Vanishing Programmable Resources (VAPR) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Vanishing Programmable Resources (VAPR) opportunity (DARPA BAA 13-23) is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency solicitation from the Microsystems Technology Office focused on a specific battlefield and security problem created by modern, low-cost electronics. As microsystems get cheaper and more capable, they can be deployed in very large numbers for things like distributed sensing, tagging, and communications. The downside is that once these devices are scattered across an operational area, it becomes unrealistic to account for, retrieve, and safely dispose of every unit. That creates two persistent risks: long-term accumulation of devices in the environment (including potential environmental burden and operational clutter) and the possibility that leftover systems could be found, exploited, repurposed, or reverse-engineered by unauthorized parties. VAPR is DARPA's attempt to push a new class of electronics designed to physically disappear on demand, in a controlled and triggerable way, rather than remaining as recoverable hardware after a mission.

In practical terms, the program is seeking proposals that can demonstrate electronics built from materials and designs that allow the system to function normally for a defined period, then reliably and intentionally vanish when commanded or when a programmed condition is met. The emphasis is not just on a single disappearing component, but on building a foundation for "transient" or "vanishing" electronic technology more broadly. That includes developing a basis set of materials, components, integration approaches, and manufacturing methods that would make it feasible to produce these systems at scale and integrate them into real platforms. The solicitation language points to controlled disappearance, meaning the vanishing process should be predictable and engineered rather than accidental degradation. It also implies the need for a trigger mechanism, which could be time-based, environmental, or externally initiated, as long as it can be designed and validated to meet mission requirements.

This announcement is categorized as discretionary research and development funding under the Science and Technology / R&D activity area, and it is open to unrestricted applicants (any entity type, subject to any eligibility clarifications in the full BAA text). DARPA lists multiple potential funding instruments for awards under this opportunity, including cooperative agreements, grants, other transactions, and procurement contracts, which signals flexibility in how performers may be brought onto the program depending on the nature of the work, teaming approach, and government needs. The listing notes no cost sharing or matching requirement. The CFDA number associated with this opportunity is 12.910 (Research and Technology Development). The award floor and ceiling are shown as 0 in the summary data, which typically means DARPA did not specify fixed minimum or maximum award sizes in the synopsis and instead expects proposed budgets to be driven by technical scope and negotiated through the selection process.

Amendment 01 to the BAA is administrative and specifically changes the proposal due date. The original closing date was May 14, 2013, and the amended (current) closing date is May 23, 2013. The posted date for the opportunity is February 13, 2013, with a creation date of April 22, 2013, and an archive date of November 25, 2013. The amendment notes that the revised due date is highlighted in yellow in the conformed DARPA BAA 13-23 document, indicating that offerors were expected to rely on the updated solicitation package for the authoritative deadline and any associated submission instructions.

For prospective applicants, the key takeaway is that DARPA was looking for technically credible, manufacturable approaches to transient electronics that could be deployed widely without leaving behind exploitable hardware. Competitive proposals would typically need to address not only how a device disappears, but also how it remains reliable before vanishing, how the trigger works, what materials and fabrication methods enable the effect, and how the approach scales to useful electronic subsystems. The full solicitation and updates were hosted through DARPA's solicitation portal, and the listed point of contact for access issues is Dr. Alicia Jackson, DARPA MTO Program Manager and MTO BAA Coordinator.

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