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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is DARPA's Biological Technologies broad research solicitation from the Biological Technologies Office (BTO), issued under Funding Opportunity Number DARPA BAA 15-35. It is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) intended to fund research and development efforts.

What is the main goal of DARPA BTO under this BAA?

The stated focus is to build, demonstrate, and transition breakthrough biological technologies that matter for national security. The solicitation emphasizes outcomes that can deliver dramatic leaps in capability rather than small improvements.

What kinds of projects is DARPA looking for?

The BAA seeks high-risk, high-payoff work at the intersection of biology with engineering, the physical sciences, and computer science. It highlights unconventional ideas that challenge prevailing assumptions, break from mainstream approaches, and could reshape established practices or create new technical fields.

Are incremental or evolutionary improvements competitive under this solicitation?

No. DARPA explicitly signals it is not seeking proposals that mainly provide incremental, evolutionary refinements over the current state of the art. The emphasis is on revolutionary advances.

Does the opportunity only cover biomedical or health-related research?

No. While biology is central, BTO states its mission is not limited to traditional biomedical or health-related life sciences. The scope is broader and tied to national security relevance.

What example areas does BTO mention as being within scope?

Examples mentioned include human-machine interfaces, using microbes as production platforms, and research that improves understanding of how changing ecologies and environments affect U.S. readiness and operational capability.

What scales of biology or systems can proposals address?

BTO describes operating across a wide range of scales, from cellular and molecular systems, to the individual warfighter, to population-level and even global ecosystem dynamics.

How important is national security relevance in a proposal?

National security relevance is central. The solicitation frames BTO's mission around technologies that matter for national security and encourages measurable outcomes relevant to defense needs.

Does DARPA encourage multidisciplinary or nontraditional approaches?

Yes. The BAA emphasizes unconventional ideas and also encourages creative and agile approaches in how the work is organized, which often implies multidisciplinary teams and flexible experimentation.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity may apply, subject to any clarifications in the full announcement.

Does DARPA want proposals from nontraditional performers?

Yes. The solicitation explicitly encourages widening and strengthening the performer ecosystem, drawing innovation from both traditional defense contractors and nontraditional performers such as academic groups, startups, nonprofits, and other organizations that may not regularly work with DoD.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost-sharing or matching requirement is stated in the provided description.

What funding instruments might DARPA use for awards?

DARPA indicates it may fund awards through multiple instrument types, including cooperative agreements, grants, other procurement contracts, and potentially other arrangements, depending on the nature of the proposed work and government needs.

What is the program category and CFDA number?

The opportunity is in the Science and Technology / R&D category and lists CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development).

When was the opportunity posted, and what are the key dates?

The opportunity was posted April 29, 2015. The original and current closing date is April 28, 2016 at 4:00 pm Eastern. The archive date is May 28, 2016.

Where can applicants find the technical areas of interest and submission requirements?

The solicitation directs applicants to the full BAA package for the specific technical areas of interest and the exact submission requirements for abstracts and full proposals.

Is there a required process involving abstracts and full proposals?

The provided description indicates the full BAA package contains specific submission requirements for abstracts and full proposals, implying that both may be part of the submission process depending on the instructions in the full announcement.

Where is the full announcement hosted or referenced?

The announcement references a FedBizOpps link for the full materials (as described in the opportunity summary).

Who should be contacted for access issues or administrative questions?

The listed point of contact for access issues is the DARPA BTO BAA Administrator.

What does DARPA mean by "transitioning" technology in this context?

Based on the opportunity description, "transitioning" refers to moving breakthrough biological technologies from research into demonstrated capabilities that can be handed off to relevant DARPA stakeholders or otherwise positioned for use in national security contexts.

What kind of proposal posture seems favored by the solicitation?

The solicitation favors proposals that connect fundamental biological insight with engineered systems and computational methods, include a credible path to dramatic capability leaps, and present a clear plan for demonstrating capability and transitioning results.