ARM Institute issues final project call for defense systems

The Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing, or ARM, Institute last week said the final version of Technology Project Call 26-01 is publicly available. The core-funded call is looking to serve high-priority defense application areas.

Dual-use technology that also benefits the broader U.S. manufacturing sector is preferred, but this project call primarily focuses on defense applications, noted the ARM Institute.

Founded in 2017, the ARM Institute said it partners with industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers of all sizes. The Pittsburgh-based Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) also works on workforce development, strengthening global economic competitiveness, and improving national security and resilience.

Project call seeks defense projects

The ARM Institute plans to award about $2 million to fund multiple projects through this project call. Individual project budgets must not exceed $500,000 requested from the institute. Concept papers are due on Feb. 4, 2026, in the ARM Member Community.

ARM Institute Project Calls are intended to advance urgently needed robotics and AI solutions, according to the ARM Institute. The organization selects topics with input from its government partners and member consortium, which includes thousands of individual subject-matter experts.

This project call is one of several funding opportunities that the ARM Institute released in late 2025. “This full schedule of funding opportunities epitomizes the important role the ARM Institute and its member consortium plays in securing U.S. manufacturing,” it said.

Project Call 26-01 centers on validated U.S. Department of War (DoW) needs, such as:

Production of low-volume, high-mix castings and forgings for DoW acquisition and sustainment, including necessary upstream and downstream processes
Production of submarines and executable surface ships
Production of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) and UAS-based munitions
Production of munitions, including ballistic munitions, guided munitions, missiles, and hypersonic weapons
Production and/or sustainment for specific programs of record

The ARM Institute welcomed visitors at its Mill 19 headquarters during its annual member meeting. Source: ARM Institute

ARM Institute seeks experts in robot controls, autonomy

The ARM Institute listed the technical topic areas relevant to Project Call 26-01:

The institute said it will host a public webinar about this call at 12:00 p.m. ET on Jan. 8, 2026. It will review the project call content and the submission process, and attendees can ask questions. All registrants will later receive the recording.

While the project call is publicly available, only ARM Institute members can submit proposals. The consortium has more than 450 members.

The ARM Institute is part of the Manufacturing USA network and is funded by the Office of the Secretary of War under Agreement No. W911NF-17-3-0004.

In May, it appointed industry veteran Jorgen Pedersen as CEO. In September, the ARM Institute held its ninth annual member meeting. Last month, it announced a five-year, $75 million cooperative agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory.