Opportunity Information: Apply for DARPA BAA 12 47
Apply for DARPA BAA 12 47
- The DARPA Information Innovation Office in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Deep Exploration and Filtering of Text (DEFT)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.910 Research and Technology Development.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 7, 2012 and posted on May 22, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 20, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Deep Exploration and Filtering of Text (DEFT) opportunity was a DARPA Information Innovation Office (I2O) research solicitation focused on advancing the state of the art in automated text understanding so analysts and other users could find, prioritize, and make sense of large volumes of textual information more effectively. In practical terms, the program’s theme points to technology that goes beyond keyword search by extracting meaning, relationships, events, and other actionable structure from unstructured text, then using that deeper understanding to support exploration (helping a user discover what matters) and filtering (helping a user reduce overload by surfacing the most relevant content). The goal implied by the title is to enable systems that can read and interpret text at a much richer level, allowing people to quickly identify key entities, facts, claims, and connections across documents, even when the data is messy, incomplete, or comes from many sources.
Administratively, the opportunity was issued as DARPA BAA 12-47 under the broader category of Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development). The solicitation was categorized as discretionary funding and allowed multiple award and contracting mechanisms, specifically including cooperative agreements, procurement contracts, and other transaction-like instruments as indicated in the listing. That structure is typical of DARPA BAAs, where the agency can fund a range of performers and tailor the legal instrument to the type of research and degree of government involvement anticipated. The announcement also stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which generally lowers barriers to participation for universities, small businesses, and nontraditional research organizations.
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity could apply, subject to any clarifications contained in the full BAA text. In DARPA practice, that usually means U.S. and non-U.S. organizations may be able to participate depending on the topic area and any export control, security, or foreign participation restrictions described in the complete announcement. Performers frequently include academic labs, commercial R&D teams, nonprofit research institutes, and consortia, often collaborating as multi-organization teams when the technical scope spans machine learning, natural language processing, scalable systems, evaluation, and user-centered analytic workflows.
The timeline for the DEFT opportunity shows it was posted on May 22, 2012, with an original and final closing date of August 20, 2012, and an archive date of September 19, 2012. The creation date is listed as June 7, 2012, which often reflects when the record was finalized in the grants portal versus when the solicitation first appeared publicly. Interested parties were directed to the full announcement through a FedBizOpps link (the platform used at the time for federal procurement notices, later migrated into SAM.gov). Because the formal technical details, deliverables, submission instructions, and evaluation criteria were provided in attached documents rather than in the short synopsis, the BAA attachment would have been the authoritative source for requirements such as white paper expectations, proposal volume structure, data rights considerations, and any specific research areas or metrics.
From a management and communication standpoint, the listed point of contact was the DARPA program manager, Bonnie Dorr, within I2O, with an email provided for assistance accessing the full announcement. That is consistent with DARPA BAAs where proposers are encouraged to communicate early, ask questions about scope and fit, and in many cases submit an initial abstract or white paper prior to a full proposal, depending on the instructions in the complete solicitation. Overall, the DEFT opportunity can be understood as a 2012 DARPA research call aimed at pushing forward deeper machine-assisted comprehension of text so that exploration and filtering become meaning-driven rather than purely term-driven, ultimately improving how users triage, discover, and interpret information at scale.
DEFT (DARPA BAA 12-47) - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DEFT opportunity?
DEFT stands for Deep Exploration and Filtering of Text. It was a DARPA Information Innovation Office (I2O) research solicitation focused on advancing automated text understanding so analysts and other users could find, prioritize, and make sense of large volumes of text more effectively.
What problem was DEFT trying to solve?
The program aimed to reduce information overload from large, messy, and multi-source text collections by enabling systems to go beyond keyword search. The intent was to help users discover what matters (exploration) and surface the most relevant content (filtering) using deeper, meaning-driven understanding.
How is DEFT different from traditional keyword search?
DEFT’s theme points to technology that extracts meaning and actionable structure from unstructured text, such as relationships, events, entities, facts, claims, and connections across documents, rather than relying primarily on matching search terms.
What kinds of capabilities did DEFT emphasize?
Based on the synopsis, DEFT emphasized automated text understanding that can interpret content at a richer level, extract relationships and events, identify key entities and claims, and connect information across documents, even when the input data is messy, incomplete, or drawn from many sources.
What is meant by "exploration" and "filtering" in DEFT?
"Exploration" refers to helping a user discover what matters within large text collections. "Filtering" refers to reducing overload by surfacing and prioritizing the most relevant content. Both are intended to be supported by deeper machine understanding of text, not just term matching.
Who issued the DEFT solicitation?
The opportunity was issued by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), specifically through the Information Innovation Office (I2O).
What is the solicitation identifier for DEFT?
The opportunity was issued as DARPA BAA 12-47.
What type of funding category did this opportunity fall under?
It was listed under the broader category of Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development).
Was the funding discretionary?
Yes. The solicitation was categorized as discretionary funding.
What award or contracting mechanisms were available under this solicitation?
The listing indicated multiple award and contracting mechanisms, including cooperative agreements, procurement contracts, and other transaction-like instruments. This is consistent with DARPA BAA practice where the agency can choose an instrument suited to the effort and expected level of government involvement.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity could apply, subject to any clarifications in the full BAA text.
Could non-U.S. organizations participate?
The synopsis notes that in DARPA practice, non-U.S. participation may be possible depending on the topic area and any export control, security, or foreign participation restrictions described in the complete announcement. The full BAA would be the authoritative source for any such constraints.
What types of organizations commonly respond to DARPA BAAs like DEFT?
Performers frequently include academic labs, commercial R&D teams, nonprofit research institutes, and consortia. Teams are often multi-organization collaborations when the technical scope spans areas like machine learning, natural language processing, scalable systems, evaluation, and user-centered analytic workflows.
When was the DEFT opportunity posted and when did it close?
The timeline shows the opportunity was posted on May 22, 2012, and had an original and final closing date of August 20, 2012.
When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date is listed as September 19, 2012.
What does the "creation date" mean in this listing?
The creation date is listed as June 7, 2012. The synopsis indicates this often reflects when the record was finalized in the grants portal versus when the solicitation first appeared publicly.
Where were applicants directed to find the full announcement?
Interested parties were directed to the full announcement through a FedBizOpps link. FedBizOpps was the federal procurement notice platform used at the time and later migrated into SAM.gov.
Where are the detailed technical requirements and submission instructions described?
The synopsis states that the formal technical details, deliverables, submission instructions, and evaluation criteria were provided in attached documents rather than in the short synopsis. The BAA attachment was the authoritative source for those requirements.
What kinds of proposal requirements might be found only in the full BAA?
According to the synopsis, the attached BAA documents would typically define items such as white paper expectations, proposal volume structure, data rights considerations, and any specific research areas or metrics.
Who was the point of contact for DEFT?
The listed point of contact was the DARPA program manager, Bonnie Dorr, within I2O, with an email provided for assistance accessing the full announcement.
What kind of communication does DARPA typically encourage for BAAs like this?
The synopsis notes that proposers are encouraged to communicate early, ask questions about scope and fit, and in many cases submit an initial abstract or white paper prior to a full proposal, depending on the instructions in the complete solicitation.
What is the overall goal implied by the title "Deep Exploration and Filtering of Text"?
The implied goal is to enable systems that can read and interpret text at a much richer level so people can quickly identify key entities, facts, claims, and connections across documents, improving triage, discovery, and interpretation at scale.
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