Request for Information (RFI): Formal Learning and Abstractions for System Heterogeneity (FLASH)

DARPA's Information Processing Techniques Office is issuing a Special Notice in the form of a Request for Information for the Formal Learning and Abstractions for System Heterogeneity (FLASH) program, with responses due November 30, 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. No set-aside is used, and DARPA welcomes submissions from all capable sources, including private and public companies, individuals, universities, research centers, not-for-profit institutions, and U.S. Government-sponsored laboratories.

The RFI seeks information on two areas: national-security applications that could benefit in robustness and other operational properties from heterogeneous engineering solutions, and techniques for automated synthesis and understanding of high-assurance cyber-physical engineering systems from formal specifications. The attached file describes the program as augmenting generative-model-based agents with symbolic reasoning to synthesize semantically heterogeneous systems with design and assurance collateral.

Responses must include the organization name, technical point of contact, email address, and phone number. DARPA encourages a five-page narrative in unprotected Microsoft Word or PDF format with 1-inch margins and 12-point minimum font. Unclassified responses go to FLASH@darpa.mil, and Controlled Unclassified Information responses go via DoD SAFE. Classified responses require advance notification to FLASH@darpa.mil by November 13, 2026, with transmission through DARPA Savannah Network, Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System, or Secure Integration Cloud. The notice is not a solicitation for abstracts or proposals, responses are not offers and cannot form binding contracts, and DARPA will not reimburse response costs or provide feedback.