IARPA seeks “seedlings” with BAA

By Loren Blinde June 22, 2017

0 Comments

IARPA is soliciting proposals for research on topics that are not addressed by emerging or ongoing IARPA programs or other published IARPA solicitations. The BAA primarily, but not solely, seeks proposals for early stage research (which IARPA refers to as “seedlings”). Abstracts and proposals may be submitted throughout the period that this BAA remains open. Offerors are encouraged to submit early and at any time up to 5:00 PM Eastern Time on May 2, 2018.

IARPA invests in high-risk, high-payoff research that has the potential to provide our nation with an overwhelming intelligence advantage. This BAA solicits abstracts and proposals for IARPA. A summary of topics of interest is described below by technical area:

a. Anticipatory Intelligence

Anticipatory intelligence focuses on characterizing and reducing uncertainty by providing decision makers with timely and accurate forecasts of significant global events. This BAA solicits research that explores or demonstrates the feasibility of revolutionary concepts that may deliver real-time indications and warning, in context, to support rapid, nuanced understanding by intelligence consumers.

b. Analysis

Analysis focuses on maximizing insights from the massive, disparate, unreliable and dynamic data that are – or could be – available to analysts, in a timely manner. IARPA is pursuing new sources of information from existing and novel data, and developing innovative techniques that can be utilized in the processes of analysis. Analysis research efforts are diverse across technical disciplines but have the following common features: (a) they create technologies that can earn the trust of the analyst user by providing the reasoning for results; and (b) they address data uncertainty and provenance explicitly.

c. Computing

Research in computing focuses on the IC’s ability to operate freely and effectively in an often hostile and increasingly interdependent and resource-constrained environment. While some of our challenges stem from adversary activity, others emerge coincidentally with changes in technology or business practices. Research efforts are most often not application-specific, but concentrate instead on creating the foundations of a powerful and robust infrastructure for the IC that can maintain its integrity over time. This BAA solicits research that explores or demonstrates the feasibility of revolutionary concepts in computation, trust establishment and maintenance, and detecting and deflecting hostile intent.

d. Collection

The goal of collections research is to dramatically improve the value of collected data from all sources by developing new sensor and transmission technologies, new collection techniques that more precisely target desired information, and means for collecting information from previously inaccessible sources. In addition, IARPA pursues new mechanisms for combining information gathered from multiple sources to enhance the quality, reliability, and utility of collected information.

e. Innovative approaches to Estimation of Performance

To ensure sound science and objective evaluations of progress, IARPA programs place considerable emphasis on sound procedures to measure or estimate performance. The topic areas listed above (Anticipatory Intelligence, Analysis, Computing, and Collections) pose a challenge to measurement, and in some cases a program-level investment in one of these topics may depend on developing new and innovative approaches to estimating performance. Consequently, this technical area seeks to enable or enhance measurement and estimation in any of the above listed topics.