Fieldstone BIO, INC. : new award control # 3593-1523, DE-FOA-0003593 (rocks sbir-sttr) project title: rapid in situ core characterization using synthetic biology fieldstone's arpa-e rocks project will…

The Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) awarded a $1.999 million Cooperative Agreement to Fieldstone Bio, Inc. on August 5, 2026, under the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy program (CFDA 81.135, FOA DE-FOA-0003593) to develop a field-deployable system using engineered microbial biosensors to detect critical minerals directly on drill cores.

Fieldstone Bio will create living microbial sensors that produce distinct color signals when exposed to specific metals including gold, rare earth elements, and nickel, eliminating the need to send core samples to off-site laboratories for weeks or months of chemical analysis. The system uses compact cameras standard in mining operations to read microbial signals and generate quantitative heatmaps of metal distribution along core samples within minutes to hours. This approach enables tighter interval selection, reduced wasted drill meters, and faster drilling plan adjustments based on real-time grade signals at the drill site.

The project engages MIT and TerraCORE as collaborators to design new biosensors, validate their performance on actual geological materials, and build the system infrastructure to convert microbial signals into high-resolution metal-distribution heatmaps. Work is performed in Andover, Massachusetts with a performance period through August 4, 2028. The funding supports ARPA-E's mission to strengthen U.S. energy and mineral security, reduce exploration costs, and accelerate domestic critical-mineral discovery.

Fieldstone BIO, INC. : new award control # 3593-1523, DE-FOA-0003593 (rocks sbir-sttr) project title: rapid in situ core characterization using synthetic biology fieldstone's arpa-e rocks project will develop the first field-deployable system that uses living microbial sensors to measure critical minerals directly on drill cores, providing fast, non-destructive, and highly sensitive metal detection for mineral exploration. Today, exploration teams must send core samples to off-site laboratories and wait weeks or months for chemical assays. Our approach replaces this slow process by engineering microscopic organisms (microbes) that "light up" with unique colors when they sense specific metals such as gold, rare earth elements, and nickel. Fieldstone can visualize these unique colors using compact cameras already common in the mining industry to "read" where the microbes sense the metals-creating a quantitative heatmap along the length of the core sample. The project brings together fieldstone BIO, MIT, and terracore to design new biosensors, ensure they function reliably on real geological materials, and build the system needed to convert microbial signals into full-length, high-resolution heatmaps of metal distribution on core samples produced in minutes/hours instead of days/weeks. From an exploration workflow perspective, this means tighter interval selection, fewer wasted drill meters, and faster adjustments to the drilling plan based on real-time grade signals. By delivering real-time geochemical information at the drill site, this product will support arpa-e's mission to strengthen U.S. Energy and mineral security, reduce exploration costs, and accelerate discovery of domestic critical-mineral resources. This system will transform how critical minerals are identified and characterized, helping the united states build more reliable and resilient supply chains for all U.S. Industries requiring critical minerals.