Opportunity Information: Apply for DARPA SN 11 42
Apply for DARPA SN 11 42
- The DARPA Information Innovation Office in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Proposers Day Mission oriented Resilient Clouds (MRC)" 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 May 16, 2011 and posted on May 16, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 23, 2011 Closes 1159pm on May 23, 2011. (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:
This opportunity is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Innovation Office notice for a Proposers Day associated with the program titled "Mission Oriented Resilient Clouds (MRC)." It appears on the federal opportunities listings under Funding Opportunity Number DARPA SN 11 42 and is categorized as a discretionary research and development opportunity within the Science and Technology / other R&D activity area. The listing indicates that DARPA intended to engage with potential performers around the MRC topic area, typically by providing a forum where the government can explain program goals, desired technical outcomes, and submission logistics, and where interested organizations can ask questions, meet potential teammates, and better understand what a subsequent Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) or solicitation may require. The description field in the public record is minimal ("Please see attached"), which is common for DARPA postings where the substantive details are contained in an attached announcement document rather than in the short synopsis text.
The program theme, as reflected by the title "Mission Oriented Resilient Clouds," suggests a focus on cloud computing capabilities designed for mission use where resilience is a primary requirement. In DARPA context, "mission oriented" generally implies the technology must support operational needs, not just demonstrate isolated technical performance, while "resilient clouds" points to cloud architectures and services that can continue operating under stress, faults, cyber attacks, degraded networks, or other adverse conditions. While the synopsis does not provide technical objectives, a program with this name would typically be concerned with ensuring cloud-hosted applications and data remain available, trustworthy, and recoverable despite failures or compromise, and with enabling rapid reconstitution and graceful degradation rather than catastrophic outages. It also implies interest in architectures, software, and security approaches that can be validated through realistic scenarios and measurable resilience metrics.
From an award and contracting perspective, the opportunity lists multiple potential funding instrument types: cooperative agreement, grant, and procurement contract. That combination signals DARPA may choose the most appropriate instrument based on the nature of the work, the expected level of government involvement, and the performer relationship. Cooperative agreements are often used when DARPA anticipates substantial involvement in guiding or coordinating technical activities, while procurement contracts are used when acquiring specific R&D deliverables, and grants are less typical for DARPA but still possible depending on the circumstances. The notice explicitly states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement, meaning proposers would not be expected to contribute their own funds as a condition of eligibility, which lowers the barrier for participation by smaller firms, universities, and nonprofits.
Eligibility is listed as "Unrestricted," meaning the opportunity is open to any type of entity (industry, academia, nonprofit, federally funded research and development centers, and others), subject to any clarifications that might appear in the full attached text. That is consistent with how DARPA often structures early engagement events like Proposers Days, where the agency is trying to attract a broad field of innovators and encourage teaming across organizations with complementary expertise, such as cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, distributed systems, formal methods, survivability engineering, and mission application domains.
The administrative timeline in the record is tight and points to the Proposers Day itself or related registration material having a near-term deadline. The posting date and creation date are both May 16, 2011, with an original and current closing date of May 23, 2011 at 11:59 pm. The archive date is June 22, 2011. In practical terms, this suggests the public posting was primarily for awareness and logistics rather than a long proposal submission window, which again aligns with a Proposers Day notice: it often closes quickly because it is tied to event attendance, pre-registration, or submission of questions/abstracts for the session rather than a full technical proposal.
The synopsis references an additional information link directing users to "DARPA SN 11 42 on FedBizOpps," which was the government-wide portal at the time for contract opportunities. The main point of contact is Dr. Howard Shrobe, identified as the BAA Coordinator, and the notice includes guidance to contact him if there are difficulties accessing the full announcement electronically. That detail is important because it indicates the official program specifics, participation instructions, and any subsequent solicitation steps were expected to be in the attachment, and that DARPA provided a direct technical/administrative coordinator to help prospective participants obtain the correct materials.
In short, this listing is best understood as a DARPA announcement for an engagement event related to the Mission Oriented Resilient Clouds program, positioned within advanced R&D, open to a broad range of applicants, not requiring cost share, and associated with possible future funding via grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. The key action implied by the synopsis is to retrieve and review the attached full announcement via the FedBizOpps link (or request it from the BAA Coordinator) to get the real substance: the goals of MRC, Proposers Day date/location or virtual details, registration requirements, any constraints on attendance, and whether DARPA expected white papers, capability statements, or questions to be submitted ahead of the event.
FAQs: DARPA Proposers Day Notice - Mission Oriented Resilient Clouds (MRC) (DARPA SN 11 42)
1) What is this government opportunity?
This is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Innovation Office notice for a Proposers Day associated with the program titled "Mission Oriented Resilient Clouds (MRC)." It is listed under Funding Opportunity Number DARPA SN 11 42 and is categorized as a discretionary research and development opportunity in the Science and Technology / other R&D activity area.
2) Is this a request for full proposals?
Based on the information provided, this appears to be a Proposers Day notice rather than a full proposal solicitation. Proposers Day notices are typically used to share program goals, desired technical outcomes, and submission logistics, and to help potential performers understand what a later Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) or solicitation may require.
3) What is a Proposers Day and why does DARPA hold it?
A Proposers Day is generally a DARPA-hosted forum where the government explains the program vision and objectives, discusses desired technical outcomes, and outlines how future submissions (such as white papers or proposals) may be handled. It also typically gives interested organizations a chance to ask questions, meet potential teammates, and reduce uncertainty before investing effort in a future submission.
