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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - DARPA Biological Control Program (BAA 16-17)

What is the DARPA Biological Control program (BAA 16-17)?

DARPA's Biological Control program (DARPA BAA 16-17) is a defense-oriented science and technology research opportunity focused on creating new, engineering-style ways to control living systems. The program aims to develop general, repeatable control strategies for biology, similar in spirit to how conventional control engineering is used in mechanical or electrical systems.

What is the main goal of this opportunity?

The main goal is to move beyond one-off biological demonstrations and instead produce broadly applicable methods for controlling biological systems in a predictable, repeatable way. DARPA is seeking foundational approaches that can generalize across different biological platforms rather than solutions that only work in a narrow niche.

What does DARPA mean by "engineering-style" control of biology?

In this context, "engineering-style" means designing control strategies that can be systematically built, analyzed, and reused, rather than relying primarily on ad hoc biological tricks or trial-and-error. The desired end state resembles conventional control engineering: define objectives, measure performance, and apply corrective actions to drive a system toward the desired behavior.

What biological scales and timeframes does the program target?

DARPA is aiming for control capabilities that can operate across a wide range of biological scales, from nanometers to centimeters, and across timeframes from seconds to weeks.

What are "embedded controllers made of biological parts"?

They are control functions implemented within biological systems themselves using biological components. In other words, sensing, decision-making (computation), and actuation are intended to be carried out in a living context using biological "parts," enabling the system to regulate and program higher-level behavior from within.

What is closed-loop control and why is it central to the program?

Closed-loop control refers to continuously (or periodically) measuring what a biological system is doing, comparing it to a desired objective, and then adjusting the system based on the difference to steer it toward the target behavior. It is central because it enables correction and adaptation over time, rather than relying on open-loop interventions that do not respond to the system's actual state.

What technical elements is DARPA asking teams to develop?

The program emphasizes three tightly connected elements: (1) biological controllers, (2) testbeds for evaluation and validation, and (3) supporting theory and predictive models that adapt and extend control theory for biological systems.

What are "biological controllers" in the context of this BAA?

Biological controllers are the embedded control mechanisms that can sense relevant biological signals, perform decision-making or computation, and actuate changes within the living system to influence system-level outcomes.

What kinds of testbeds are expected?

Testbeds are expected to allow researchers to evaluate whether the controllers can reliably shape higher-level outcomes. The emphasis is not only on molecular-level readouts, but on outcomes that matter at the level of cells, tissues, organisms, or even populations.

What role do theory and predictive models play in this program?

DARPA is looking for theory and models that adapt and extend existing control theory so it can be used to design, analyze, and forecast the behavior of controlled biological systems. The intent is to reduce reliance on trial-and-error by enabling more predictive design and evaluation.

Is DARPA looking for a single biological platform or a broadly applicable approach?

The opportunity is explicitly framed as foundational and broadly applicable. DARPA is not only interested in a single platform or a narrow demonstration; it wants tools and approaches that can generalize to many types of biological systems.

What is expected for the proof-of-principle demonstration?

Teams are expected to integrate their biological controllers, testbed validation, and modeling into a practical proof-of-principle demonstration. The demonstration should solve a proposer-defined problem that is relevant to the U.S. Department of Defense and show a credible, working biological control solution rather than only conceptual designs or isolated component-level performance.

Who defines the application area or problem being addressed?

Proposers can choose the specific application area. However, the end result must demonstrate clear relevance to the U.S. Department of Defense and provide a working biological control solution.

What makes an application "relevant to the U.S. Department of Defense" under this opportunity?

Based on the information provided, the key requirement is that the final proof-of-principle addresses a proposer-defined problem that is relevant to DoD and demonstrates a credible biological control capability. The specific topic area is not prescribed in the provided summary, but DoD relevance is an explicit expectation for the capstone demonstration.

What agency and office issued this opportunity?

This was issued by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), specifically the Biological Technologies Office (DOD-DARPA-BTO).

What type of solicitation was this?

It was a discretionary DARPA Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), identified as DARPA BAA 16-17.

When was the announcement posted and when did it close?

The announcement was posted on February 18, 2016, and had a closing date of April 29, 2016.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants were listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any entity type, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full announcement.

What award instruments could DARPA use for this program?

DARPA indicated that multiple award instruments could be used, including cooperative agreements, procurement contracts, or other transaction-type mechanisms.

What is the funding activity category and CFDA number?

The funding activity category is science and technology research and development. The CFDA number is 12.910.

Was an award ceiling specified?

No award ceiling was specified in the source data provided.

Did the announcement specify how many awards would be made?

The expected number of awards was not specified in the source data provided.

Does the program focus only on molecular biology outcomes?

No. While molecular readouts may be part of measurement and control, the program emphasizes demonstrating control over outcomes that matter at higher levels such as cells, tissues, organisms, or populations.

How tightly integrated do the controller, testbed, and modeling components need to be?

The program description emphasizes that these three elements should be "tightly connected," and that teams are expected to integrate them into an overall proof-of-principle demonstration.

Is the program oriented toward real-time control only?

No. The program targets biological control over timeframes from seconds to weeks, implying that both real-time and longer-horizon biological control approaches are within scope.