Special Notice (SN) DARPA-SN-18-78
Polyplexus Pilot 2 Proposers Day Webcast
September 11, 2018

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is sponsoring a Proposers Day webcast to provide information to potential proposers on the objectives of the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Polyplexus Pilot 2 program.  The Proposers Day will be held via a live webcast on September 11, 2018 at 11:00 AM with a repost on September 13, 2018 at 3:00 PM.  Advance registration is required for viewing the webcast and for participation in the Polyplexus Pilot 2. Since Proposers Day registration also serves as registration for participation on the Polyplexus Platform, the registration site will remain open after the Proposers Day webcast has been completed.  Note, all times listed in this announcement and on the registration website are Eastern Time.

The goals of the Polyplexus Pilot 2 Proposers Day are to: (a) introduce the research community (Proposers, Academia, and Government) to the Polyplexus Pilot 2 program vision and goals; and (b) explain the mechanics of the program. 

DARPA anticipates releasing the Polyplexus Pilot 2 BAA in early September, 2018 on http://www.fbo.gov and http://www.grants.gov.  Following the event, DARPA may post the presented materials as well as a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list to the DARPA/DSO Opportunities website. 

The BAA will explain how scientists and engineers can participate in the testing of the Polyplexus platform.

Note that registration for the Proposers Day serves two functions. Prior to the broadcast of the Proposers Day webcast, registration (1) enables access to the webcast and (2) generates an invitation to apply for an account on the Polyplexus platform. After the Proposers Day webcast, registration will only generate an invitation to apply for an account on the Polyplexus platform. Qualified participants will be selected on a first registered on the Proposers Day web site, first invited basis.

The Government’s ultimate intent is for Polyplexus to be open to all, but, given the nature and complexity of this pilot, the Government requires a pool of expert science and technology researchers to interact with the platform and also act as platform testers. Pilot participation is open to all scientists and engineers who want to engage in this online platform.

To maximize the pool of innovative proposal concepts, DARPA strongly encourages participation by non-traditional proposers (including small businesses, academic and research institutions, and first-time Government contractors) in events such as this and any subsequent solicitations.

Program Objective and Description

Polyplexus is an online platform being developed under the DARPA Gamifying the Search for Strategic Surprise (GS3) program.  The aim of the new Polyplexus platform is to fundamentally reshape the research and development (R&D) process by significantly reducing the time between concept emergence and worthy proposal submission by dramatically increasing efficiency.  The efficiency gains arise from collaborative activities focused on rigorous evidence collection and hypothesis generation, both of which are facilitated by online conversation.  Ultimately, the purpose of Polyplexus will be to build on a continuous expert conversation about the present and future states of science and to generate superior R&D proposals, which are then matched to research sponsors. 

DARPA/DSO is seeking participants for this pilot program designed to utilize modern connectivity to rapidly develop promising basic research pathways and then efficiently develop basic research proposals. DSO’s intent is to fund some of the research proposals resulting from this pilot program.  As with other recent DARPA/DSO opportunity announcements, the intent of this program is to deliver research proposals that seek to investigate innovative approaches to enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems.  Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice. 

Registration Information

The Polyplexus Pilot 2 Proposers Day will be a live webcast on September 11, 2018 at 11:00 AM with a repost on September 13, 2018 at 3:00 PM.  Note, all times listed in this announcement and on the registration website are Eastern Time.  There is no registration fee for the Proposers Day webcast. 

Registration opens: As of the publication of this announcement
Registration website: http://events.sa-meetings.com/PolyplexusPilot2PD2018 (this site)
Proposers Day Registration Deadline: Friday, September 7, 2018 at 5:00 PM or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.
Polyplexus Pilot 2 Registration Closes: August 3, 2019

Advance registration via the above website is required in order to receive access to the webcast and is mandatory for every individual intending to view the webcast either alone or as part of a group. 

Registrants in excess of 1000 may be added to a waitlist. Individuals who are unable to register because the deadline has occurred may request to be added to the waitlist. If slots become available due to cancellations, the slots may be filled on a first come, first served basis from the waitlist.

Eligibility

DARPA hosts Proposers Days to (1) promote teaming arrangements between researchers; (2) provide potential proposers with information on whether and how they might respond to the Government’s research and development solicitations; and (3) increase efficiency in proposal preparation and evaluation. Therefore, Proposers Days are only open to registered potential proposers, i.e., the events are closed to the general public and media. For this particular program, Proposers Day registration is open to potential proposers who are U.S. Citizens, U.S. Permanent Residents, and Foreign Nationals.

Q & A

Contact Information

Please refer to the Polyplexus Pilot 2 Proposers Day in all correspondence.

   • Technical Point of Contact: Dr. John Main, Program Manager, PolyplexusPilot@darpa.mil

   • Registration Website: http://events.sa-meetings.com/PolyplexusPilot2PD2018 (this site)

   • DARPA/DSO Opportunities Website: http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities

Disclaimers and Important Notes

Viewing the Polyplexus Pilot 2 Proposers Day webcast is voluntary, but registration for the webcast is mandatory for participation in the activity described in the Polyplexus Pilot 2 BAA.  Interested parties to this notice are cautioned that nothing herein obligates the Government to issue a solicitation.  The Proposers Day does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts.  This announcement is issued solely for information and program planning purposes and is not a Request for Information (RFI).  Since this is not an RFI, no submissions against this notice will be accepted by the Government.  No classified, ITAR controlled, or proprietary information shall be included in submitted materials or shall be presented or discussed at the Proposers Day.  DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred to participate in this Proposers Day. Recording the Proposers Day webcast is not permitted.