DARPA-SN-20-34.pdf

DARPA-SN-20-34

Request for Information (RFI)

Potential opportunity to discuss new BTO research initiatives

Responses Accepted: Until 4:00 PM (Eastern) on February 28, 2020.

URL: http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities Point of Contact: BTO BAA Coordinator, BioTechRFI@darpa.mil

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Biological Technologies Office (BTO) announces the opportunity for researchers to meet with a BTO Program Manager (PM) to discuss mutual research interests and potential funding opportunities. These meetings will be held in conjunction with the DARPA Biotech Summit scheduled for June 3 – 4, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. A limited number of in-person meetings with PMs are available. Those who wish to attend the summit may do so regardless of whether they are selected for an in-person meeting with a PM.

Nearer the event, DARPA will publish a separate announcement to provide additional event and registration details.

To take advantage of this opportunity to discuss research interests with PMs, interested parties must follow the instructions herein to submit an executive summary describing innovative approaches and technologies that enable revolutionary advances in areas within BTO’s mission space, although exceptional executive summaries in other biotechnology-related topics may also be considered. BTO is not interested in receiving executive summaries presenting ideas that primarily result in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

Potential Topics of BTO Interest Augmented imaging for point of care devices Automated medical countermeasure discovery and development Bio-electronic medicine/peripheral nerve therapeutics Biophotonics for diagnostics and medical applications Broad spectrum therapeutics Defining human performance based on genotype-phenotype knowledge Gene editing Guided tissue regeneration Host-based diagnostics Human microbiome characterization and modification In vivo biosensing Low-cost diagnostics Microbial synthetic biology for in vivo applications Multifunctional and/or hierarchical materials Neuroprotection from CNS disorders Neurotechnology for closed-loop autonomic awareness New concepts at the intersection of marine science and technology New synthetic biology chassis development Non-invasive diagnostics Non-photosynthetic carbon fixation

Physiological recovery and repair Point-of-injury diagnosis and care Proteasomes PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) Rapid drug design (biological and small molecule) Rare earth element extraction Synthetic biology using extremophiles

Information regarding BTO’s current mission and focus areas may be found at https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/offices/bto and in BTO’s Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), HR001119S0048, which is available on the beta.SAM.gov website:

https://beta.sam.gov/opp/107ff792d860276890c1d3dcd364c661/view.

BTO staff will review the executive summaries and – based on their context and the interest they generate within BTO – will choose respondents for in-person meetings with BTO PM(s) to discuss the executive summary’s contents in more detail. Those chosen to participate will be able to register for the DARPA Biotech Summit in advance of the general public.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

DARPA/BTO will employ an electronic upload submission system (https://baa.darpa.mil/) for all UNCLASSIFIED executive summaries sent in response to this RFI. Executive summaries must NOT be submitted via Grants.gov or email.

First time users of the DARPA BAA Submission website must complete a two-step account creation process. The first step consists of registering for an extranet account by going to the URL listed above and selecting the “Account Request” link.

Upon completion of the online form, proposers will receive two separate emails; one will contain a user name and the second will provide a temporary password. Once both emails have been received, the second step requires proposers to go back to the submission website and log in using that user name and password.

After accessing the extranet, proposers may then create a user account for the DARPA BAA Submission website by selecting the “Register your Organization” link at the top of the page.

Once the user account is created, proposers will be able to upload/finalize their executive summary.

Proposers who already have an account on the DARPA BAA Submission website, whether it was for a BTO or another DARPA technical office solicitation, may simply log in at https://baa.darpa.mil/, select this RFI from the list and proceed with their executive summary submission.

All executive summaries submitted electronically through the DARPA BAA Submission website must meet the following requirements: (1) only contain the document requested herein; (2) only contain unclassified information; and (3) be no longer than one letter-size page with 1- inch margins, single spaced. Font size should be 12 in Times New Roman style.

In addition, please complete the following:

Add “DARPA Biotech Summit –” to the executive summary title.

Provide a POC email address and phone number.

Address the following elements:

o What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using no jargon.

o How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?

o What is new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?

Technical support for the DARPA BAA Submission website is available during regular business hours, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Requests for technical support must be emailed to BAAT_Support@darpa.mil. Questions regarding submission contents, format, deadlines, etc. should be emailed to BioTechRFI@darpa.mil.

Questions/requests for support sent to any other email address may result in delayed/no response.

Since proposers may encounter heavy traffic on the web server, DARPA discourages waiting until the day executive summaries are due to request an account and/or upload the submission.

Note: Proposers submitting an executive summary via the DARPA BAA Submission site MUST (1) click the “Finalize” button in order for the submission to upload AND (2) do so with sufficient time for the upload to complete prior to the deadline. Failure to do so will result in a late submission.

Individual respondents may not submit more than three executive summaries; each submission may only address a single idea or concept.

All executive summaries submitted in response to this RFI are requested by 4:00 PM on February 28, 2020. DARPA will acknowledge receipt of all submissions and assign an identifying control number that should be used in all further correspondence regarding the submission. DARPA intends to use electronic mail correspondence regarding this RFI.

BTO will make every effort to notify respondents as to whether they have been chosen for a PM meeting by March 13, 2020. Notifications will be emailed to the POC(s) listed on the submission cover sheet.

SECURITY INFORMATION

DARPA anticipates that submissions received under this RFI will be unclassified. All discussions with BTO program managers at the DARPA Biotech Summit will be unclassified, however, should a proposer wish to submit classified information, additional instructions will be provided and discussions may be held at a later date.

Security classification guidance and direction via a Security Classification Guide (SCG) and/or DD Form 254, “DoD Contract Security Classification Specification,” will not be provided at this time, since DARPA is soliciting UNCLASSIFIED ideas only.

CONTACT INFORMATION

All technical and administrative correspondence and questions regarding this RFI should be emailed to the BTO BAA Coordinator at BioTechRFI@darpa.mil. Emails sent directly to individual BTO staff or any other mailbox may result in delayed/no response.

Please refer to this RFI number in all correspondence.

DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT NOTES

Submission of an executive summary is neither a prerequisite for registering to attend the DARPA Biotech Summit nor a guarantee of being chosen for a meeting with a BTO PM.

Respondents should note that being chosen for a meeting in no way guarantees future funding of the submitted idea.

This is an RFI issued solely for information and it does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government as such.

Responses do not bind DARPA to any further actions related to this topic including requesting follow-on proposals from respondents to this RFI.

Submission is voluntary and submitters are not required to propose to a subsequent Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) (if any) or other research solicitation (if any).

DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI.

All times listed in this RFI are Eastern Time.