Multi Modal Materials Analysis (MMoMA)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency seeks innovative solutions for multimodal materials analysis capabilities, with proposals due August 26, 2026. This is a Broad Agency Announcement with no set-aside applied, structured as a 36-month effort in two 18-month phases.

The program targets revolutionary advances in surface and bulk analysis of molecular structure, elemental composition (0.1 atomic %), trace elements, and isotope ratios under ambient conditions without sample preparation. Research must pursue innovation; evolutionary improvements to existing state-of-practice are explicitly excluded. The approach emphasizes shift from sequential to parallel materials analysis using a single configurable excitation source (lasers, electrons, or ions) with multiple detection methods and in-situ data fusion.

Place of performance is not specified. Proposers may submit responses as Procurement Contracts, Other Transaction Agreements, or Cooperative Agreements. Those selecting Procurement Contracts or OT Agreements submit through the Broad Agency Announcement Tool; Cooperative Agreement proposals go through Grants.gov.

Evaluation ranks three criteria in descending order: Overall Scientific and Technical Merit (assessing innovation, feasibility, and program goal achievement); Cost and Schedule Realism (requiring detailed substantiation of labor, materials, equipment, and travel); and Proposer's Capabilities or Related Experience (assessing prior performance on similar efforts). Not all proposals evaluated as selectable will receive awards due to limited funding.

Abstracts are due before full proposals; abstract templates and full proposal guidance documents are provided. Technical proposals have a 20-page maximum; cost proposals have no page limit. All cost proposals must use the DARPA Cost Proposal Spreadsheet with editable formulas. NAICS code is 541715 (Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences); PSC is AC11 (National Defense R&D Services—Basic Research).