Young Faculty Award (YFA) 2027
DARPA's 2027 Young Faculty Award funds early-career researchers in academia and nonprofit institutions to develop innovative research for national security, particularly those without prior DARPA funding.
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Funder: DARPA - Defense Sciences Office
Due Dates: November 5, 2026 (Required executive summary) | January 5, 2027 (Questions) | January 13, 2027 (Full proposal)
Funding Amounts: Up to $500,000 over 24 months; up to $1,225,000 including options
Summary: Supports early-career researchers developing revolutionary science and technology for national security through research funding and DARPA mentorship.
Key Information: A conforming executive summary is required before submitting a full proposal.
Description
DARPA’s Young Faculty Award program identifies rising researchers in junior academic positions and equivalent positions at nonprofit research institutions, particularly those without prior DARPA funding. Administered by the Defense Sciences Office, it supports innovative research that enables transformative defense capabilities and develops the next generation of researchers focused on national security. Each awardee receives a DARPA Program Manager who serves as project manager and mentor.
The program seeks revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems—not primarily evolutionary improvements. Single-PI proposals must address exactly one of 18 specified topic areas across DARPA’s technical offices. Research must align with the selected topic’s national security challenges and provide a credible plan with quantitative milestones. Applied research and efforts requiring Controlled Unclassified Information restrictions will not be selected.
