Strategic Technology Office-wide Innovation Solutions Opening Announcement

Description

{"description":"The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) anticipates funding a limited number of proposals under this solicitation. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. The Strategic Technology Office (STO) at DARPA regularly publishes solicitations requesting responses to specific program topics. This announcement seeks revolutionary research ideas for topics not addressed by ongoing STO programs or other published DARPA solicitations. To avoid proposals that duplicate existing activities or are responsive to other published STO solicitations, potential proposers are highly encouraged to review current STO programs and solicitations, respectively listed at http://www.darpa.mil/about-us/offices/sto and http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities. Contacting STO program managers to discuss their research interests is also encouraged. A current list of program managers is available at http://www.darpa.mil/about-us/people. This Innovation Solutions Opening solicits under the procurement authorities of 10 U.S. Code § 4001, 10 U.S.C. § 4021, 10 U.S.C. § 4022, and 10 U.S.C. § 4023, that allow procurement activities authority to enter into agreements with industry, academia, and other organizations to fund research and development through cooperative agreements, Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) for research, OTAs for prototypes, and procurement for experimental purposes. Proposals received as a result of this Innovation Solutions Opening will be evaluated by the Government in accordance with the evaluation criteria specified herein through a scientific review process. DARPA solicitations are posted on the SAM website under the Contract Opportunities link at https://sam.gov/. The following information is for those wishing to respond to the Innovation Solutions Opening. 1.1.\tSTO MISSION AND THRUST AREAS DARPA's STO is a systems warfare office that seeks innovative and disruptive technologies for existing and future battlespaces. STO programs deliver solutions at speed and scale for today's warfighters while developing the resilient \"breakthrough\" systems and technologies across all physical domains (Air, Space, Sea, and Land) and across the spectrum of competition. STO does not focus on one area of responsibility or phenomenology. Instead, STO programs capture the strategic, logistical, and tactical complexity of today's national security environments. STO seeks to create new \"proof-of-concept\" mission systems. 1.2.\tTOPIC AREAS OF INTEREST Research areas of current interest to STO include, but are not limited to, the following topics: •\tAcoustic communication and sensing •\tAdaptability •\tAdvanced computing •\tAdditive manufacturing •\tArchitecture and advanced systems engineering •\tArtificial intelligence •\tAutonomy and control algorithms •\tCombat identification •\tCommand and control (C2) •\tCommunications and networking, virtual and adaptive •\tComplexity management •\tCritical infrastructure defense •\tDecision aids and C2 technology •\tDevOps and novel software development and integration •\tDirected energy (DE) •\tDistributed autonomy and teaming (machine-machine, human-machine) •\tEconomic security •\tEffects chain functions (disaggregated find, fix, track, target, engage, assess) •\tElectro-optic/infrared sensors •\tElectromagnetic warfare (EW) •\tHigh-frequency (HF) communications and sensing •\tHigh voltage electric power systems and architecture •\tHuman behavior modeling •\tHuman-machine symbiosis •\tIndustrial engineering •\tIntegration and reliability technologies •\tInteroperability •\tLogistics •\tModeling and simulation •\tMicrowave and millimeter wave communications and sensing •\tNovel kinetic effects •\tNon-kinetic effects (EW, DE, cyber) •\tOptical technologies •\tPhotonics •\tRadio technologies (especially software-defined and novel waveforms and processing) •\tRadar and adaptive arrays •\tResilient systems •\tRobotics •\tSeekers and other expendable sensors and processing •\tSensors and analytics •\tSignal processing •\tSpace sensors, communications, autonomy, and architectures (especially supporting proliferated low earth orbit constellations) •\tStrategy analysis technology •\tSupply chain analytics •\tSystem of systems •\tUndersea and seabed technology •\tTactics development technology •\tTesting and data collection •\tVery low earth orbit (VLEO) technology •\tVery low frequency (VLF) technology"} Solicitation Number: DARPA-PS-26-09 Type: Solicitation Base Type: Solicitation NAICS: 541715 Classification Code: AC13 Response Deadline: 2026-12-18T23:59:00 Office Address: ARLINGTON, VA POC: Solicitation Coordinator, DARPA-PS-26-09@darpa.mil {"description":"The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) anticipates funding a limited number of proposals under this solicitation. