Opportunity Information: Apply for DARPA RA 12 12
Apply for DARPA RA 12 12
- The DARPA Defense Sciences Office in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Young Faculty Award (YFA)" 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 Jan 11, 2012 and posted on Dec 6, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 19, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Young Faculty Award (YFA) opportunity under DARPA RA 12-12 is a discretionary federal research grant program run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It is aimed at supporting early-career, junior faculty members who can propose and lead truly ground-breaking, high-risk/high-reward research as single investigators. The intent is to identify rising academic researchers and help them launch bold research directions that align with DARPA mission needs, while also helping DARPA offices connect with and shape emerging research talent.
In terms of technical focus, the solicitation is intentionally broad and welcomes proposals across Physical Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, Biology, Information Sciences, and Social Sciences, as long as the work is relevant to one or more of DARPA's participating offices: the Defense Sciences Office (DSO), the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO), and the Information Innovation Office (I2O). In practice, that means proposals should not just be academically interesting; they should connect to national security-relevant challenges and demonstrate a plausible pathway to transformative defense capabilities, even if the work is early-stage and exploratory.
The award instrument is a grant, and the funding activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The program is listed under CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development). The funding opportunity includes an award ceiling of $300,000, which indicates the maximum amount anticipated per award under this announcement. No cost sharing or matching is required, reducing institutional barriers and making it easier for eligible faculty and universities to participate without committing additional funds as a condition of the award.
Eligibility is limited to institutions of higher education, specifically private universities and public or state-controlled universities. Because the solicitation emphasizes single-investigator proposals from junior faculty, the core performer is expected to be an early-career faculty member at an eligible institution serving as the principal investigator and technical lead. While collaborations can exist in many research programs, the defining feature here is the single-investigator framing and the goal of empowering a junior faculty member to pursue a distinctive, independent research vision.
Key administrative details include a posted date of December 6, 2011, a creation date of January 11, 2012, and an application closing date of January 19, 2012 (both the original and current closing date are the same). The opportunity archive date is April 19, 2012, indicating it is no longer active under that specific cycle. The announcement references the full solicitation text (DARPA RA 12-12) and a Modification 2 to that solicitation, which typically contains updates such as clarified instructions, revised requirements, or corrected administrative information that applicants must follow.
For questions or issues accessing the full announcement, the listed point of contact is the DARPA BAA Coordinator (with the note that applicants should reach out if they have difficulty accessing the announcement electronically). Overall, the YFA opportunity is structured as a competitive, early-career research grant designed to surface and accelerate ambitious ideas that fit within DARPA's defense-focused research priorities across multiple scientific and engineering domains.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) (DARPA RA 12-12)
What is the Young Faculty Award (YFA) under DARPA RA 12-12?
The Young Faculty Award (YFA) is a discretionary federal research grant program run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It is designed to support early-career, junior faculty who can propose and lead ground-breaking, high-risk/high-reward research as single investigators, in ways that align with DARPA mission needs.
What is the main goal of this YFA opportunity?
The intent is to identify rising academic researchers and help them launch bold research directions that are relevant to national security and DARPA priorities, while also helping DARPA offices connect with and shape emerging research talent.
Who is this program meant for?
This opportunity is aimed at early-career, junior faculty members who can serve as the principal investigator (PI) and technical lead on a single-investigator proposal.
What kind of research does the solicitation support?
The solicitation is intentionally broad. It welcomes proposals across Physical Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, Biology, Information Sciences, and Social Sciences, as long as the work is relevant to one or more of DARPA's participating offices and aligns with DARPA mission needs.
Which DARPA offices are participating in this solicitation?
Proposals must be relevant to one or more of the participating DARPA offices listed in the announcement: the Defense Sciences Office (DSO), the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO), and the Information Innovation Office (I2O).
Does the research need to be defense or national security relevant?
Yes. The opportunity emphasizes that proposals should not only be academically interesting, but should connect to national security-relevant challenges and show a plausible pathway to transformative defense capabilities, even if the work is early-stage and exploratory.
Is this a high-risk/high-reward research program?
Yes. The YFA opportunity specifically targets truly ground-breaking, high-risk/high-reward research led by junior faculty as single investigators.
What type of funding instrument is used for this opportunity?
The award instrument is a grant.
What is the funding activity category for this program?
The funding activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The program is listed under CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development).
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The funding opportunity lists an award ceiling of $300,000, which indicates the maximum amount anticipated per award under this announcement.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states that no cost sharing or matching is required.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to institutions of higher education. Specifically, the eligible institution types listed are private universities and public or state-controlled universities.
Can an individual faculty member apply directly, or does the institution apply?
Based on the eligibility statement, the eligible applicants are institutions of higher education (private universities and public or state-controlled universities). The solicitation also emphasizes that the core performer is expected to be a junior faculty member serving as PI and technical lead, within an eligible institution.
Does the program allow team proposals or collaborations?
The defining feature described in the opportunity is single-investigator proposals from junior faculty, with the goal of empowering a distinctive and independent research vision. While the text notes collaborations can exist in many research programs, this solicitation is framed around a single-investigator approach.
What are the key dates for this opportunity?
The posted date is December 6, 2011. The creation date is January 11, 2012. The application closing date is January 19, 2012 (the original and current closing date are the same). The archive date is April 19, 2012.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. The archive date (April 19, 2012) indicates the opportunity is no longer active under that specific cycle.
What solicitation documents should applicants follow?
The announcement references the full solicitation text (DARPA RA 12-12) and a Modification 2 to that solicitation. Modification documents typically include updates such as clarified instructions, revised requirements, or corrected administrative information that applicants must follow.
What should applicants do if they cannot access the announcement electronically?
The listed point of contact for access issues is the DARPA BAA Coordinator. The announcement notes that applicants should reach out if they have difficulty accessing the announcement electronically.
What makes a proposal a good fit for this YFA opportunity?
Based on the description, a strong fit is a junior-faculty-led, single-investigator proposal that is bold and high-impact, is technically relevant to DSO, MTO, and/or I2O, and connects to national security-relevant challenges with a plausible path to transformative defense capabilities.
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