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Electric Field Detector (E-FED) (DARPA/MTO BAA 09-34) - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Electric Field Detector (E-FED) opportunity?

E-FED is a DARPA Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA 09-34) that seeks research and development proposals for next-generation electric field sensing devices.

What is DARPA looking to fund under this BAA?

DARPA is looking for R&D efforts that create electric field detectors capable of sensing very small electric fields across very wide frequency ranges, while remaining compact in size and highly power efficient.

What kind of technical advances does the program emphasize?

The program emphasizes breakthroughs and major step-changes in performance, form factor, or sensing architecture. Proposals are expected to pursue innovative concepts rather than incremental refinements.

Are incremental improvements to existing electric field sensors responsive?

No. The opportunity explicitly calls out work that mainly provides evolutionary improvements to existing approaches as non-responsive to the intent of the program.

What problem is E-FED trying to solve with current electric field sensing approaches?

The program is motivated by limitations of the dominant approach: using an antenna paired with receiver electronics. In those systems, sensitivity is strongly tied to the antenna design and the receiver chain, making it difficult to maintain high sensitivity while also achieving a broad frequency response.

Why does antenna size matter for this program?

Antenna size is linked to the wavelength of the signals being sensed, which tends to force sensors to become physically large at lower frequencies. That size burden can limit compact handheld detectors and makes dense arrays difficult or impractical in many applications.

Does DARPA require a non-antenna approach?

The posting highlights that alternative architectures that do not use a traditional antenna (for example, optical approaches or high-impedance sensor concepts) have not yet demonstrated sensitivity comparable to antenna-based methods, and the program aims to close that gap. The key expectation is a fundamentally different detector approach or a dramatically improved end-to-end sensor system, not merely a slightly improved antenna-plus-receiver design.

What are examples of alternative architectures mentioned in the notice?

The notice references non-traditional antenna alternatives such as optical approaches and high-impedance sensor concepts.

What are the main performance trade-offs the program targets?

The targeted trade space includes simultaneously improving sensitivity, bandwidth (frequency coverage), size, and power consumption beyond what conventional antenna-plus-receiver solutions can achieve.

What is the solicitation type?

This is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) issued by DARPA Microsystems Technology Office (MTO), identified as BAA 09-34.

What activity category does this opportunity fall under?

The activity category is listed as science and technology and other research and development.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 12.910 (Research and Technology Development).

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is generally open to any type of applicant organization, subject to any clarifications that may appear in the full BAA text.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated in the public listing.

What award instruments might DARPA use for E-FED?

The opportunity is described as an open, discretionary R&D solicitation that may use multiple award instruments, including cooperative agreements, grants, other transactions/arrangements (as indicated in the listing), and procurement contracts.

Is there a minimum or maximum award amount listed?

No. The public listing shows the award floor and award ceiling as 0, which typically indicates funding levels and award sizes are to be determined based on proposal content and merit, with specifics expected in the full solicitation.

When was the opportunity posted?

The posting indicates it was posted and created on April 16, 2009.

What is the first-round proposal due date?

The first-round proposal due date listed is June 5, 2009.

What is the closing date for the BAA?

The original and current closing date listed is April 16, 2010.

When was the opportunity archived?

The archive date listed is April 30, 2010.

Where should administrative questions be sent?

Administrative questions and correspondence about the solicitation (including how to submit abstracts or full proposals) are directed to: DARPA_BAA_09_34@darpa.mil.

Who can be contacted for help obtaining the full announcement?

The notice provides an access/help contact for difficulty obtaining the full announcement: Dr. Devanand Shenoy, DARPA/MTO, ATTN BAA 09-34, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714. The announcement also references the BAA coordinator email listed in the notice.

Where can applicants look for additional solicitation information and documents?

The posting points applicants to the MTO Solicitations page for additional information and documents.

What would a strong E-FED submission generally look like based on the posting?

Based on the posting, a strong submission would propose a clearly novel sensing concept or system architecture that directly addresses DARPA's stated goals: major improvements in sensitivity, broad frequency coverage, compact size, and low power, beyond what conventional antenna-plus-receiver systems can achieve. The emphasis is on a plausible path to a fundamentally different detector approach or a dramatically improved end-to-end sensor system that could enable compact sensors and potentially scalable arrays without sacrificing sensitivity across wide frequency ranges.

Does the public listing specify how to submit abstracts or full proposals?

The public listing does not provide detailed submission steps, but it states that administrative questions and correspondence (including how to submit abstracts or full proposals) should be sent to DARPA_BAA_09_34@darpa.mil, and it points to the MTO Solicitations page for documents.