DARPA-BAA-15-35 Biological Technologies

Added: Apr 29, 2015 4:13 pm  

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals of interest to the Biological Technologies Office (BTO). Proposed research should investigate leading edge approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, technologies, or systems at the intersection of biology with engineering and the physical and computer sciences. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of the art. BTO seeks unconventional approaches that are outside the mainstream, challenge assumptions, and have the potential to radically change established practice, lead to extraordinary outcomes, and create entirely new fields.

The mission of BTO is to foster, demonstrate, and transition breakthrough fundamental research, discoveries, and applications that integrate biology, engineering, computer science, mathematics, and the physical sciences to expand the national security toolkit. BTO's investment portfolio goes far beyond life sciences applications in medicine to include areas of research such as human-machine interfaces, microbes as production platforms, and deep exploration of the impact of evolving ecologies and environments on U.S. readiness and capabilities. BTO's programs operate across a wide range of scales, from individual cells to the warfighter to global ecosystems. BTO responds to the urgent and long-term needs of the Department of Defense (DoD) and addresses national security priorities. The overarching goal is to develop, demonstrate, and transition biological- based technologies as part of the toolkit available to DARPA stakeholders.

BTO is seeking novel approaches that will build technical communities that tap into sources of innovation both inside and outside traditional DoD performer communities. BTO encourages efforts that are creative and agile both in terms of the technologies proposed and in the structure of the approach. See the attached BAA Package for specific areas BTO is interested in receiving submissions for, and the specific abstract and proposal submission requirements.