Young Faculty Award (YFA) 2027

Research
Funding Agency:
Funding Agency
DARPA
RFP# and Website:
RFP# and Website
DARPARA2701
Awards:
Awards

24-month Base Period: Up to $500,000 (each 12-month interval of the base period shall

not exceed $250,000).

o 12-month Director’s Fellowship option period: Up to $500,000 (contingent upon

selection).

o United States (U.S.) Citizen Graduate Student option: Up to $225,000 (must run

concurrently with the base period and not exceed 12 months).

o In total, the maximum funding amount possible per award is $1,225,000, inclusive of the

base period, Director’s Fellowship option period, and the U.S. Citizen Graduate Student

option.
Anticipated Funding Amount:
Letter of Intent:
Letter of Intent
Please contact the program director
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
Preliminary Proposal Deadline:
Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s)

Executive Summary Due Date: November 5, 2026, 4:00 p.m.
Full Proposal Submission Deadline:
Full Proposal Submission Deadline

Full Proposal Due Date: January 13, 2027, 4:00 p.m.
Contacts:
Contacts

BAA Coordinator YFA2027@darpa.mil 
Description
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.