DARPA’s Strategy Adviser Details How to Secure Support From Agency

A senior official at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency provided insight into how the industry can secure grants and contracts from the agency, FedScoop reported Thursday. 

David Henshall, DARPA’s senior adviser for commercial strategy, said entrepreneurs and startup companies should be familiar with the opportunities of national security, monitor the agency’s programs and actively coordinate with federal program managers.

“Read our website and find out what we’re working on. Find out who’s there,” he said. “And then find the program manager that’s interested in the technology space you’re dealing with.”

Henshall noted that companies can contact any managers at DARPA that focus on their area of expertise. However, the strategy adviser clarified that meetings may occur several times until an organization secures a grant. 

The advice comes as DARPA plans to invest $2B in research for the “third wave” artificial intelligence capacities over the next few years. In September, the agency announced the AI Next initiative that will fund research and development programs aimed at building machines with contextual reasoning to adapt to changing situations like humans.