Opportunity Information: Apply for DARPA BAA 14 65
Apply for DARPA BAA 14 65
- The DARPA Information Innovation Office in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SafeWare" 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 Sep 30, 2014 and posted on Sep 30, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 18, 2014 Proposal Due Date Closing Time 1200pm Eastern Time. (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:
SafeWare (DARPA BAA 14-65) was a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funding opportunity issued by DARPA's Information Innovation Office focused on program obfuscation research. The government was looking for proposals that push beyond incremental hardening techniques and instead explore genuinely new ways to make software harder to understand, reverse engineer, tamper with, or exploit. In practical terms, the goal was to spur research that could change what is possible in software protection and security by developing obfuscation methods that meaningfully raise the difficulty of analyzing a program's logic, extracting sensitive algorithms, or modifying behavior, even when an adversary can inspect the code or binary.
DARPA framed the work as high-risk, high-reward research aimed at "revolutionary advances" in science, devices, or systems. That wording matters because the solicitation explicitly ruled out work that is mainly evolutionary, meaning proposals that largely amount to modest improvements to existing commercial or academic obfuscation approaches were not what they wanted. The emphasis was on innovative concepts and breakthroughs, which typically implies new theoretical foundations, new classes of obfuscation techniques, or system-level approaches that achieve protection goals in ways that existing tools and methods cannot.
From a contracting and administration standpoint, SafeWare was listed as a discretionary opportunity using multiple possible funding instruments, including cooperative agreements and other procurement contract types. It fell under the Science and Technology / Research and Development activity category and was associated with CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development). Cost sharing was not required, and eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity was open to a wide range of applicant types (for example, companies, universities, nonprofits, and other organizations), subject to any additional eligibility details in the full BAA text.
Key dates indicate this was a time-bounded solicitation posted on September 30, 2014, with proposals due November 18, 2014 by 12:00 pm Eastern Time, and it was archived on December 18, 2014. The program point of contact listed for access issues and coordination was Dr. Michael Hsieh, an I2O Program Manager and BAA Coordinator. Overall, SafeWare can be summarized as a DARPA research call aimed at creating major advances in program obfuscation, prioritizing novel and disruptive ideas over incremental enhancements to the existing state of practice.
SafeWare (DARPA BAA 14-65) FAQ
What is SafeWare (DARPA BAA 14-65)?
SafeWare (DARPA BAA 14-65) was a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) issued by DARPA's Information Innovation Office (I2O). It focused on research in program obfuscation aimed at making software significantly harder to analyze, reverse engineer, tamper with, or exploit.
What problem was DARPA trying to solve with this opportunity?
DARPA was seeking research that could materially increase the difficulty of understanding a program's logic, extracting sensitive algorithms, or modifying a program's behavior, even when an adversary can inspect the code or compiled binary. The intent was to change what is possible in software protection and security rather than to slightly improve existing methods.
What research area did the solicitation focus on?
The solicitation focused on program obfuscation research. In practical terms, it targeted methods that raise the difficulty of static or dynamic analysis of software, impede reverse engineering, and resist tampering or exploitation attempts.
What kinds of approaches were encouraged?
The BAA emphasized proposals that go beyond incremental hardening techniques and instead explore genuinely new ways to protect software. This framing implies interest in novel concepts, potential breakthroughs, new theoretical foundations, new classes of obfuscation techniques, and/or system-level approaches that existing tools and methods cannot achieve.
What kinds of approaches were discouraged or ruled out?
DARPA explicitly ruled out work that is mainly evolutionary. Proposals centered on modest improvements to existing commercial or academic obfuscation approaches were not aligned with the stated intent of the solicitation.
How did DARPA characterize the nature of the research?
DARPA described the work as high-risk, high-reward research aimed at "revolutionary advances" in science, devices, or systems. This indicates the program sought disruptive ideas with the potential for major leaps in capability rather than predictable incremental progress.
What was the desired security outcome for funded work?
The desired outcome was obfuscation methods that meaningfully increase the difficulty of analyzing program logic, extracting sensitive algorithms, and modifying program behavior, even when the adversary has access to the code or binary.
Which DARPA office issued this opportunity?
The opportunity was issued by DARPA's Information Innovation Office (I2O).
What type of funding opportunity was it?
SafeWare was a DARPA BAA (Broad Agency Announcement) and was listed as a discretionary opportunity.
What funding instruments were available under this opportunity?
The opportunity allowed for multiple possible funding instruments, including cooperative agreements and other procurement contract types.
What activity category did this opportunity fall under?
It fell under the Science and Technology / Research and Development activity category.
What CFDA number was associated with SafeWare?
The opportunity was associated with CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development).
Was cost sharing required?
No. Cost sharing was not required for this opportunity.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning it was open to a wide range of applicant types (such as companies, universities, nonprofits, and other organizations), subject to any additional eligibility details included in the full BAA text.
When was the solicitation posted?
The solicitation was posted on September 30, 2014.
When were proposals due?
Proposals were due on November 18, 2014, by 12:00 pm Eastern Time.
When was the opportunity archived?
The solicitation was archived on December 18, 2014.
Is this opportunity still open?
Based on the listed dates and the fact that it was archived on December 18, 2014, this specific solicitation is no longer open.
Who was the point of contact for the program?
The program point of contact listed for access issues and coordination was Dr. Michael Hsieh, an I2O Program Manager and BAA Coordinator.
What would a strong proposal conceptually need to emphasize?
Based on the solicitation framing, a strong proposal would emphasize genuinely novel and disruptive obfuscation ideas that could produce major advances in software protection, rather than incremental refinements of existing obfuscation tools or techniques.
Does the summary indicate any specific technical deliverables or metrics?
No specific deliverables, evaluation metrics, or performance benchmarks are provided in the information shown here; the emphasis described is on revolutionary advances and non-incremental approaches to program obfuscation.
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