No incumbent is named. Multiple awards are anticipated; the number of awards is not stated.
Not in the notice text
- Attachment B, the one-slide Proposal Summary Slide template (Attach_B_Proposal_Summary_Slide.pptx), is attached but not read.
- The RA also relies on DARPA web pages (Proposer Instructions for grants and cooperative agreements, the FAQ list) that were not read here; check them on DARPA's site.
- The example rows in the eligibility table in the Overview of DARPARA2701.pdf could not be read; check the table in the PDF on SAM.gov.
- The number of awards is not stated beyond multiple awards.
- Place of performance is blank on SAM.gov and not stated in the documents.
- The set-aside is not stated on SAM.gov; the announcement says no portion is set aside for small or disadvantaged businesses.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside: any business, large or small, can bid unless the notice says otherwise.
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Executive summary: DARPA's Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT), as one zip file. Full proposal: Grants.gov. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 23, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- Def Advanced Research Projects Agcy, Arlington, VA
- Product/service code
- AC11 · National Defense R&D Services; Department of Defense – Military; Basic Research
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541715)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 23, 2026 · Amendment 0001 (this version)Due Jan 13, 2027
- Oct 20, 2026 · SolicitationDue Jan 13, 2027
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
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.