4) What is the program called and what does the title suggest?
The program is titled "Mission Oriented Resilient Clouds (MRC)." The title suggests a focus on cloud computing designed for mission use where resilience is a primary requirement. In this context, "mission oriented" generally implies support for operational needs, and "resilient clouds" suggests cloud architectures and services that continue operating under stress, faults, cyber attacks, degraded networks, or other adverse conditions.
5) Does the public listing include technical objectives or detailed requirements?
No. The description in the public record is minimal ("Please see attached"), which is common for DARPA postings where the substantive details are contained in an attached announcement document rather than in the short synopsis text.
6) Where are the real details for this opportunity expected to be found?
The details are expected to be in the attached announcement document referenced by the listing, and via the additional information link pointing to "DARPA SN 11 42 on FedBizOpps" (the portal used at the time). The synopsis indicates the attachment is the primary source for program specifics and participation instructions.
7) What kinds of research topics might fit "Mission Oriented Resilient Clouds" (based on the title and synopsis only)?
The synopsis itself does not list topics, but the name implies interest in cloud resilience for mission contexts. That commonly aligns with approaches that keep cloud-hosted applications and data available, trustworthy, and recoverable despite failures or compromise, including rapid reconstitution and graceful degradation rather than catastrophic outages. It also implies interest in architectures, software, and security approaches that can be validated through realistic scenarios and measurable resilience metrics.
8) What funding instrument types are indicated?
The notice lists multiple potential instrument types: cooperative agreement, grant, and procurement contract. This suggests DARPA may choose the instrument that best matches the work and the expected relationship with the performer, depending on what is ultimately solicited in any follow-on announcement.
9) What is the practical difference between a grant, a cooperative agreement, and a procurement contract in this listing?
As characterized in the provided information: cooperative agreements are often used when DARPA anticipates substantial involvement in guiding or coordinating technical activities; procurement contracts are used when acquiring specific R&D deliverables; and grants are less typical for DARPA but may be used depending on circumstances.
10) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice explicitly states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
11) Who is eligible to participate?
Eligibility is listed as "Unrestricted," meaning the opportunity is open to any type of entity (for example, industry, academia, nonprofits, federally funded research and development centers, and others), subject to any additional clarifications that may appear in the full attached announcement.
12) Does "Unrestricted" eligibility mean anyone can receive an award?
It means the opportunity is broadly open by entity type according to the listing. Any additional limitations, conditions, or participation rules would be expected to appear in the attached announcement document rather than in the short synopsis.
13) What is the timeline shown in the posting?
The posting date and creation date are May 16, 2011. The original and current closing date is May 23, 2011 at 11:59 pm. The archive date is June 22, 2011.
14) Why is the open period so short?
The tight timeline suggests the posting was primarily for awareness and logistics (such as event attendance, pre-registration, or submission of questions/abstracts tied to the Proposers Day) rather than a long window for full technical proposals.
15) Is this opportunity still active?
Based on the dates provided (closing date May 23, 2011 and archive date June 22, 2011), the notice is historical and would not be active now. Any current activity would likely require locating a later BAA or updated solicitation related to MRC.
16) What should an interested organization do first?
The key action implied by the synopsis is to retrieve and review the attached full announcement via the FedBizOpps reference ("DARPA SN 11 42 on FedBizOpps"). If there are access issues, the notice indicates you should contact the listed point of contact for help obtaining the materials.
17) Who is the point of contact for this notice?
The main point of contact is Dr. Howard Shrobe, identified as the BAA Coordinator.
18) What should you do if you cannot access the announcement attachment electronically?
The notice includes guidance to contact Dr. Howard Shrobe (the BAA Coordinator) if there are difficulties accessing the full announcement electronically.
19) What is the "additional information" link referring to?
It directs users to "DARPA SN 11 42 on FedBizOpps," which was the government-wide portal at the time for contract opportunities. The listing implies the attachment and/or fuller details were accessible through that record.
20) Does the listing mention a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)?
The provided description indicates Proposers Day is typically used to help organizations understand what a subsequent Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) or solicitation may require, but it does not provide the text of a BAA in the synopsis itself.
21) What kinds of organizations might DARPA be trying to attract to this Proposers Day?
The information suggests DARPA intended broad engagement and teaming across complementary expertise. Examples mentioned include cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, distributed systems, formal methods, survivability engineering, and mission application domains.
22) What kind of deliverables or submission requirements are mentioned in the synopsis?
No concrete deliverables or submission requirements are spelled out in the short synopsis. The expectation is that participation instructions and any required pre-submissions (such as white papers, capability statements, or questions) would be described in the attached announcement.
23) What would the attached announcement likely clarify?
Based on how DARPA postings are described here, the attachment would likely contain the goals of MRC, Proposers Day date/location (or virtual details), registration requirements, any constraints on attendance, and whether DARPA expected questions, abstracts, white papers, or other materials before the event.
24) What is the main takeaway from this listing?
This is best understood as a DARPA announcement for an engagement event related to the Mission Oriented Resilient Clouds program: advanced R&D-focused, open eligibility, no cost share required, and associated with possible future funding via grants, cooperative agreements, or procurement contracts. The short synopsis is not the full story; the attachment is where the details are expected to be.
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