Restoring Active Memory (RAM) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Restoring Active Memory (RAM) opportunity (DARPA BAA 14-08) is a DARPA Defense Sciences Office research program aimed at improving the recovery of memory function after brain injury by advancing the science and technology needed to read, interpret, and therapeutically influence neural activity. At its core, the program is looking for new, better ways to analyze and decode neural signals associated with memory processes, and to use that understanding to determine how targeted neural stimulation might help restore the ability to encode new memories when that capability has been disrupted by injury. The longer-term objective is ambitious and translational: to develop a prototype implantable neural device intended to enable recovery of memory in a human clinical population.

A central theme of the solicitation is the closed-loop relationship between measurement and intervention. On the measurement side, DARPA is seeking approaches that can capture and interpret neural signatures of memory with enough fidelity to be useful for practical therapeutic use. On the intervention side, the program is explicitly focused on how stimulation could be applied in a principled way to facilitate or re-establish memory encoding, rather than simply observing neural activity. This implies interest in systems that can detect relevant neural patterns and respond with appropriate stimulation strategies, potentially adapting over time as the user or injury profile changes.

Beyond building device capability, RAM also emphasizes the need for strong theoretical and computational foundations. The announcement calls for the development of quantitative models of complex, hierarchical memories, meaning models that can handle memory as something structured, layered, and context-dependent rather than as isolated, simple associations. In addition, the program seeks to explore neurobiological and behavioral differences between memory function that is supported by an implantable device versus memory improvements that come from natural learning, rehabilitation, or training. In practice, that suggests proposals may need to include experimental designs and evaluation methods that can separate the effects of device-assisted encoding from the effects of conventional learning processes, and that can measure outcomes both in the brain (neurophysiology) and in performance (behavior).

From an administrative standpoint, this was a discretionary funding opportunity offering multiple potential award instruments, including cooperative agreements and other procurement contracts, reflecting DARPA’s flexibility in structuring research relationships depending on the nature and maturity of the proposed work. It falls under the Science and Technology / Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development). Cost sharing was not required. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications contained in the full announcement text.

Key posting details included a posted date of November 7, 2013, with the original closing date of January 9, 2014, later extended to January 23, 2014, and an archive date of March 31, 2014. The announcement references the full BAA package (DARPA BAA 14-08) as the authoritative source for technical scope, submission requirements, and evaluation criteria, and provides a DARPA BAA Coordinator contact for access issues related to the full electronic announcement.

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