Make It | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The DARPA grant opportunity titled "Make It" (Funding Opportunity Number: DARPA BAA 15-46) is a Defense Sciences Office research solicitation focused on creating a next-generation automated chemical synthesizer. The core goal is to support R and D that can fundamentally change how small molecules are made by building systems that do much more than run a reaction. DARPA is looking for an end-to-end capability that can automatically produce a broad range of small molecules and then handle the downstream steps that usually slow chemical development down, including purification, characterization, and ultimately scaling. In practical terms, the program is aimed at compressing what is often a labor-intensive, expert-driven, multi-step workflow into a more automated, repeatable, and broadly accessible process.

The technical emphasis is on high-impact, non-incremental innovation. Proposals are expected to investigate new approaches that could enable "revolutionary advances" in science, devices, and/or integrated systems. That phrasing is important because it also defines what DARPA does not want: work that mainly delivers evolutionary improvements to existing practice is specifically excluded. So an application that simply automates a small part of a conventional synthesis pipeline, makes a standard instrument slightly faster, or modestly improves an established method without changing capability would likely fall outside the program's intent. The solicitation is essentially challenging performers to rethink automation in chemical synthesis as a complete system problem, where synthesis planning, reaction execution, purification strategies, analytical verification, and scale-up considerations are designed to work together rather than as disconnected steps.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity in the science and technology / research and development category, listed under CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development). The opportunity allows for multiple funding instrument types, including cooperative agreements, other transactions, and procurement contracts, which signals flexibility in how DARPA may structure awards depending on the nature of the proposed work and the level of anticipated government involvement. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement stated, which typically lowers the barrier to entry for organizations that may not have funds to commit as formal match.

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the competition is broadly open to qualified applicants of many types (for example, universities, companies, nonprofits, federally funded research and development centers, or other capable entities), subject to any additional clarifications in the full announcement. The solicitation was posted and created on June 9, 2015, with an original and current closing date of September 1, 2015, and an archive date of October 1, 2015. Applicants were directed to the DARPA BAA 15-46 solicitation page for full details, and a BAA Coordinator contact was provided for support if the announcement could not be accessed electronically.

Overall, "Make It" is best understood as a DARPA effort to push the state of the art toward a largely automated "chemical manufacturing in a box" concept for small molecules, where the platform can flexibly handle diverse targets and reliably deliver verified material at meaningful scale. The program framing suggests DARPA wanted transformative leaps in capability, not incremental upgrades, and proposals would need to make a strong case that their approach changes what is possible in automated synthesis rather than simply optimizing existing workflows.

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