Precision Inertial Navigation & Positioning On an Integrated Tesseract (PINPOINT)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking innovative research proposals under the Precision Inertial Navigation & Positioning On an Integrated Tesseract (PINPOINT) program to breakthrough the long-standing performance limitations of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) inertial measurement units (IMUs) for tactical and unmanned applications. The program focuses on revolutionary sensor architectures grounded in advanced physics, including electromagnetically levitated proof masses, nonlinear resonators, and high-velocity tethered microsystems, with an emphasis on the tight co-design of novel physical sensor elements and real-time adaptive control systems capable of stabilizing and exploiting highly nonlinear dynamics. Proposals must avoid incremental improvements to existing technology and instead demonstrate transformative scientific advances with potential for substantial national security impact. Solicitation HR001126S0016, posted on August 6, 2026, with a response deadline of September 25, 2026, targets performers with expertise in physics-based sensing, nonlinear dynamics, and control systems. Proposals must be structured into two volumes: a Technical and Management Volume limited to 20 pages excluding appendices, and a separate Cost Volume for procurement contract and other transaction applicants, submitted via DARPA's Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT), while cooperative agreement applicants must use Grants.gov with the SF 424 (R&R) budget form. All submissions must adhere to strict formatting guidelines, including 12-point font for technical content, 1-inch margins, and submission in PDF or Word format. Award decisions will be based on four principal evaluation criteria, ranked in descending order of importance: overall scientific and technical merit, potential contribution to DARPA’s mission of enabling technological surprise, cost and schedule realism, and the proposer’s demonstrated capabilities relevant to high-risk, high-reward research. The contract structure permits award via procurement contract, other transaction, or cooperative agreement, each with distinct reporting, cost, and certification requirements. Contractors must comply with rigorous cybersecurity standards, including CMMC Level 1 or 2 certification, DFARS 252.204-7021 for safeguarding controlled unclassified information (CUI), and full NIST SP 800-171 controls, with all requirements flowing down to subcontractors. Organizational conflicts of interest must be disclosed and mitigated per FAR 9.5, and key personnel resumes must be included. Deliverables are tied to specific milestones outlined in Attachment 3, with