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Rapid Threat Assessment (RTA) (DARPA BAA 13-34) - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Rapid Threat Assessment (RTA) opportunity (DARPA BAA 13-34)?

Rapid Threat Assessment (RTA) was a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Sciences Office solicitation focused on speeding up how quickly researchers can determine what a potentially harmful substance does to living cells, and specifically why it does it at a molecular level.

What problem was RTA trying to solve?

The program aimed to reduce the time it takes to move from exposing cells to a given agent to identifying the agent's molecular mechanism of action. The goal emphasized actionable, mechanistic understanding fast enough to be useful in time-sensitive situations rather than slower, traditional investigative timelines.

What was the central technical goal of the program?

The central goal was to develop new, high-throughput experimental methods and supporting tools capable of revealing, within 30 days, the molecular mechanism by which a given agent affects cellular function.

What does "within 30 days" refer to in this opportunity?

It refers to the targeted timeline for generating a molecular-level explanation of how a given agent affects cellular function (i.e., moving from exposure to mechanism) using the proposed methods and tools.

What kinds of agents were in scope for RTA?

The agents of interest were broad and could include threat agents as well as drugs, biologics, or chemicals. This reflects an interest in rapid mechanistic understanding for defense-relevant hazards and other biologically active exposures.

Was the focus on detecting toxicity or on explaining mechanism?

The focus was on rapidly explaining why an agent causes changes at a molecular level, not simply detecting whether it is toxic or causes a phenotype. The solicitation emphasized mechanistic attribution rather than descriptive profiling alone.

What does DARPA mean by "molecular mechanism" in the context provided?

In this context, the intent was to attribute observed changes in cell behavior or viability to specific pathways, targets, or molecular interactions, producing decision-quality mechanistic insight rather than only reporting that an effect occurred.

What does "high-throughput experimental methods and tools" imply for proposed approaches?

It suggests DARPA was seeking platforms and workflows that can test many conditions in parallel (for example, multiple conditions, doses, time points, or perturbations) and generate rich molecular readouts paired with analysis robust enough to support causal inference.

What types of outputs or outcomes was the program aiming to enable?

The intended outcome was a capability to quickly connect cellular changes to underlying mechanisms (pathways, targets, or interactions) fast enough to inform decisions in scenarios where timing matters.

What kind of funding opportunity was this (category and program area)?

This was a discretionary research and development funding opportunity in the science and technology category.

What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity was associated with CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development).

What funding instruments did DARPA indicate could be used?

DARPA indicated multiple potential instrument types, including cooperative agreements, other transactions, and procurement contracts. This indicates flexibility in how agreements could be structured depending on the work and performer mix.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement was listed in the information provided.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional clarifications in the full announcement. Examples of entities generally included universities, companies, nonprofits, federally funded research and development centers, and other organizations, as long as they met the detailed BAA requirements.

Where were the full requirements and proposal instructions located?

The full technical requirements, submission instructions, and evaluation criteria were contained in the attached Broad Agency Announcement: DARPA BAA 13-34. That BAA governed the exact scope, deliverables, and formatting expectations.

When was the solicitation posted?

The solicitation was posted on May 8, 2013.

What were the closing dates for submissions?

The original closing date and the final closing date were both listed as July 23, 2013.

When was the opportunity archived?

The archive date was August 23, 2013.

Who was the point of contact listed for access issues?

The main point of contact for access issues was the BAA Coordinator, Dr. Barry Pallotta.

If there is a conflict between a summary and the official solicitation, what governs?

The Broad Agency Announcement (DARPA BAA 13-34) governed the exact scope, deliverables, submission instructions, and evaluation criteria, and would control the official requirements.