Fundamental Physical Science

Traditional defense contractors, corporations and startups alike are critical parts of the innovation ecosystem in which DARPA operates and all of these--whether large and small-- can serve as performers of DARPA-funded R&D to generate revolutionary technologies and capabilities.

By design, DARPA reaches for transformational change instead of incremental advances. But DARPA does not perform its engineering alchemy in isolation. It works within an innovation ecosystem that includes academic, corporate and governmental partners, with a constant focus on the Nation’s military Services, which work with DARPA to create new strategic opportunities and novel tactical options.

The objective of the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) program is to identify and engage rising research stars in junior faculty positions at U.S. academic institutions and introduce them to Department of Defense needs as well as DARPA’s program development process.