Special Notice (SN)

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 an anticipated Research Announcementi (RA) for the Young Faculty Award 2022 (YFA 2022) program.  The Proposers Day will be held via prerecorded webcast on August 30, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Advance registration is required for viewing the webcast. Note, all times listed in this announcement and on the registration website are Eastern Time.

The goals of the YFA 2022 Proposers Day are to (a) introduce the research community (Academia, and Non-Profit) to the YFA 2022 program vision and goals; (b) explain the mechanics and milestones of the DARPA YFA program; and (c) encourage and promote teaming arrangements among potential organizations that have the relevant expertise, facilities, and capabilities for executing a research and development program responsive to the YFA 2022 program goals.  

DARPA anticipatesii releasing the YFA 2022 RA in late August 2021. If released, the RA will be available on https://SAM.gov and on http://www.grants.gov. Following the event, DARPA will post the presented materials to the DARPA/DSO Opportunities website.  

Program Objective and Description

The objective of the DARPA YFA 2022 program is to identify and engage rising stars in junior research positions, particularly those without prior DARPA funding, to expose them to DoD needs and DARPA’s mission to create and prevent technological surprise. YFA will provide high-impact funding to elite researchers early in their careers to develop innovative new research that enables transformative DoD capabilities. Ultimately, YFA is developing the next generations of researchers focused on national security issues.

DARPA anticipatesii soliciting innovative research proposals in the following areas: physical sciences, engineering, materials, mathematics, biology, computing, informatics, social science, robotics, neuroscience, and manufacturing. Eligibility requirements for YFA are outlined below; however, potential proposers should consult the anticipated YFA 2022 RA for any additional eligibility requirements.
 i Awards for Research Announcements are limited to grants only.
  ii As of the publication of this Special Notice, the YFA Research Announcement has not yet been released to the public.  

Event Participation

Registration

There is no registration fee for the Proposers Day webcast. The registration deadline is 4:00 PM, ET, Monday, August 23, 2021 or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first. Advance registration 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.

Individuals who are unable to register because the deadline has occurred or capacity has been reached will have the option to be added to the waitlist. If slots remain open after registration closes or become available due to cancellations, the slots may be filled on a first come, first served basis from the waitlist. 

Purpose

DARPA hosts Proposers Days to:

  • Provide potential proposers with information on whether and how they might respond to DARPA's research and development solicitations.
  • Increase efficiency in proposal preparation and evaluation.
  • Assist with teaming arrangements between researchers (see note below). 

 

Eligibility

Proposers Days are only open to registered potential proposers and are closed to the general public and media. For this particular program, Proposers Day registration is open to potential proposers from U.S. institutions who are U.S. citizens, U.S. Permanent Residents, or 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 August 23, 2021. Form 60 submission instructions are provided in the registration confirmation email. Contact your embassy staff for assistance in submitting the Official Visit Request.

Teaming

The anticipated RA will solicit single investigator proposals. Although there can be only one principal investigator (PI) per proposal, teaming may still be proposed if required due to the nature of the research. If teaming is proposed, the PI must be from the prime proposing institution, and teaming and/or subcontract awards will be limited to no more than 30% of the total grant value. It is preferred that potential team members fit the proposer eligibility requirements outlined below. Specific content, communications, networking, and team formation will be the sole responsibility of the participants.

YFA Eligibility

•    Proposers must be one of the following (excluding any personal leaves of absence):
      o    current Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate Professors; 
      o    current Tenured faculty within 3 years of their Tenure date; or 
      o    an equivalent at a non-profit research institution within 12 years of the receipt of their Ph.D. 
•    All proposers must be employed at a U.S. institution, which includes those in U.S. states and territories. Proposals from outside these regions will not be accepted.
•    Individuals who have previously received a YFA Award are not eligible for this or any future YFA program.  
•    Former DARPA Program Managers are not eligible to apply for funding under this program. 
•   Researchers working at Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and Government Entities are not eligible to apply as PIs for funding under this program; however, they may be proposed as subcontractors.
•    Please review the anticipated YFA 2022 RA for the complete list of eligibility requirements.

Q&A

Administrative, technical, and contractual questions about the YFA 2022 program should be emailed to YFA2022@darpa.mil. All questions must include the name and email address of a point of contact. Following the Proposers Day, DARPA will post an FAQ list to the DARPA/DSO Opportunities website.  

Disclaimers and Important Notes

Viewing the YFA 2022 Proposers Day webcast is voluntary and is not required to propose to the anticipated YFA 2022 RA. 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 special notice 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 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.

Meeting Format & Webinar Platform

Meeting Format

The meeting will held via a prerecorded webcast on ZoomGov.

Webinar Platform

This meeting will be held on the ZoomGov webinar platform. 

Downloading the Zoom application is suggested but understood that there may be affiliation restrictions. Therefore the alternative would be to join by web browser.  All registrants will receive more detailed information in the webinar logistics email that will be sent out.