DARPA-SN-27-17.pdf

Special Notice Request for Information Formal Learning and Abstractions for System Heterogeneity (FLASH)

DARPA-SN-27-17

November 3, 2026

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Information Processing Techniques Office 675 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-2114

DARPA-SN-27-17

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) DESCRIPTION

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) seeks information on research related to Formal Learning and Abstractions for System Heterogeneity (FLASH). Specifically, this RFI seeks information on (i) national security applications that could benefit from increased robustness and other operational properties enabled by heterogeneous engineering solutions; and (ii) potential techniques, informed by current research and practice, for the automated synthesis and understanding of high-assurance cyber-physical engineering systems from formal specifications.

RFI BACKGROUND

DARPA is exploring novel methodologies that augment generative-model-based agents with symbolic reasoning techniques to formally represent design intent, and to rapidly and efficiently synthesize semantically heterogeneous cyber-physical engineering systems together with design and assurance collateral to aid system understanding. By systematically decoupling high-level system requirements from instance-level design details, the FLASH framework is intended to operationalize robustness through heterogeneity. Under this paradigm, generated instances may exhibit meaningful variation in failure modes and attack surfaces while preserving specified system properties. Exploitation of such variation could reduce the durability and transferability of instance-specific adversary knowledge, including knowledge of discovered vulnerabilities, configurations, or common fault modes. Co-generation of design collateral for assurance and understanding helps provide evidence that correctness, heterogeneity, and resilience can be formally assessed rather than evaluated solely empirically.

Key technical thrusts in FLASH include (i) formalizing system requirements, operational intent, and semantic invariants while exposing valid design degrees of freedom that allow for heterogeneous alternative choices; (ii) developing models and techniques to generate different system design instances while guaranteeing functional equivalence and formally provable correctness; and (iii) techniques to co-generate assurance and explanation artifacts that are applicable across design instances and generate reusable formalizations of domain-specific engineering knowledge.

REQUESTED INFORMATION

1. Responders are invited to identify and characterize specific national security applications and operational environments (e.g., autonomous tactical platforms, secure communication pipelines, industrial control systems, fleets of autonomous robots, high-performance computing clusters, edge computing networks, cybersecurity applications) where FLASH technologies would yield transformational operational advantages. Responses should address: (i) a precise definition of the operational domain and target application, (ii) compelling national security rationale and threat environment, (iii) the current state of the art in protecting or hardening these systems, highlighting fundamental limitations and points of failure, (iv) how dynamic heterogeneity and FLASH technical thrusts could mitigate vulnerabilities, common-mode failures, or attack pathways not adequately addressed by current defenses, including key assumptions, limitations, and proposed evaluation methods, and (v) the functional, safety, security, timing, interoperability, and performance properties that must remain invariant across generated alternatives, as well as the available design degrees of freedom.

2. Responders are invited to describe technical frameworks, architectures, and evaluation criteria capable of achieving the FLASH vision. Responses should address: (i) metrics for heterogeneity; methods to validate functional equivalence and other invariant system properties; and experiments assessing resilience against adaptive, including autonomous exploit development using intelligent agents, (ii) structurally constrained induction and deduction approaches such as oracle-guided inductive synthesis and combining generative multimodal foundation models with interactive theorem provers for design, (iii) single-agent and multi-agent architectures suitable for system design and understanding, and (iv) reusable libraries of formalized specifications, models, and proofs for specific application areas.

ELIGIBLE RESPONDENTS

Responses are welcome from all capable sources including, but not limited to, private or public companies, individuals, universities, university-affiliated research centers, not-for-profit research institutions, and U.S. Government-sponsored laboratories. Note that DARPA assumes that feedback through standard scientific discourse, including direct communication with the corresponding authors or through additional manuscripts, will proceed as usual and views this RFI as in addition to that discourse.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

• Response Due Date: November 30, 2026, by 5:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)

• Responses may be submitted at any classification level; however, submitting classified information will require additional coordination prior to submission.

• All UNCLASSIFIED responses must be submitted to FLASH@darpa.mil.

• All Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) responses must be submitted via DoD

SAFE. Please contact FLASH@darpa.mil to coordinate a DoD SAFE Drop Request link.

• Preferred methods for submitting classified responses are either DARPA Savannah

Network (SAV), Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS) or Secure Integration Cloud (SIC). Requests for submissions via alternative methods will be considered but not guaranteed. Any intentions to submit classified responses will require an unclassified email notification to FLASH@darpa.mil no later than November 13, 2026.

To the maximum extent possible, respondents should submit non-proprietary information. If proprietary information is submitted, it is the respondent’s responsibility to clearly mark what is considered proprietary data. All proprietary information should be clearly labeled “Proprietary.”

NOTE: “Confidential” is a classification marking used to control the dissemination of U.S.

Government National Security Information as dictated in Executive Order (EO) 13526 and should not be used to identify proprietary business information. DARPA will disclose submission contents only for the purpose of review by DARPA staff, other Government agencies, or DARPA Support Contractors.

