ONHS Report: DARPA-PS-26-09

Strategic Technology Office-wide Innovation Solutions Opening Announcement

Solicitation ID: DARPA-PS-26-09

Agency: DARPA/STO

Type: Solicitation

Deadline: 2027-10-31T23:59:00 ET

Eligibility: Maybe (Conditional)

Funding: N/A

Doc Type: PS

Clearance: CUI

Program Manager: DARPA-PS-26-09@darpa.mil

Last Updated: 2025-12-20 17:02

Analyzed File: DARPA-PS-26-09.pdf

Eligibility Reasoning

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) including National Labs... are highly discouraged from proposing against this solicitation as award to a UARC or FFRDC will only be made by exception. UARCs and FFRDCs interested in this solicitation, either as a prime or a subcontractor, must contact the Agency Point of Contact (POC) listed in the Overview section prior to the proposal (or abstract) due date to discuss potential participation as part of the government team or eligibility as a technical performer.

Note: This is an AI-generated summary...

Summary

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Strategic Technology Office (STO) has issued a long-term, open-call Innovation Solutions Opening (DARPA-PS-26-09) seeking revolutionary research ideas for topics not addressed by ongoing STO programs. The announcement specifically excludes proposals for evolutionary improvements, focusing instead on disruptive technologies for future battlespaces across air, space, sea, and land domains. Interested parties must first submit a 3-page abstract on a rolling basis until the closing date of October 31, 2027. Full proposals will only be accepted upon written invitation from the government after a successful abstract review. Key technology areas of interest are broad and include, but are not limited to, autonomy, command and control (C2), advanced communications and networking, AI, sensors, space systems, and undersea technology. Evaluation criteria, in descending order of importance, are: Overall Scientific and Technical Merit, Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission, and Price/Cost Realism. Multiple awards are anticipated, potentially as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), cooperative agreements, or for procurement for experimental purposes.

Overall Technical Areas

Acoustic Communication & SensingApplied Artificial IntelligenceAutonomy & Control AlgorithmsHuman-Machine Teaming & SymbiosisDirected Energy SystemsElectromagnetic WarfareAdaptive Communications & NetworkingRF, Radar & Millimeter Wave SystemsPhotonics & Electro-Optic/Infrared SensorsSpace Systems & ArchitecturesUndersea & Seabed TechnologyAdvanced Computing & Software DevelopmentModeling & SimulationRobotics & Autonomous SystemsAdditive Manufacturing

Probable LBNL Areas

ETALD

Focus Areas

Example Priorities:

Acoustic communication and sensing
Adaptability
Advanced computing
Additive manufacturing
Architecture and advanced systems engineering
Applied artificial intelligence
Autonomy and control algorithms
Combat identification
Command and control (C2)
Communications and networking, virtual and adaptive
Complexity management
Contested logistics
Critical infrastructure defense
Decision aids and C2 technology
DevOps and novel software development and integration
Distributed autonomy and teaming (machine-machine, human-machine)
Economic security
Effects chain functions (disaggregated find, fix, track, target, engage, assess)
Electro-optic/infrared sensors
Electromagnetic warfare (EW)
High-frequency (HF) communications and sensing
High voltage electric power systems and architecture
Human behavior modeling
Human-machine symbiosis
Industrial engineering
Integration and reliability technologies
Interoperability
Modeling and simulation
Microwave and millimeter wave communications and sensing
Novel kinetic effects
Non-kinetic effects (EW, DE, cyber)
Optical technologies
Photonics
Radio technologies (especially software-defined and novel waveforms and processing)
Radar and adaptive arrays
Resilient systems
Robotics
Scaled directed energy (DE)
Seekers and other expendable sensors and processing
Sensors and analytics
Signal processing
Space sensors, communications, autonomy, and architectures (especially supporting proliferated low earth orbit constellations)
Strategy analysis technology
Supply chain analytics
System of systems
Undersea and seabed technology
Tactics development technology
Testing and data collection
Very low earth orbit (VLEO) technology
Very low frequency (VLF) technology

Specific Technical Skills:

Acoustic communication and sensingAdaptabilityAdvanced computingAdditive manufacturingArchitecture and advanced systems engineeringApplied artificial intelligenceAutonomy and control algorithmsCombat identificationCommand and control (C2)Communications and networking, virtual and adaptiveComplexity managementContested logisticsCritical infrastructure defenseDecision aids and C2 technologyDevOps and novel software development and integrationDistributed autonomy and teaming (machine-machine, human-machine)Economic securityEffects chain functions (disaggregated find, fix, track, target, engage, assess)Electro-optic/infrared sensorsElectromagnetic warfare (EW)High-frequency (HF) communications and sensingHigh voltage electric power systems and architectureHuman behavior modelingHuman-machine symbiosisIndustrial engineeringIntegration and reliability technologiesInteroperabilityModeling and simulationMicrowave and millimeter wave communications and sensingNovel kinetic effectsNon-kinetic effects (EW, DE, cyber)Optical technologiesPhotonicsRadio technologies (especially software-defined and novel waveforms and processing)Radar and adaptive arraysResilient systemsRoboticsScaled directed energy (DE)Seekers and other expendable sensors and processingSensors and analyticsSignal processingSpace sensors, communications, autonomy, and architectures (especially supporting proliferated low earth orbit constellations)Strategy analysis technologySupply chain analyticsSystem of systemsUndersea and seabed technologyTactics development technologyTesting and data collectionVery low earth orbit (VLEO) technologyVery low frequency (VLF) technology

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Jennifer Stokes-Draut	0.71	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept
Sunhee Baik	0.70	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Energy Markets & Policy
Shawn Tornga	0.70	LD \| LD \| ONHS
Alex Newkirk	0.70	ETA \| Building Tech. & Urban Sys. \| Bldg & Industrial App Dpt
David Blum	0.70	ETA \| Building Tech. & Urban Sys. \| Bldg Technologies Dept
Tae Hwan Lim	0.70	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept
Thomas Hendrickson	0.69	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept
Anand Krishnan Prakash	0.69	ETA \| Building Tech. & Urban Sys. \| Bldg Technologies Dept
Peng Peng	0.69	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept
Sarah Smith	0.69	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept

Potential LBNL PIs (Overall)

Note on PI Matching: These suggestions are generated through an AI-driven semantic analysis of LBNL staff profiles.

Name	Score	Organization
Claire Tomlin	0.76	BSA \| Biological Systems & Engineering \| Department of BioEngineering and BioMedical Sciences · Autonomy & Control Algorithms
Steven Hofmeyr	0.76	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science · Advanced Computing & Software Development
Mengjie Yu	0.75	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Photonics & Electro-Optic/Infrared Sensors
Zachary Needell	0.75	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Modeling & Simulation
Cameron Geddes	0.74	PSA \| Physical Sciences \| Accel Tech & AppPhysics · Directed Energy Systems
Dongwoo Paeng	0.74	ETA \| ESDR \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · Additive Manufacturing
Satyarth Praveen	0.74	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications · Applied Artificial Intelligence
Stijn (Stan) Wielandt	0.73	PSA \| Engineering \| Electronic Engineering · RF, Radar & Millimeter Wave Systems
Zhi Jackie Yao	0.73	CSA \| AMCR \| Applied Mathematics · Electromagnetic Warfare
Arpit Gupta	0.73	CSA \| ESNET \| Tech Adv and Engagement · Adaptive Communications & Networking

Fundamental Research Exemption (FRE)

The following provisions and clause apply to all solicitations and contracts; however, the definition of “controlled technical information” clearly exempts work considered fundamental research and therefore, even though included in the contract, will not apply if the work is fundamental research.