Defense Sciences Office (DSO) Office-wide BAA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense dedicated to advancing emerging technologies with a focus on national security. The Defense Sciences Office (DSO) operates as one of DARPA’s key offices, working across disciplines to identify new scientific frontiers and explore innovative approaches that may yield transformational capabilities. DARPA is well known for funding research that leads to significant technological breakthroughs, often with applications that extend far beyond defense into broader scientific and commercial domains. Through the Defense Sciences Office Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), DARPA invites proposals that explore new scientific concepts, devices, or systems with potential revolutionary impact on national security. The stated purpose of this funding opportunity is to encourage high-risk, high-reward projects that have the capacity to redefine the state of the art. Specifically excluded are projects that merely improve upon existing technologies in an incremental or evolutionary way. The agency is seeking disruptive approaches that open entirely new pathways or capabilities. The funding instrument types available under this opportunity include cooperative agreements, other transactions, and procurement contracts, which reflects DARPA’s flexibility in working with diverse performers. The announcement falls under the Assistance Listing number 12.910, covering Research and Technology Development. The opportunity is discretionary in nature, meaning DARPA will select proposals aligned with its research mission rather than mandating awards based on formula or entitlement. While the number of expected awards is not specified, awards will be made to those proposals deemed most responsive to the agency’s requirements. Eligibility for this program is broad. All responsible sources capable of meeting the government’s technical needs may apply. This includes a wide range of entities such as universities, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, and small businesses. There are no explicit geographic restrictions indicated, which means applicants from across the United States and its territories are eligible to apply. The eligibility section emphasizes DARPA’s openness to proposals from any qualified organization that can deliver on its mission objectives. The timeline for applications is straightforward. The posting date for the opportunity was June 3, 2025, and applications will remain open until June 2, 2026. The archive date is set for July 2, 2026, at which point materials will no longer be available. No pre-application steps such as letters of intent, concept papers, or pre-proposals are described in the notice, and applications are not accepted on a rolling basis. While there is no formal recurrence schedule described, DARPA frequently reissues similar broad agency announcements, which often operate annually. Applicants are directed to submit their proposals through the official channels specified in the full BAA announcement available on SAM.gov. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of innovation, feasibility, and alignment with DARPA’s mission to achieve revolutionary scientific and technological advances for national security. Applicants encountering difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically may reach out to the BAA Coordinator via email at HR001125S0013@darpa.mil for assistance. No phone contact is provided in the notice. Interested applicants should carefully review the full solicitation for details regarding submission requirements and evaluation processes.