Special Notice (SN) DARPA-SN-24-21

Discover DSO Day (D3)
February 21–22, 2024
San Francisco, CA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is sponsoring a Discover DSO Day (D3) event to: (1) familiarize participants with DSO’s mission; (2) promote understanding of DSO funding opportunities; and (3) facilitate discussions with DSO program managers. The event will be held in person on February 21–22, 2024 in San Francisco, CA. Advance registration is required for all individuals attending. Note that all deadlines and times listed on the registration website are Eastern Time.

DSO anticipates a second Discover DSO Day event to be held in Arlington, VA in the fall of 2024. A Special Notice for that event will be posted once details become available.

To identify and explore ideas that could potentially revolutionize the state of the art, 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.

DSO OBJECTIVE AND DESCRIPTION

DARPA's mission is to identify and pursue high-impact research initiatives across a broad spectrum of science and engineering disciplines for the U.S. Department of Defense. DARPA DSO focuses on nascent and emergent technologies that may result in breakthrough capabilities for U.S. national security applications, and the demonstration of the potential of these technologies through targeted development efforts.

DSO research opportunities are broadcast through a variety of mechanisms, including Program Solicitations such as Broad Area Announcements (BAAs), Disruption Opportunities (DOs), and Advanced Research Concepts (ARCs). These opportunities are designed to enable the global research community to pursue breakthrough ideas while understanding such ideas often include substantial technical risks.

DSO is interested in engaging with the broad research and development community to tackle complex challenges and develop impactful capabilities. We frame our office according to six thrust areas as identified for panel discussions during DARPA DSO Day, but encourage any fundamental research concept, idea, or effort that addresses DARPA’s mission.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The Discover DSO Day will be held on February 21–22, 2024, in San Francisco, CA. Interested participants may register to attend one or both days. The registration fee to participate on day 1 is $125, the day 2 registration fee is $75 for the Discover DSO Day event. A tentative agenda is included below, and additional details are provided on the registration website.

Registration opens: As of publication of this announcement.

Registration website: https://events.sa-meetings.com/D3Feb2024

Registration closes (in person attendance): Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.

Advance registration via the above website is required for attending the D3 event in person. Due to the limitations of the conference facility space, in-person attendance is restricted to the first 250 registrants with a maximum of five (5) individuals from any one organization and no more than two (2) representatives per division/department of that organization. Interested parties are encouraged to coordinate attendance internally within their organizations prior to registration. DARPA may modify the in-person organization restriction as needed.

Registrants in excess of the maximum capacity limitations may be added to a 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 events such as this 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, this event is only open to registered potential proposers, i.e., the events are closed to the general public and media. Discover DSO Day event 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 U.S. Embassy based in Washington, DC, no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. 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. Upon entry to the physical meeting, all attendees must present valid, Government-issued photo identification.

Q & A

Administrative questions about the Discover DSO Day event should be emailed to discoverdsoday2024@sainc.com. All questions must be in English and must include the name and email address of a point of contact.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please refer to Discover DSO Day in all correspondence.

DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT NOTES

Attendance at the Discover DSO Day is voluntary and is not required to propose to the any DARPA DSO solicitation. Interested parties to this notice are cautioned that nothing herein obligates the Government to issue a solicitation. The Discover DSO 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, the Government will not accept submissions against this notice. No classified, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controlled, or proprietary information shall be presented by the Government at Discover DSO Day. DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred to participate in this Discover DSO Day. Recording this event is not permitted.