IARPA COSMIC

IARPA COSMIC is the ETA topic that combines commercial remote sensing with open-source geolocation data to build dynamic geospatial models for intelligence analysis. Its technical aim is to turn those inputs into an agentic AI analytic system capable of answering intelligence questions and supporting persistent indications-and-warning work. The programme sits in the same FY26 ETA family as ARCADE and DECIPHER, but its subject matter is geospatial change detection rather than electronics or language. COSMIC uses the same Prototype Other Transaction Agreement route under DOI-ETA-FY26-30. White papers are accepted on a rolling basis after the Q&A posting, with the initial wave due 30 June 2026, and ETA projects generally run for 12 to 24 months. No public award amount is given in the available sources. The prime contractor must be US-based, while universities, nonprofits, small businesses, and other eligible teams can participate. Government agencies, FFRDCs, and UARCs are excluded, and foreign participation is limited to subcontract roles within a US team. The strongest submissions will tie satellite imagery, open-source signals, and AI reasoning to a single intelligence task that can be delivered on the ETA schedule. COSMIC is best suited to teams that already work at the boundary between geospatial analytics and decision support, because the programme is built around an applied analytic system rather than a data-visualisation layer. Applicants should show a crisp use case and a team structure that can move from raw data to operationally useful outputs.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.