Spectral Combs from UV to THz (SCOUT) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the SCOUT opportunity?

SCOUT stands for Spectral Combs from UV to THz. It was a DARPA solicitation (BAA 15-01) run through DARPA's Defense Sciences Office focused on advancing chip-scale optical frequency comb technology, with a specific emphasis on spectroscopic sensing applications.

Which agency and office managed this solicitation?

The opportunity was issued by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and managed through DARPA's Defense Sciences Office.

What technology area was DARPA trying to advance through SCOUT?

SCOUT targeted chip-scale optical frequency comb sources, aiming to shrink highly capable frequency-comb systems to chip-sized platforms while maintaining or expanding performance relevant to sensing.

What was the primary application focus of SCOUT?

The solicitation specifically emphasized spectroscopic sensing, where precise, stable, and broadband frequency combs can serve as spectral "rulers" to help identify and measure chemicals, materials, or environmental conditions with high specificity and sensitivity.

What spectral range did SCOUT aim to cover?

SCOUT aimed to extend chip-scale frequency comb usefulness across a very wide span of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the ultraviolet (UV) through the terahertz (THz) region.

Was DARPA looking for incremental improvements or disruptive approaches?

DARPA indicated a strong preference for disruptive, leap-ahead approaches. The solicitation explicitly excluded research that mainly delivered evolutionary improvements to the current state of practice, setting a high bar for technical ambition.

What does it mean that evolutionary improvements were excluded?

Based on the solicitation description, proposals needed to aim beyond incremental tuning or small performance gains and instead pursue concepts that could plausibly produce revolutionary advances in the underlying science, device physics, fabrication approaches, or complete sensing systems enabled by chip-scale comb sources.

How would you characterize the risk and reward profile of this program?

SCOUT was positioned as a high-risk, high-reward research and development effort, consistent with DARPA's typical expectations for Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) driven programs.

What types of award instruments were available under SCOUT?

The opportunity allowed multiple award instrument types, including cooperative agreements, grants, other transaction-like mechanisms, and procurement contracts. This indicates DARPA had flexibility in how it could structure awards depending on the work and the performer.

What does it imply that cooperative agreements were an option?

The listing notes that cooperative agreements generally imply more substantial agency involvement during execution than a standard grant. The availability of multiple instrument types suggests DARPA could choose an arrangement aligned with how closely it expected to collaborate during performance.

How was the opportunity categorized in terms of activity type?

SCOUT was categorized under science and technology and other research and development.

What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?

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

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement was stated for SCOUT, which lowers barriers for organizations that may not have resources for mandatory cost share.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity was open to a wide range of applicant types, subject to any further conditions that would have been contained in the full announcement text.

What kinds of organizations are typically included under "unrestricted" eligibility?

As described, unrestricted eligibility typically allows participation by universities, nonprofit research institutions, small businesses, large companies, federally funded research and development centers, and other organizations, including teaming arrangements, as long as any additional solicitation conditions are met.

When was the solicitation posted?

The opportunity was posted on October 7, 2014.

When was the opportunity created in the system?

The listing indicates it was created in the system on November 12, 2014.

What was the proposal closing date?

The original and current closing date was November 25, 2014.

How long was the proposal window?

Based on the provided dates (posted October 7, 2014 and closing November 25, 2014), the window was relatively short compared with many research solicitations.

Is this opportunity still active?

No. The archive date was January 25, 2015, and the closing date was November 25, 2014, indicating the submission period has ended and the listing is no longer active.

Where were full details posted?

The announcement pointed to an additional information link hosted at FedBizOpps, which was the predecessor to what is now integrated into SAM.gov.

Who was the point of contact?

The point of contact for access issues was the BAA Coordinator.

What kind of outcomes was DARPA seeking from SCOUT?

SCOUT can be read as seeking transformative chip-scale frequency-comb capabilities that enable compact, robust, and highly precise spectroscopic sensing systems spanning UV to THz, with proposals expected to introduce new concepts and architectures rather than incremental refinements.

Did SCOUT focus only on devices, or also on systems?

The description suggests interest in advances across multiple levels, including underlying science, enabling device physics and fabrication, and complete sensing systems built around chip-scale comb sources.

What does "discretionary opportunity" mean in this listing context?

The opportunity was listed as discretionary, which in this context indicates the agency had discretion in making awards under the solicitation rather than operating as a formula-driven or entitlement-style program.

What is the solicitation identifier for SCOUT?

The solicitation was identified as DARPA BAA 15-01.