DARPA Information Innovation Office

DARPA I2O Office-wide BAA

Funds United States information science, cyber, and computational defense innovation shaping future command capabilities.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Information Innovation Office (I2O) issues an Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement covering proposals for artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber resilience, formal verification, autonomous decision-making, information warfare, and emerging computational technologies for defense. The most recent I2O BAA, HR001126S0001, closed December 2, 2025; a successor BAA is expected to be published in mid-2026 with the standard year-round Executive Summary intake structure. Applicants should monitor SAM.gov for the new solicitation number and opening date.

I2O is one of DARPA's most program-dense offices. Foundational programs issued under prior I2O BAAs include the Cyber Grand Challenge, Explainable AI (XAI), Air Combat Evolution (ACE), Lifelong Learning Machines (L2M), and major large-language-model safety initiatives. Award sizes typically range from $1 million to $30 million over 24 to 48 months, with a median near $8 million and an estimated annual office pool of $600 million. Eligible performers are US-registered for-profit companies, nonprofits, universities, and research organisations at TRL 2–6.

The standard DARPA two-stage process applies to the successor BAA — Executive Summary first, Full Proposal by invitation only. AI and cyber programs under I2O frequently include classified or restricted-publication terms, and foreign-component restrictions apply under standard DARPA contract terms. Proposals that identify specific technical gaps limiting autonomous or cyber-resilient defense systems — and that propose verifiable technical milestones — align most closely with I2O's evaluation criteria. SAM.gov registration is required.