IARPA - Program Offices

The "P" in IARPA is Very Important

  • Technical and programmatic excellence are required.
  • Each program will have a clearly defined and measurable end-goal, typically 3-5 years out.
  • Intermediate clear and measurable milestones to measure progress are also required.
  • A new program may be started that builds upon what has been accomplished in a previous program, but that new program must compete against all other new programs.
  • This approach, coupled with rotational Program Manager (PM) positions, helps to ensure that...
    • IARPA does not "institutionalize" programs.
    • Fresh ideas and perspectives are always coming in.
    • The status quo is always questioned.
    • Only the best ideas are pursued, and only the best performers are funded.

There are three cutting-edge offices within IARPA:

  • Office of Incisive Analysis

    The goal of the programs in this office is to maximize insight from the information we collect, in a timely fashion.

  • Office of Safe & Secure Operations

    The goal of the programs in this office is to be able to counter new capabilities implemented by our adversaries that could threaten our ability to operate freely and effectively in a networked world.

  • Office of Smart Collection

    The goal of the programs in this office is to dramatically improve the value of collected data from all sources.