Pipelined Reasoning Of Verifiers Enabling Robust Systems (PROVERS)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency seeks proposals through its Pipelined Reasoning Of Verifiers Enabling Robust Systems program to advance proof engineering capabilities. Proposals are due by June 2, 2023 to integrate formal verification methods into continuous software development pipelines, developing knowledge, tools, and techniques accessible to traditional engineers. The agency will evaluate technical progress against goals in three program phases over 42 months to ensure critical Department of Defense systems remain free of defects and vulnerabilities.

There is no set-aside designation for this pre-solicitation. Potential research areas involve advances in proof development, maintenance, deployment and management. Evaluation will measure progress in proof engineering, platform development for security-critical use cases, and assessment of developed platforms. Anticipated awards are unspecified, with the agency seeking innovations to integrate formal verification into standard software processes for Department of Defense systems.