Research and Technology Development (12.910)
Research and Technology Development (Assistance Listing 12.910) is run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of the Department of Defense. It awarded $1.5 billion in 739 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $2.1 million per award on average. 5 funding opportunities are open or forecast now.
The typical award was $724,164. Half of the 739 awards fell between $400,915 and $2.0 million, and they ranged from $2,669 to $75.6 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$1.5 billion
- Grant awards739
- Typical award$724,164
- Awarded in FY 2025$213 million
- Size rank205 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $358 million in fiscal 2021 to $213 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 205th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 52% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 43 states and territories.
What the program funds
To support and stimulate basic research, applied research and advanced research at educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and commercial firms, which may have military or dual-use application. This support may take the form of grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions for research.
Open opportunities
- TTO Office Wide (OW) BAA 2025
- Young Faculty Award (YFA) 2027
- Information Processing Techniques Office Office-Wide
- Defense Sciences Office (DSO) Office-wide BAA
- Automated Processes for Knowledge Discovery and Information Retrieval
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
For grants, eligibility is limited to public and private educational institutions and nonprofit organizations operated for purposes in the public interest. For cooperative agreements, eligibility is limited to educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and commercial firms. Individuals are not eligible for these awards. Eligibility for TIAs is broader and may include all organizations and individuals, including commercial companies.
What the money can and cannot pay for
No block or formula grants. Only project grants resulting from scientific proposals. Basic research, applied research and advanced research in areas of science and technology which may have military or dual-use application. Projects are expected to advance the state of the art or result in fundamental change in technology. Support for scientific symposia, conferences in relevant technology areas, and consortia which deals with relevant technologies. Programs to encourage careers in science, technology and engineering, and to increase the number of graduates from underrepresented minority groups. Programs assisting laboratory research instrumentation at universities. Programs intended to produce fundamentally different approaches to relevant technologies or establish fundamentally new relationships among the parties engaged in technology development. Potential recipients should note that these funds are awarded on project-by-project basis and are not block grants. The research focus areas are defined in the announcement of potential research needs (See references to Broad Agency Announcements and/or Research Announcements in Application and Award Process).
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Range may include $50,000 to $3,600,000.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Some examples of 2025 funded projects: ? Harnessing Dataless Neural Networks for Large-Scale Combinatorial Optimization and Signal Processing. ? Structures Uniquely Resolved to Guarantee Endurance. ? Multi-octave and narrow-linewidth 5-mW THz chip-sources for precision Rydberg sensing. ? Complex-Structured Optimization Algorithms for Non-Learning Neural Networks. ? Periodically-poled Ultrawide-bandgap Material Platform for Efficient UV Production. ? Quantum Sensing of Phonons for Enhanced Neutrino Detection. ? Harnessing Artificial Intelligence and Language Modeling for Enhancing Innovation and Evaluating Research Claims. ? Protein Design with AI models of quantitative traits. ? Automated Prediction Aided by Quantized Simulators. ? Rapid Advancement for Munitions Production. ? Self-Assembling Biohybrid Robots Using Metamorphic Insect Cells and Electrically Conducting Biopolymers. ? Multiscale Stochastic Dynamics on Evolving Networks in Random Environments. ? Large-scale gene annotation through machine learning-driven data science. ? Manipulations that Instigate Strategic Complexity and Havoc to Influence Exploitable Fragility.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Research and Technology Development (12.910) awarded $1.5 billion across 739 grant awards, an average of $2.1 million per award.
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 93% of the money, nonprofits 5.9% and businesses 0.6%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 676 | $1.4 billion | 93% |
| Nonprofits | 36 | $90.9 million | 5.9% |
| Businesses | 5 | $9.0 million | 0.6% |
| Other | 17 | $6.7 million | 0.4% |
| Small businesses | 2 | $2.4 million | 0.2% |
| State and local governments | 3 | $1.2 million | less than 0.1% |
By state
34 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 134 | $334 million |
| Massachusetts | 74 | $188 million |
| New York | 59 | $103 million |
| Pennsylvania | 44 | $87.8 million |
| Illinois | 28 | $83.3 million |
| South Carolina | 3 | $82.7 million |
| Michigan | 29 | $75.8 million |
| Maryland | 34 | $71.9 million |
| Florida | 31 | $51.7 million |
| Texas | 39 | $50.5 million |
| Washington | 18 | $32.2 million |
| North Carolina | 12 | $32.1 million |
| Virginia | 23 | $31.4 million |
| Connecticut | 14 | $26.4 million |
| Colorado | 17 | $25.6 million |
| Wisconsin | 8 | $24.7 million |
| Georgia | 16 | $24.0 million |
| Arizona | 17 | $24.0 million |
| Ohio | 12 | $23.1 million |
| Tennessee | 8 | $21.3 million |
| Indiana | 18 | $20.2 million |
| New Jersey | 22 | $19.6 million |
| Missouri | 6 | $15.8 million |
| Minnesota | 11 | $14.1 million |
| Iowa | 4 | $9.6 million |
| Oregon | 3 | $9.1 million |
| Montana | 2 | $7.5 million |
| Utah | 9 | $4.4 million |
| Nebraska | 2 | $4.1 million |
| Rhode Island | 4 | $3.6 million |
| District of Columbia | 3 | $3.2 million |
| Delaware | 4 | $1.6 million |
| Kansas | 2 | $1.2 million |
| Louisiana | 2 | $1.1 million |
| Kentucky | 2 | $974,467 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | $875,331 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $871,449 |
| Vermont | 1 | $486,057 |
| West Virginia | 2 | $351,629 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $246,555 |
| Arkansas | 1 | $96,064 |
| Alabama | 1 | $79,464 |
| Idaho | 1 | $78,068 |