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Official page of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

www.darpa.mil military.
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DARPA's mission is to prevent and create strategic technological surprise by maintaining the technological superiority of the U.S. The Agency sponsors revolutionary, high-payoff research bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and their military use.

10/14/2026

Every minute saved can mean another life saved.

In critical care, the margin between survival and tragedy is often measured in minutes. The DARPA Triage Challenge (DTC) Data Competition evaluates next-generation predictive algorithms designed to anticipate patient needs before they become critical.

By analyzing real-time physiological data from the crucial first five to 20 minutes of patient contact, these algorithms aim to:

◾ Deliver earlier alerts for needed life-saving procedures
◾ Empower clinicians with impartial, data-driven decision support
◾ Optimize resource allocation in high-demand mass-casualty situations

Our ultimate goal is to translate raw, real-time data into actionable, predictive foresight for military and civilian first responders.

See how we are saving lives through innovation: https://ow.ly/VbSE50ZXxKe

Filmed on location at University of Maryland Medical Center.

10/01/2026

In this episode of "Voices from DARPA," we discuss how a logistics challenge sparked a movement to break a nearly century-old barrier holding back heavy vertical-lift aircraft.

Phillip "Donna" Smith is a program manager in DARPA's Tactical Technology Office. He oversees several of the agency's aerial drone programs, including the Lift Challenge, a national public competition that began with one simple metric: improve payload-to-weight ratio in vertical aircraft, which currently lift only as much as they weigh.

What began as a hypothesis that these aircraft could lift four times their current weight using more aerodynamic designs, new materials, and better flight controls rapidly became a path to even higher payload efficiency.

Smith shares insights from the 2026 competition and what led to the decision to go for even bigger goals in 2028.

Listen to the full episode: https://ow.ly/q6ph50ZTxwZ

Additional Lift Challenge information, competition recaps, and upcoming milestones are available at https://ow.ly/l82m50ZTxx0.

09/15/2026

During mass casualty events, survivable injuries can become fatal simply due to a shortage of available surgeons. We are calling on innovators in robotics, AI, and medicine to help us address this critical gap with the launch of the DARPA Surgical Competition (DSC).

The competition aims to develop autonomous robotic systems that act as skilled partners to human surgeons, creating a force multiplier that provides scalable, life-saving capacity when and where it is needed most.

With a total of $3.5 million in prizes, DSC will push the boundaries of human-machine teaming and progressive robotic autonomy. Help us build the future of surgery.

Learn more and assemble your team today: https://ow.ly/30xl50ZNXEQ

09/14/2026

75% of pre-hospital combat casualty care is unrecorded, and often the only care provided is by trained warfighters. We are addressing this critical gap with the launch of the DARPA Documentation and Decision Support (D2) Sprint.

We are calling on top innovators in artificial intelligence, software development, and medical informatics to help us build the future of point-of-injury care. The challenge aims to develop AI tools that automatically assess casualties, guide treatment, and document care—ensuring vital patient data is never lost.

With a total of $1 million in prizes across Documentation and Decision Support tracks, the challenge will push the boundaries of clinical AI. Are you ready to tackle one of the greatest data challenges in emergency medicine?

Learn more and assemble your team today: https://www.darpa.mil/research/challenges/d2?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=d2&utm_content=sept-14&utm_term=announcement

09/10/2026

We want to save more lives by completely transforming the combat casualty care continuum. We are launching a new Small Business Innovation Research opportunity (SBIR).

ICU-in-a-box seeks to combine multiple lifesaving capabilities into a single, portable, integrated intervention and delivery platform for resuscitation, cardiovascular and lung support.

𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆
Opens: Sept. 23
Closes: Oct. 21

For more information on this and other lifesaving SBIR opportunities: https://ow.ly/1oxZ50ZM5xR

View the solicitation instructions and submit your proposal: https://ow.ly/aRjM50ZM5xP

09/08/2026

What do a grappling technique and a Norse god have in common with DARPA?

They’re inspiration for game-changing programs in Dr. Christopher Kent’s portfolio, designed to make the world a less safe place for U.S. adversaries and a safer place for our warfighters.

This video highlights how one of these programs – Heimdall – can aid in U.S. military operations. Access the full episode with Dr. Kent at https://ow.ly/qe2O50ZJCcR .

09/03/2026

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲.

In November, the DARPA Triage Challenge Finals begin, bringing bold ideas, cutting-edge technology, academia, and industry together with one mission: Save more lives.

Watch our vision for the tactical combat casualty care of trauma care (below) and don't forget to check out https://ow.ly/kj8k50ZISii for ongoing updates!

https://ow.ly/9of550ZISih

09/01/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗣𝗔 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟴!

Teams competing in the first competition showed us that the potential for massive breakthroughs in heavy lift vertical aviation is far greater than we initially anticipated. The 4:1 payload-to-weight ratio 𝑖𝑠 possible and likely just the beginning.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟴:

🟢Aircraft weighing 55 lbs. or less (same as 2026)
🟢2x the prep time
🟢2x the distance
🟢2x the minimum payload
🟢More community collaboration

Details | dates | location coming soon at https://ow.ly/5mP050ZGHAO

Address

675 N Randolph Street
Arlington, VA
22203

Website

http://www.darpa.mil/

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