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U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Up to $1 Million in Prizes for Transformational Technologies with ARPA-I Ideas Challenge

Monday, August 18, 2025
Ideas Challenge-Advanced Research Projects Agency Infrastructure

Start your innovation engines!

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure (ARPA-I) has launched a new Ideas Challenge. The Ideas Challenge is ARPA-I’s open call to American innovators across the public and private sectors to help transform the future of transportation. The challenge will be an opportunity for individuals to showcase innovative concepts that will improve safety, lower costs, and enhance America’s infrastructure. 

“From the Wright Brothers to the Apollo missions, America invented transportation innovation,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Our new Ideas Challenge will continue that proud tradition and support the development of new 21st century technologies to launch us forward. Start your innovation engines!” 

The winners will be recognized by USDOT leadership and a distinguished panel of judges from the private and public sector. The winners will be invited for an in-depth discussion of their ideas and proposals, and their ideas will aid in informing the R&D path forward for ARPA-I and USDOT.  

Additional Information:

The Ideas Challenge unfolds in two stages. 

Stage 1: 

Applicants will identify a critical transportation infrastructure challenge, outline a breakthrough solution that could transform transportation, and submit an R&D plan that lays out a path toward deployment and commercialization and metrics for success. Stage 1 Concept Papers are due September 17, 2025, at 5:00 PM ET. The selected winners in Stage 1 will be invited to the Ideas Challenge Workshop to present their concept to USDOT leadership and stakeholders this fall.

Stage 2:

Winning teams from Stage 1 will be invited to submit a detailed proposal for Stage 2. Up to 10 finalists will be chosen to advance to the ARPA-I Ideas Challenge Final in early 2026 where they will present their project proposal to a distinguished panel of judges and audience members from the public and private sector to compete for Stage 2 prizes.

The total prize purse for all Stage 1 and 2 cash prizes awarded will be a maximum of one million dollars. 

For more information on the Ideas Challenge, visit  https://www.transportation.gov/arpa-i/ideas-challenge or contact ideas.arpa-i@dot.gov. A virtual proposer’s day webinar describing the challenge will be hosted on August 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM ET; interested parties can register for the webinar.

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