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. The Strategic Technology Office (STO) at DARPA regularly publishes solicitations requesting responses to specific program topics. This announcement seeks revolutionary research ideas for topics not addressed by ongoing STO programs or other published DARPA solicitations. To avoid proposals that duplicate existing activities or are responsive to other published STO solicitations, potential proposers are highly encouraged to review current STO programs and solicitations, respectively listed at http://www.darpa.mil/about-us/offices/sto and http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities. Contacting STO program managers to discuss their research interests is also encouraged. A current list of program managers is available at http://www.darpa.mil/about-us/people. This Innovation Solutions Opening solicits under the procurement authorities of 10 U.S. Code § 4001, 10 U.S.C. § 4021, 10 U.S.C. § 4022, and 10 U.S.C. § 4023, that allow procurement activities authority to enter into agreements with industry, academia, and other organizations to fund research and development through cooperative agreements, Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) for research, OTAs for prototypes, and procurement for experimental purposes. Proposals received as a result of this Innovation Solutions Opening will be evaluated by the Government in accordance with the evaluation criteria specified herein through a scientific review process. DARPA solicitations are posted on the SAM website under the Contract Opportunities link at https://sam.gov/. The following information is for those wishing to respond to the Innovation Solutions Opening. 1.1.\tSTO MISSION AND THRUST AREAS DARPA's STO is a systems warfare office that seeks innovative and disruptive technologies for existing and future battlespaces. STO programs deliver solutions at speed and scale for today's warfighters while developing the resilient \"breakthrough\" systems and technologies across all physical domains (Air, Space, Sea, and Land) and across the spectrum of competition. STO does not focus on one area of responsibility or phenomenology. Instead, STO programs capture the strategic, logistical, and tactical complexity of today's national security environments. STO seeks to create new \"proof-of-concept\" mission systems. 1.2.\tTOPIC AREAS OF INTEREST Research areas of current interest to STO include, but are not limited to, the following topics: •\tAcoustic communication and sensing •\tAdaptability •\tAdvanced computing •\tAdditive manufacturing •\tArchitecture and advanced systems engineering •\tArtificial intelligence •\tAutonomy and control algorithms •\tCombat identification •\tCommand and control (C2) •\tCommunications and networking, virtual and adaptive •\tComplexity management •\tCritical infrastructure defense •\tDecision aids and C2 technology •\tDevOps and novel software development and integration •\tDirected energy (DE) •\tDistributed autonomy and teaming (machine-machine, human-machine) •\tEconomic security •\tEffects chain functions (disaggregated find, fix, track, target, engage, assess) •\tElectro-optic/infrared sensors •\tElectromagnetic warfare (EW) •\tHigh-frequency (HF) communications and sensing •\tHigh voltage electric power systems and architecture •\tHuman behavior modeling •\tHuman-machine symbiosis •\tIndustrial engineering •\tIntegration and reliability technologies •\tInteroperability •\tLogistics •\tModeling and simulation •\tMicrowave and millimeter wave communications and sensing •\tNovel kinetic effects •\tNon-kinetic effects (EW, DE, cyber) •\tOptical technologies •\tPhotonics •\tRadio technologies (especially software-defined and novel waveforms and processing) •\tRadar and adaptive arrays •\tResilient systems •\tRobotics •\tSeekers and other expendable sensors and processing •\tSensors and analytics •\tSignal processing •\tSpace sensors, communications, autonomy, and architectures (especially supporting proliferated low earth orbit constellations) •\tStrategy analysis technology •\tSupply chain analytics •\tSystem of systems •\tUndersea and seabed technology •\tTactics development technology •\tTesting and data collection •\tVery low earth orbit (VLEO) technology •\tVery low frequency (VLF) technology"}