This Project Call seeks submissions that address specific defense manufacturing needs, demonstrate strong potential impact to the Department of War (DoW), and include a validated transition plan to the DoW’s commercial (CIB) and/or organic industrial base (OIB) and related supply chains. However, dual-use technology that benefits the broader U.S. manufacturing sector is preferred.
Technologies with strong potential for successful commercialization are highly desired, as this reduces DoW cost and acquisition barriers. Validated transition plans will preferably be demonstrated by inclusion of DoW and/or CIB government program stakeholders on the project team. Where applicable, inclusion of government program office or program of record stakeholder is also encouraged.
All proposals must have a defense focus, fall between Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4-7, and include a final demonstration in a production relevant or representative environment.
Application Areas & Technical Topic Areas
Each proposal must identify and respond to one of the following high-priority, defense Application Areas. Submissions must demonstrate a strong potential impact to the DoW. Dual-use technology that also benefits the broader U.S. manufacturing sector is preferred, but the focus of this project call is primarily on defense applications.
- High-Mix, Low-Volume Castings and Forgings
- Submarines and High-Priority Surface Naval Vessels
- Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)
- Munitions, Missiles, and Hypersonic Weapons
- Rapid and Agile Expansion of Defense Production
- Agile Production of Rapidly Evolving System Designs
- Other Programs of Record or Validated High-Priority DoW Needs
The ARM Institute Technical Topics Areas relevant for this project call are listed below. Submissions may focus on the technology development objectives noted in one or more of these topics.
- Multi-Modal Inputs for AI Robotics in Manufacturing
- Rapid Re-Tasking and Robot Agility
- Multi-Robot, Multi-Human Collaboration and Supervised Autonomy
- Adaptive Real-Time Path Planning and Control
- Mobile Robotics
Timeline
- Project Call Webinar (PUBLIC): August 19, 2026
- Submission Deadline for Concept Papers: September 16, 2026
- Invitations for Presentation Phase Released: On or about October 13, 2026
- Submission Deadline for Presentations and Supporting Docs: December 2, 2026, 5:00pm ET
- Team Presentations: On or about December 9, 2026
- Final Selections Released; Subaward Negotiations Begin: On or about December 11, 2026
- Subaward Execution Deadline; Awards Expire: February 1, 2027
- Target Project Start Date: On or before February 1, 2027
- Project Team Subcontract Execution Deadline: On or before March 15, 2027
- Project Period of Performance End Date: January 31, 2028