Special Notice (SN) DARPA-SN-21-24
Discover DSO Day (D3)
Proposers Day
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is sponsoring the Discover DSO Day (D3) event to provide information to potential proposers on the objectives of the DSO Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). The event will be held on June 23, 2021 via webcast. Advance registration is required for all individuals intending to view the webcast alone or as part of a group. Note, all times listed in this announcement and on the registration website are Eastern Time.
The goals of the event are to (1) familiarize participants with DSO’s mission; (2) promote understanding of the anticipated Office-wide BAA; and (3) facilitate discussions with potential performers.
DARPA anticipates releasing the DSO Office-wide BAA in June 2021. If released, the BAA will be available on https://beta.sam.gov/ and on http://www.grants.gov/. Presented materials may be posted to http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities.
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 solicitation.
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.
10:30 - 11:00 AM | Webinar login |
11:00 - 11:15 AM | Welcome & DARPA Overview Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, Director, DARPA |
11:15 - 11:45 AM |
DSO Overview Dr. Valerie Browning, Director, DSO |
11:45 AM - 1:05 PM |
Foundations - Alternative Computing and Next Generation AI Lt. Col. David Lewis Dr. Jiangying Zhou Mr. Ted Senator |
1:05 - 1:35 PM | Break |
1:35 - 2:35 PM |
Complex Social Systems - Undergoverned Spaces and Infinite Contests Dr. Philip Root, Deputy Director, DSO Dr. Molly Jahn Dr. Bartlett Russell |
2:35 - 3:35 PM |
Anticipating Surprise - Resilient Systems, and Operations in Harsh Environments Dr. Anne Fischer Dr. Bill Carter Dr. Mark Wrobel |
3:35 - 4:35 PM |
Limits - Sensing, Communications and Metrology Dr. Vishnu Sundaresan Dr. Rohith Chandrasekar Dr. Tatjana Curcic |
4:35 - 5:05 PM |
Doing Business with DARPA Mr. Scott Wenzel, ADPM, DSO |
5:05 - 5:25 PM |
Contracting 101/Disruptioneering Mr. Desmond Donaghue, Contracting Officer, CMO |
5:25 - 6:00 PM |
Q&A Dr. Valerie Browning, Director, DSO |
6:00 PM | Adjourn |
The Discover DSO Day (D3) event will be webcast on June 23, 2021 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Note, all times listed in this announcement and on the registration website are Eastern Time. There is no registration fee to view the webcast.
Registration opens: As of publication of this announcement.
Registration website: https://events.sa-meetings.com/2021DiscoverDSODay (this website)
Registration closes: June 9, 2021 at 5:00 PM or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.
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 the maximum capacity limitations (1000 individuals) 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.
Special Notice DARPA-SN-21-13 announced opportunities for participants of the Discover DSO Day event to potentially have sidebar meetings with DSO Program Managers on June 24, 2021. This special notice has closed, and recipients of sidebar meetings have been notified; no additional sidebars will be scheduled during the D3 event.
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.
All registrants who are not U.S. Citizens must complete and submit either a DARPA Form 60 (U.S. Permanent Resident and Foreign National Visit Request – e.g., industry or academia) or an Official Visit Request (foreign government personnel, only) through the Embassy based in Washington, DC, no later than 5:00 PM on June 9, 2021. Form 60 submission instructions are provided on the registration website and in the registration confirmation email. Contact your Embassy staff for assistance in submitting the Official Visit Request.
Technical, and contractual questions about the Discover DSO Day event should be emailed to DiscoverDSODay2021@darpa.mil. Administrative questions about the Discover DSO Day event should be emailed to DiscoverDSODay2021@sainc.com. All questions must be in English and must include the name and email address of a point of contact.
Please refer to the Discover DSO Day in all correspondence.
Viewing the Discover DSO Day webcast is voluntary and is not required to propose to the anticipated DSO Office-Wide 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 D3 event. DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred to participate in this event. Recording the Discover DSO Day webcast is not permitted.
Technical Program: DiscoverDSODay2021@darpa.mil
Registration / Webinar Host: DiscoverDSODay2021@sainc.com
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