Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity

Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity is a civilian agency within the intelligence community that funds research and development contracts in classified national-security domains. IARPA sources advanced technology development through competitive solicitations directed at cleared contractors and research institutions.

The agency's current contracting activity centers on classified research programs accessible through the intelligence-community acquisition portal. A Special Notice posted August 28, 2026, with a due date of September 7, 2026, solicits proposals for research and development related to surveillance systems; additional details are available on the classified Acquisition Research Centers website at acq.nro.ic.gov under DNI - Efforts, accessible via JWICS credentials.

No recent contract award activity is recorded against IARPA or its descendant offices in the unclassified portfolio summary. No grant activity is recorded. The agency's primary contracting vehicle operates within the classified acquisition environment, where opportunity and award data are not reflected in the civilian unclassified contracting rollup. Business-development professionals pursuing IARPA work must maintain active JWICS access and monitor the classified portal directly rather than relying on unclassified federal opportunity databases.

IARPA funds academic and industry research across a broad range of technical areas, including mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, linguistics, political science, and cognitive psychology.