Future Program: Intrinsic Market Resilience (IMR)
Key Dates
Due Date
-
Posted Date
-
Agency & Value
Agency
DEF ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGCY
Contract Value
Not provided
Codes & Classification
Solicitation Number
DARPA-SN-26-110
NAICS
541714 - Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology)
Classification Code
AC11
Additional Details
Documents1
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), operating under the Department of Defense, has issued a Special Notice (Procurement Identifier: DARPA-SN-26-110) announcing the forthcoming Intrinsic Market Resilience (IMR) program. This initiative is designed to address the evolving vulnerabilities of modern electronic markets, which, while offering increased speed, transparency, and efficiency, have also introduced new systemic risks and attack surfaces. The IMR program is a proactive response to high-profile incidents such as the 2010 U.S. Equity market "flash crash" and the 2000-2001 California energy crisis, both of which underscored the potential for adversaries to exploit weaknesses in market infrastructures with significant economic consequences.
The primary objective of the IMR program is to develop advanced, automated methods for safeguarding essential economic sectors against disruptive attacks that target the public interfaces of contemporary markets. Unlike existing legal and regulatory frameworks, which primarily deter profit-driven manipulation and enforce compliance, IMR seeks to counteract adversaries whose sole intent is to cause disruption and chaos. The program will focus on creating tools that can automatically model market designs, identify latent vulnerabilities, and recommend targeted repairs to enhance market resilience.
Key requirements and deliverables for this effort include the integration of Large Language Model (LLM)-based automation with rigorous formal modeling and analysis. Contractors will be expected to develop formal notations capable of precisely describing market operations and coordination mechanisms, transforming informal sources such as regulatory filings and technical specifications into machine-analyzable models. The IMR program will leverage these models to formulate and test "resilience conjectures"—mathematical assertions about critical market properties, such as resistance to price manipulation without incurring risk.
A central deliverable will be the capability to automatically analyze these conjectures, either proving a market design’s resilience or generating concrete counterexamples that expose specific weaknesses. These findings will inform the iterative refinement of resilience conjectures and the development of actionable recommendations for market design repairs. The ultimate goal is to provide robust, automated defenses that ensure the stability and integrity of U.S. markets, thereby protecting both civilian and military resources that depend on these mechanisms.
The procurement is classified under NAICS Code 541714 (Research and Development in Biotechnology, except Nanobiotechnology) and Product Service Code AC11, reflecting its emphasis on advanced research and development. The contracting entity is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a federal office within the Department of Defense. Interested parties should direct inquiries to the Solicitation Coordinator at [email protected].
This opportunity is currently active, with a posting date of November 8, 2026, and a response deadline of August 31, 2026. The notice and any associated attachments can be accessed via the official SAM.gov portal at https://sam.gov/opp/16977cc39ea44eb6b9313bcd068f62d6/view.
Contractors with expertise in automated modeling, formal methods, market design, and resilience analysis are encouraged to evaluate this opportunity. The IMR program represents a significant, long-term effort to fortify the foundational infrastructure of U.S. markets against sophisticated, non-traditional threats, and will require innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to deliver enduring solutions.