DSO Objectives and Office-wide BAA Description

The mission of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is to identify and create the next generation of scientific discovery by pursuing high-risk, high-payoff research initiatives across a broad spectrum of science and engineering disciplines and transforming these initiatives into disruptive technologies for U.S. national security. In support of this mission, the anticipated DSO Office-wide BAA will invite proposers to submit innovative basic or applied research concepts in one or more of the following technical thrust areas:

Frontiers in Math, Computation & Design: The increasingly complex, technologically sophisticated, and dynamic military operational environment leads to fundamental challenges in how we design and plan for future military needs. The DoD implications of these trends drive a need for new math, computation, and design tools that enable trusted decision making at increased speed and with known confidence levels. Topics of interest under this thrust area include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) mathematical, computational, and design frameworks and tools that provide robust solutions to challenging planning and optimization problems important to DoD; (2) fundamental scientific underpinnings and limits of artificial intelligence; (3) quantum information processing; and (4) alternative computing models, architectures, and substrates for faster, more robust decision making, particularly in size, weight and power constrained and/or low-resourced environments.

Limits of Sensing & Sensors: Sensing and measurement of signals ranging from “DC to daylight” are ubiquitous to military systems and missions. Surveillance, navigation, warfighter health monitoring, and target ID/tracking are just a few examples of missions and/or applications that rely on various sensing modalities. Topics of interest under this thrust area include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) new sensing modalities; (2) fundamental sensing limits; (3) practical and deployable sensing and sensor designs; (4) fundamental and practical limits of quantum enabled sensing and metrology (5) novel and/or engineered materials that enable novel optics and imaging capabilities; and (6) imaging in low-resourced environments.

Complex Social Systems: Understanding social behavior and the dynamics of complex social networks is critically important for many military operations including stability, deterrence, influence, counter-terrorism, shaping the environment, training, and mission planning. Additionally, increasingly robust machine capabilities in the form of automation, platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI) will fundamentally change how human teams frame problems, plan, and operate at tempo and manage complexity. Topics of interest under this thrust area include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) accurate and scientifically validated models of the social dynamics underlying different kinds of conflict; (2) capabilities to improve understanding of causality in complex social systems; (3) tools that enable improved human-machine symbiotic decision-making; (4) new concepts in war-gaming and conflict simulation; and (5) scientific underpinnings of influence and deterrence.

Anticipating Surprise: Ultimately, the goal of DSO Research and Development (R&D) investments is to ensure that U.S. warfighters have access to the most advanced technologies. Research funded under this thrust area supports scientific and technological discovery that leads to leap-ahead capabilities across multiple technology domains to ensure enhanced military readiness against specific existing, emerging and/or future threats to national security. Example topics of interest under this thrust area include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) novel functional and structural materials and manufacturing processes; (2) materials for harsh environments; (3) defense against Weapons of Mass Destruction/Weapons of Mass Terror (WMD/WMT) threats; (4) energetic materials; (5) novel approaches to energy storage and power generation; and (6) novel approaches for improving robustness and resilience of critical infrastructure and supply chains.

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