Funding opportunities are available in the AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025 for commercial technologies to solve undersea and information warfare issues.

As the second collaboration launched between the U.S.’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Australia’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), and the UK’s ’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), the tri-national AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025 is seeking commercial companies with solutions that will enhance the tactical and operational capabilities of undersea command, control and communications while maintaining the integrity and security of communication for sea vehicles, even in the harshest underwater conditions.

In an era where technological advancement is key to maintaining global maritime security, the AUKUS nations—Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—are spearheading the next frontier in underwater warfare. Through AUKUS Pillar II, DIU is seeking commercial solutions to strengthen warfighting capabilities for the Department of Defense (DoD) by pioneering new systems that will maximize lethality of uncrewed maritime operations and enhance decision-making readiness in real-time across the underwater domain.

Following the conclusion of the inaugural AUKUS EW Challenge in September 2024 that focused on Electronic Warfare (EW) technologies to strengthen deterrence, the second effort in the series that is being launched today, is centered on maritime autonomy and undersea warfare. Autonomous systems are essential for gaining operational advantage in complex environments such as undersea zones, where national interests and critical infrastructure are at stake. AUKUS is seeking solutions that will drive next-generation communications systems, empowering autonomous platforms to operate safely, efficiently, and with maximum operational impact.

This solicitation is looking to rapidly speed and scale solutions that will enhance the sensing, interpreting, and navigating capabilities of autonomous platforms to provide an operational advantage in all environments. Solutions should deliver advantages across capabilities such as:

• Providing near real-time communications between undersea vehicles (UVs).
• Providing near real-time communications from UVs to Command and Control (C2) Systems/Battle Management Systems (BMS).
• Providing near real-time communications between seabed systems to UVs, C2 Systems, and BMS.
• Providing a system that can optimally allocate the right asset to the right task in a dynamic and complex environment.
• Providing optimal bandwidth utilisation and effective range, and perform in a contested/congested environment

Key Dates and Funding:

• Across the AUKUS alliance there is a combined $9 million USD; expected to fund 3-10 proposals. 
• Applications close at noon pacific time on April 28. A tri-national Q&A will be held April 3.
• Eligibility: Technology model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment – Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6.

Click here to learn more about the DIU AUKUS solicitation opportunity.