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Welcome to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) website. This website is your resource for DARPA’s news, programs, history and people.
Technology Spotlight: Learn how DARPA has led important advancements in information technology in this month’s feature, DARPA, the ARPANET and the Information Technology Revolution.
DARPA Industry Summit: Chief Executives from industry are invited to join DARPA staff for a 1-day session, either January 26 or 27, to discuss major challenges to our country’s national security.
LEARN ABOUT DARPA
DARPA is the research and development arm of the U.S. Department of Defense. DARPA's mission is to maintain the technological superiority of the U.S. military and prevent technological surprise from threatening our national security.
DARPA funds unique and innovative research through the private sector, academic and other non-profit organizations as well as government labs.
DARPA research runs the gamut from conducting scientific investigations in a laboratory, to building full-scale prototypes of military systems. We fund research in biology, medicine, computer science, chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, material sciences, social sciences, neuroscience, and more.
DARPA research projects evolve into military use through technology transition.
OBTAIN RESEARCH FUNDING
DARPA funds unique and innovative research through the private sector, academic and other non-profit organizations as well as government labs. DARPA program managers develop ideas for research programs and issue solicitations requesting proposals from researchers.
We continually publish solicitations for each research program. All DARPA solicitations are published on the Federal Business Opportunities and/or Grants.gov websites. We select which researchers to fund based on a competitive evaluation of the proposals submitted under each solicitation.
WORK FOR DARPA
Are you a scientist or engineer with an idea you believe could provide change for the U.S. military? Would you like to lead the country’s most capable experts to make that idea become reality in a period of just a few years? If so, you should consider joining DARPA as a program manager.
DARPA embraces innovative ideas leading to new capabilities for U.S. men and women in uniform.
TECHNOLOGIES & PROGRAMS
DARPA has seven offices. Each office website includes information on the office's solicitations, programs, and personnel.
DARPA looks beyond today’s technological limits and imagines future military capabilities and needs. DARPA program managers are in search of revolutionary ideas to create programs that will bridge the gap between fundamental discoveries and new military capabilities.
DARPA research projects evolve into military use through technology transition.
NEW TO DARPA? (click below)
Learn About DARPA
More information:
- DARPA offices
- Ongoing research programs
- For information on research programs that will be starting in the near future, review our open solicitations and read speeches given at the most recent DARPATech conference
- DARPA’s Newsroom has recent news, releases, testimony, program fact sheets, and more
- DARPA’s Grand Challenge was a series of races for robotic ground vehicles
- Military service members click here for information on interacting with DARPA
Obtain Research Funding
More information:
- Review DARPA’s open solicitations on Federal Business Opportunities or Grants.gov
- Many of DARPA’s solicitations encourage the submission of a white paper or abstract. What to include in a white paper? Review solicitation instructions or try these websites (STO, IPTO, MTO, DSO, and TTO)
- DARPA participates in the Small Business Innovation Research program
Work For DARPA
More information:
Technologies & Programs
More information:
- Search for a particular technology or program by keyword
- Visit each technical office's website to review the office mission statement and thrust areas
- Review each office's list of ongoing programs
- Review each office's open and closed solicitations
- Read speeches given at the most recent DARPATech conference
- Visit DARPA's Newsroom for recent news releases, testimony, program fact sheets and more
- Military service members click here for information on interacting with DARPA
- When a DARPA research program is completed, the technology is available to the Military Services and defense contractors for use in military systems
