Executive Summary
DARPA's D2 Sprint awards $1M in prizes for AI that assesses casualties, recommends treatment and documents combat care automatically. Two lanes each pay $300K, $150K and $50K. Teams are self-funded. Part 1 narratives are due November 5, 2026; the qualification window closes December 1.
The deciding factor is qualification. Teams submit a narrative of their technical approach, then complete a qualification task, and DARPA selects up to 20 competition teams on December 10, 2026. Only the top three teams in each lane win prize money.
Solicitation at a Glance
- Agency: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Biological Technologies Office
- Opportunity: Documentation and Decision Support (D2) Sprint
- Type: Prize competition (sprint) with two lanes: Documentation and Decision Support
- Funding: $1,000,000 total prize pool; each lane pays $300,000, $150,000 and $50,000 for first, second and third place
- Team Funding: Teams are self-funded
- Due Dates: Part 1 narrative November 5, 2026; Part 2 qualification task December 1, 2026 (no time zone posted)
- Final Package: March 1, 2027; awards ceremony March 26, 2027
Think your company qualifies? Talk with BW&CO before the November 5, 2026 deadline.
What Is the D2 Sprint?
The D2 Sprint is a DARPA prize competition for AI tools that can automatically assess casualties, recommend treatments, guide care and document the process at the point of injury. Teams compete virtually in two lanes, Documentation and Decision Support.
What Problem Is DARPA Trying to Solve?
In combat and mass casualty events, medical documentation and decision support are often lost while medics focus on lifesaving care. DARPA says 75% of pre-hospital combat casualty care is unrecorded, and it wants AI that captures that care and supports the people giving it.
Priority Capability Areas: What DARPA Is Looking For
- Documentation: AI that captures and records casualty care automatically
- Decision support: AI that assesses casualties and recommends and guides treatment
- Point-of-injury use: tools built for fast-paced combat and mass casualty conditions
Schedule
- Qualification window: open September 10 to December 1, 2026, with submissions reviewed on a rolling basis
- November 5, 2026: Part 1 narrative description of your technical approach
- December 1, 2026: Part 2 qualification task for teams selected from Part 1
- December 10, 2026: selection of up to 20 competition teams
- March 1, 2027: final algorithm package due
- March 26, 2027: hybrid awards ceremony, where winners are announced
Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis but must meet these deadlines.
Eligibility
- Applicant: the applicant and team representative must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Entity: teams represent U.S. entities, such as companies or academic institutions
- Funding: teams fund their own work; the only money is the prize pool
How to Apply
- Register: use the D2 Sprint portal linked from the DARPA D2 page
- Write the Part 1 narrative: describe your technical approach by November 5, 2026
- Complete Part 2: if selected, finish the qualification task by December 1, 2026
- Package your solution: final solutions are delivered as Docker containers, one per lane
- Ask questions: email D2Sprint@darpa.mil
What Happens After You Submit?
- Rolling review: DARPA reviews qualification submissions as they arrive
- Selection: up to 20 teams are selected on December 10, 2026
- Evaluation: final solutions are scored by the evaluation team
- Awards: winners are named at the March 26, 2027 awards ceremony
Is This Opportunity a Good Fit for Your Company?
It fits teams building clinical documentation, ambient scribing, triage or decision support models that can run as containerized software. It is a weak fit for teams that need outside funding to do the work, since only the top three teams in each lane receive prizes.
How BW&CO Can Help
BW&CO has helped deep-tech and dual-use founders secure more than $350M in non-dilutive funding. For prize sprints like D2, we help you:
- Check fit: match your model to the Documentation or Decision Support lane
- Write the narrative: frame your technical approach for Part 1
- Plan the work: budget a self-funded sprint through March 2027
- Protect your IP: plan what you share in a competition setting
- Find the next step: connect a strong result to follow-on defense health funding
Frequently Asked Questions
Who runs the D2 Sprint?
DARPA Biological Technologies Office.
How much prize money is there?
$1M in total. Each lane pays $300,000, $150,000 and $50,000 for first, second and third place.
When is the first deadline?
The Part 1 narrative is due November 5, 2026. The qualification window closes December 1, 2026.
Does DARPA fund teams during the sprint?
No. Teams are self-funded, and the only money is the prize pool.
Who can apply?
The applicant and team representative must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident representing a U.S. company or university.
How many teams will compete?
DARPA will select up to 20 competition teams on December 10, 2026.
How are solutions delivered?
As Docker containers, one solution per lane.
When are winners announced?
At a hybrid awards ceremony on March 26, 2027.
Can BW&CO help with a D2 Sprint entry?
Yes. BW&CO can help you pick a lane, write the Part 1 narrative and plan the path to follow-on funding. Book a call with our team.
Source: DARPA: Documentation and Decision Support (D2) Sprint