The ARM Institute Announces New Five Year, $87M Cooperative Agreement with Air Force Research Laboratory
Pittsburgh, PA – November 18, 2025. The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute, the nation’s leading Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Robotics and AI, proudly announces a new five-year Cooperative Agreement (CA) with the Department of Air Force (DAF), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The CA has a total ceiling of a combined $87.66M of government funding and ARM Institute cost share.
Under this agreement, the ARM Institute will perform research, development, testing, and evaluation to advance the state of the art in dual-use robotics and automation technologies of interest to the DAF, as advanced robotics and automation technology is critical for the commercial industrial base and organic sustainment enterprise. This will be accomplished by leveraging the existing and growing ARM Institute consortium through ARM Institute-led project calls, utilizing this consortium to foster collaboration between DAF organizations, DAF Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and Organic Industrial Base (OIB), technology development organizations, academia, robot and automation equipment OEMs, robotics integrators, technology solution providers, and other government agencies. For this proposed work, the ARM Institute and its consortium will work within the DAF-specified technology areas of Agility, Robotic Mobility, Multi-Robot/Multi-Human Teaming, Process Modeling, Monitoring, & Control, Advanced Visualization, Scalability & Rapid Commissioning, DAF-Specific Environments, and Manufacturing Process Informatics.
“This new Cooperative Agreement is a significant milestone and signifies a high level of confidence by the AFRL in the ARM Institute, our collaborations, and the robotics projects whose outcomes are driving real industry impact, especially for the defense industry and its supply chain,” stated Jorgen Pedersen, ARM Institute CEO.
The ARM Institute is the nation’s leading robotics and AI Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) with the most comprehensive consortium of US robotics, AI, and automation experts, totaling over 2,000 active participants across more than 450 member organizations. The ARM Institute receives guidance by the Department of Defense and industry-led councils and working groups to ensure dual-use solutions, and it convenes its broad consortium expertise to catalyze innovation through projects, workshops, and networking events. Through its consortium, the ARM Institute creates new horizontal partnerships in a unique pre-competitive space, enables new vertical supply chains of small & large OEMs, drives new ventures and research labs, and brings non-traditional suppliers to bear on DoD automation challenges. Organizations interested in consortium membership should visit www.arminstitute.org or email [email protected].
AFRL Contract number: FA8650-25-2-5508.
Media inquiries may be sent to Livia Rice, ARM Institute Director of Outreach & Engagement, at [email protected].
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About the ARM Institute
The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse consortium of 450+ members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience. Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, with a satellite office in St. Petersburg, FL, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit https://www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
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About the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for the U.S. air, space, and cyberspace force. With a workforce across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit www.afresearchlab.com.