CUI Responses: For unclassified submissions containing CUI, applicants will ensure that all security requirements for personnel and information systems comply with CUI safeguarding requirements. If an unclassified submission contains CUI or the suspicion of such, as defined by EO 3556 and 32 CFR Part 2002, the information must be appropriately and conspicuously marked CUI in accordance with DoDI 5200.48. Entities generating and submitting CUI responses must do so on an information system authorized to process CUI information in accordance with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171 and Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 8582.01.

Classified Responses: Respondents intending to provide a classified response will send an e-mail notification no later than November 13, 2026 to FLASH@darpa.mil with the subject line “Classified Submission Requested in order to coordinate the transmission of classified information to DARPA.” Classified responses may not be considered if advanced notification is not received by November 13, 2026. NO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION SHOULD BE SENT to FLASH@darpa.mil.

For classified responses, respondents will ensure all industrial, personnel, and information systems’ security requirements are compliant with safeguarding requirements at the appropriate level (e.g., Facility Clearance Level (FCL), Automated Information Security (AIS), Certification and Accreditation (C&A), and any Foreign Ownership Control and Influence (FOCI) issues are mitigated prior to classified response generation. Additional information on these subjects can be found at https://www.dcsa.mil/.

If a submission contains Classified National Security Information or the suspicion of such, as defined by EO 13526, the information must be appropriately and conspicuously marked with the proposed classification level and declassification date. Submissions requiring DARPA to make a final classification determination shall be marked as follows:

“CLASSIFICATION DETERMINATION PENDING. Protect as though classified ____________________ [insert the recommended classification level, e.g., Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret].”

Respondents choosing to submit classified information from other classified sources (i.e., sources other than DARPA) must (1) Document authorization from the cognizant government program office (e.g., Contracting Officer, Program Manager) to submit classified information in response to this RFI; (2) Ensure the submission is marked in accordance with the source Security Classification Guide (SCG) from which the material is derived; and (3) Include a copy of the source SCG with the RFI response.

When submitting classified information, respondents will comply with classification, marking, handling and transmission guidance provided by previously issued SCGs, the DoD Information Security Manual (DoDM 5200.01, Volumes 1 - 4), and the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, including the Supplement Revision 1 (DoD 5220.22-M and DoD 5200.22-M Sup. 1). Submissions containing both classified information and CUI must be appropriately and conspicuously marked with the proposed classification level, as well as ensuring CUI is marked in accordance with DoDI 5200.48.

Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) Information: Respondents will ensure that SCI information provided is marked, handled, and transmitted in accordance with DoDM 5105.21 Volumes 1-3. Questions regarding the transmission of SCI may be sent to the DARPA Program Security Officer (PSO) via FLASH@darpa.mil or by contacting the DARPA Special Security Officer (SSO) at 703-526-1053.

Special Access Program (SAP) Information: Respondents will ensure that any SAP information included in responses is marked and handled in accordance with DoDM 5205.07 and transmitted by specifically approved methods, which will be provided in response to the notification of intent to provide a classified response. Respondents choosing to submit SAP information from an agency other than DARPA are required to provide written authorization from the source material’s cognizant Special Access Program Control Officer (SAPCO) or designated representative. For clarification regarding this process, contact FLASH@darpa.mil.

NOTE: DARPA may reach out to respondents to clarify and/or discuss technical information received against this RFI.

FORMAT AND CONTENT INSTRUCTIONS

• All responses are required to include the submitting organization’s name, the name of a Technical Point of Contact (POC), and the Technical POC’s email address and phone number. Respondents may also include the name and contact information for an Administrative POC.

• DARPA encourages all respondents to submit a five (5)-pages narrative.

• All submissions must be submitted as an unprotected Microsoft Word or as an unprotected

PDF file. Submissions not meeting this requirement may be discarded.

• All submissions must be written in English, and all pages shall be formatted for printing on 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins and font size no smaller than 12-point font.

Font sizes of 8 or 10-point may be used for figures, tables, and charts.

DARPACONNECT

Entities who have not worked with DARPA before are encouraged to learn more about DARPAConnect, an initiative established to facilitate collaboration between DARPA and potential performers. DARPAConnect offers customized support, resources, and guidance on how to prepare your ideas for high-impact conversations with DARPA program managers.

Please visit DARPAConnect.us to access a digital hub of online resources, including a curriculum for self-paced learning, personalized support, and in-person and virtual events. In addition to the self-paced online materials, the DARPAConnect team is able to schedule one-on-one conversations to discuss your specific ideas, questions, and paths to DARPA. You can use the contact form at DARPAConnect.us or email the DARPAConnect team directly at darpaconnect@darpa.mil to request assistance.

ADMINISTRATIVE

This RFI contains all information required to submit a response. No additional forms, kits, or other materials are needed. All administrative and technical questions should be directed to FLASH@darpa.mil. Please refer to the Special Notice number (DARPA-SN-27-17) in all correspondence.

This RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for abstracts or proposals; any abstract or proposal received against this RFI will be disregarded. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to https://www.darpaconnect.us/ mailto:darpaconnect@darpa.mil this RFI. Respondents are advised that DARPA is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the submission received, invite respondents to events, include tools identified in responses, or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI.