DARPA SBIR/STTR topics
10 open or upcoming topics from DARPA (Department of War (DoD)). Next deadline: Oct 21, 2026.
Common technology areas: Sensors & sensing (3) · Communications & networking (2) · Hypersonics & propulsion (2) · Autonomy & robotics (2) · Medical devices & diagnostics (2) · Environment, water & climate (2)
Casualty Operations & Resource Prediction Software (CORPS)
The challenges underlying crisis medical response in austere and contested environments are significantly different than those underlying long-range planning or response in established theaters.
Fuel-Flexible Spacecraft Electric Propulsion System
Spacecraft electric propulsion (EP) systems typically rely on noble gas fuels (xenon, krypton, argon) stored in high pressure tanks.
ICU-in-a-Box: Autonomous Extracorporeal Multiple-Organ Support Therapies
Severe hemorrhage is the number one cause of preventable combat deaths, followed by airway compromise (Eastridge, 2012), with increased artillery, thermobaric and incendiary munitions use (Remondelli et al.
Influence Benchmarks for AI Systems
This topic seeks to develop a simulated market as a test environment to characterize the latent behavioral preferences of AI systems.As warfighters increasingly engage with AI systems, particularly agents that rely on large-language models (LLMs), concern has arisen that the systems may encourage cognitive behavior in users that impart hidden biases, impair judgement, and ultimately degrade warfighting capacity.
Localization, Characterization, and Modeling of Freestream Disturbances in Hypersonic Wind Tunnels
Hypersonic ground-test facilities are critical for evaluating aerodynamic forces, aerothermodynamic heating, and boundary-layer transition (BLT) behavior on high-speed flight vehicles.
New World Screwworm Networked Detection, Identification, and Surveillance System
New World Screwworm (NWS or Cochliomyia hominivorax) larvae infest the living tissue of warm-blooded animals.
Noninvasive Detection and Localization of Occult Hemorrhage
TThe goal of this development effort is to produce a noninvasive or minimally invasive capability that enables Role 1 medical personnel (specifically, a combat medic with no surgical or pre-operative imaging expertise) to rapidly detect, localize, and characterize the rate of life-threatening, occult, or non-compressible torso hemorrhage (NCTH) that cannot be precisely identified through routine clinical assessments available in the field.
Novel Radio Frequency Sensing Technologies
Detecting and mapping deep subsurface mineral deposits typically requires localized or low-altitude operations.
Scalable Hard-mask materials with Improved Etch resistance and Low Degradation for Extreme-aspect-Ratio fabrication (SHIELDER)
Next-generation defense-relevant microsystem technologies, such as 3D integrated circuits, high-density memory arrays, MEMS inertial sensors and RF filters, and integrated photonic devices, rely on the precise manufacturing of extreme high-aspect-ratio features within a chip [1-3].
TRIAGE-X: Autonomous Casualty Triage and Treatment in Chemically Contaminated Mass Casualty Events
DARPA seeks innovative approaches to autonomous chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear (CBRN) triage that measurably improve casualty survival and increase the effective capacity of a medical response during CBRN disasters.
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